Stolen Valor report

Whether Robert White was injured in Iraq in 2005 and deserved a Purple Heart makes no difference now. The chief hospital corpsman wore the award without receiving it through official channels, and in the Navy’s eyes, that makes him a faker.

Marine Corps Times reports.

An Army captain at Fort Monroe could face a court-martial for allegedly wearing a dozen unauthorized medals and badges, as well as larceny, fraud and conduct unbecoming an officer.

Kate Wiltrout of the Virginia-Pilot is reporting that:

An Army captain at Fort Monroe could face a court-martial for allegedly wearing a dozen unauthorized medals and badges, as well as larceny, fraud and conduct unbecoming an officer.

Volokh Conspiracy is engaged in filing an amicus in a case called United States v. Strandlof still at the trial level involving a prosecution under the Stolen Valor Act. Here’s a link to a DenverPost.com article about the person involved.

Strandlof, 32, spared no detail in his alleged resume: Annapolis graduate. Marine captain. Survivor of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon. Wounded three-tour veteran of the Iraq war.

Volokh first blogged about the case here. Essentially the issue coming from the case is a First Amendment one. Here is a part of the order for supplemental briefing.

In short, it appears to this court that the Act [as currently written ] purports to criminalize pure speech on the basis of its content. A law that imposes a content-based restriction on pure speech generally is subjected to strict scrutiny and cannot stand unless it is narrowly tailed to serve a compelling government interest. My research has revealed no precedent from any jurisdiction holding that the protection of the honor and reputation of military awards qualifies as a compelling government interest sufficient to justify a content-based regulation of pure speech.

We’ll see. The Strandlof case will be one to follow in regard to a First Amendment challenge to the Stolen Valor Act.