Stolen Valor.....and Wanna Be's

[SASless]

Until recently, the United States had a "Stolen Valor" law which made it a crime for Wanna Be's to wear Military Decorations which they had not been awarded. We even had a Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) that committed Suicide shortly after being discovered to be wearing Decorations that were questionable.

Our Supreme Court decided such conduct is a form of "Free Speech" and the Stolen Valor Law was struck down. Dissenters on the Court did note the Law as written was un-Constitutional but if re-written might very well pass muster.

This is one example of several guys caught and brought up before the Court of Public Opinion which can be quite harsh.

For those Not Knowing....it was his Neck Tie that gave him away! Very un-military that!






Real USN SEALs have been known to counsel Non-SEAL's about the "curse" that follows the imporper wear of the Trident.....seems ill health has been found to afflict Poseurs for some unknown reason.

[unclenelli]

We call them Walt

... after Walter Mitty (Danny Kaye film, 1939)


Easily a giveaway in UK - less medals to visually check out.

Anyone in UK with 15 rows (15 rows x 4 per row) would be scrutinised by everyone!!!!

I've often seen it on TV where Costume would give a character 5 medals per row - an instant giveaway.

We've had Walts here in the UK - I remember the news reporting a Walt in the Rememberance Parade down Whitehall wearing 2 GSM62's (instead of 1 with additional bars) and an SAS beret.
Can't remember what happened to him, once he was outed.

The British Honours System has a set order for medals - again a big giveaway for Walts.


Apart from USA (who allegedly can get 3 medals in 1 weekend for flying across the Atlantic Eastbound, Westbound and across a war-zone (Northern Ireland?!), the most I've seen is [KOSHER][Aussie Keith Payne VC, OAM[\KOSHER] - 29 Medals (24 + 5 additional bars)






Parents (or Grandparents proving intermediary parent is deceased) can be worn on the RHS)

[NutLoose]

You mean



The full explanation of what he is wearing is here

'Fake' war veteran Roger Day: Medals are pukka...but I'm sworn to silence on how I won them | Mail Online


Walt heaven here, you want to see what some of them have

Fake military veterans - are you a SEAL? SAS? - TeakDoor.com - The Thailand Forum

[unclenelli]

Nutloose
That's the Fella!!!!!
CORRECT - It's A WALT!!!!

QGJM #T2 and GSM62 (#T8 Non Commissioned) are the wrong way round - MC (#T2 Commissioned only) - 3 Foreign medals #T3, B4-7 out of order!

Mr Day, who wore a beige SAS beret at the parade, insisted his medals were genuine, but said the Official Secrets Act stopped him giving details. He said: 'They're all proper, pukka campaign medals. Medals I won in conflicts while I was serving with the British forces. All I can say is South Atlantic the Gulf, Kuwait and one or two other stations.

BLUE = TRUE (probably - depending on where he bought them, unless unnamed replicas)
RED = B0LL0CK$

[Jayand]

That SAS one is soooooo obvious! He's gone to all that trouble and missed out buying a decent regimental tie? You don't wear all the extras and have a crappy Burtons physcadelic tie with it!
Doh.

[unclenelli]

DOH!

I can't believe I missed the Tie!!!!!!





And the fact that he's failed to grow facial hair in direct contravention of QRs (as per most Service-leavers)



WALT Roger Day opted for 2 brooches of 8 & 9 medals


Non-WALT, Keith Payne has 1 brooch of 24!!! (God knows what that must have cost to get mounted - my 6 (inc minis) cost almost £100!!!)

[Rosevidney1]

I can't understand why people feel the need to falsely proclaim themselves to be heroic. Look at the risk. A situation may develop in your immediate vicinity and everyone then expects you to do something brave! Oh no, I'm quite content to be considered a craven coward (and can quake convincingly in my shoes even when I'm not terrified!)

[P6 Driver]

I find these people both amusing and quite sad at the same time.

[airborne_artist]

A true walt's walt: The Baron of Castleshort - ARRSEpedia

[Sven Langolier]

Don't forget the comical Downunder Twins -

They come up before the beak in Brisbane next week charged with one count each of falsely representing to be a returned soldier, sailor or airman and improper use of service decorations. Thread here

[November4]

It comes to something when a Walt has to impersonate the lad who writes the RAFAirman Blog to try and score on a dating site....

Someone, a Walt, used my picture on a dating site. I received a Direct Message on twitter from someone who followed me asking if I was using a dating site. I wasn’t. I am not. The messenger went on to say that someone had contacted her on a dating site ‘flirting’ with her, using a picture that she recognised. My old Twitter picture. The dead-ally hardcore one of me, taken by a military photographer in Afghanistan, just before I was going out on a patrol. Tooled up. Helmet, body armour, combats, rifle.

[TheWizard]

I think it has been established that Keith Payne - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is not a Walt but can anyone explain how he has the Queen's Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilee medal if he retired from the Armed Forces proper in 1975?
Genuine question

[Tankertrashnav]

Genuine question deserves a straightforward answer. Holders of the Victoria Cross and George Cross are automatically awarded any Coronation or Jubilee Medal issued in their lifetime. Thus First World war Victoria Cross groups often terminate in the 1935 Silver Jubilee medal and the 1937 and 1953 Coronation Medals. Also dont forget that these are not exclusively service awards and could be awarded for service in various civilian organisations but I am sure that Payne received his by virtue of being a VC holder.

[Pontius Navigator]

Originally Posted by unclenelli

I've often seen it on TV where Costume would give a character 5 medals per row - an instant giveaway.

MC - commissioned only

My grandfather had two rows of medals in sets of 5.

He was awarded the MC as a Sub-Conductor Indian Army - a warrant rank.

The British Honours System has a set order for medals

but the order of his medals was different from the order that Worcestershire Medals said they should have been.

So there you are, 3 errors on today's standards. He may have been awarded the MC when he had a temporary field commission. We are told he declined a commission as a WO1 pension was better.

[Pontius Navigator]

SASLess, the US decorations were known over here as salad dressing. Just how easy is it for an American to read them?

In UK the sets are virtually discrete, - pip squeak and wilfred in WW1 - a couple or up to 5 or so in WW2 with additional gallantry medals - a handful of Korea and GSM - then the modern clutch from Falklands, Serbia, GW1, GW2, Sierra Leone, and Afg plus a few others. There would be a few overlaps but the majority would be discrete sets worn by hostilities onlys or national service, and the current sets. Even so it is not easy to recognise them all.

My father had 5 and 2 clasps from WW2 and my wife's grandfather had 6, 3 from each war and her father had 5.

[TheWizard]

TTN

Thank you. I guessed it was something like that but couldn't find reference to it anywhere. Appreciate the straight answer.

[NutLoose]

Turning it on its head, a friend was showing some models he had built at a show and on the next stand a chap was showing his model of a Phantom off, some "expert" was standing there in front of the guy berating his work to all that would listen, that is wrong, they never had that, the cockpit wasn't like that etc etc etc.. The modeller getting fed up with this asked the "expert" how many hours he had on Phantoms? because he had over 500...... Lots of sniggers all round as the said expert shuffled off.

[500N]

"Non-WALT, Keith Payne has 1 brooch of 24!!! (God knows what that must have cost to get mounted - my 6 (inc minis) cost almost £100!!!)"


And every couple of years they seem to give him another medal or gong
from something or other so he has to get the them all re set !

1977
1982
2001
2002
2006
2012


Edit

I just noticed that he wears the Dhofar Campaign medals.
You learn something new every day !

[NutLoose]

He'd poke you in the eye on parade with that lot



His entitlement is (see pic below):
Victoria Cross
Australian Active Service Medal ( 1945-75 )
4 clasps: "Korea" - Malaysia" - "Vietnam" - "Thai-Malay"
Korea Medal ( 1950-53 )
United Nations Korea Medal ( 1950-53 )
General Service Medal ( 1962- )
1 clasp: "Malay Peninsula"
Vietnam Medal ( 1965-68 )
Australian Service Medal ( 1945-75 )
3 clasps: "Korea" - "SE Asia" - "PNG"
Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal ( 1977 )
Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal ( 2002 )
Defence Force Service Medal ( Australia )
Meritorious Service Medal ( MSM )
'Commonwealth of Australia' Issue
Army Long Service & Good Conduct Medal ( LSGC )
'Australia' suspension: Medal of the Order of Australia ( OAM )
Distinguished Service Cross ( DSC ) ( US issue )
Silver Star ( USA )
Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star ( Rep of Vietnam )
South Vietnam Campaign Medal ( Rep of Vietnam )
1 clasp: '1960'
General Service Medal ( Oman )

Victoria Cross - Keith Payne - VC sold

And that was 2007, so he would have had some updates since then with the Diamond Jubilee .

Military Historical Society of Australia - Queensland Branch

[P6 Driver]

The photo of Mr Payne with his medals is quite an eye opener - they must weigh quite a bit!