Service to this nation is a noble undertaking, one involving personal sacrifice, commitment, dedication, pride and, in time of war, risk of life and limb.

Men and women who have served this nation have every right to proudly stand up and declare themselves veterans.

Those who serve and go above and beyond duty’s call are honored with medals and citations. Calling someone a medal-winner is inaccurate. Military medals are not won like those presented at the end of some athletic contest, but rather are earned through acts of selflessness and courage.

Those who receive military medals have every right to stand up and declare themselves heroes, though most never do.

On occasion, however, people who have absolutely no right to do so will declare themselves veterans, as well as heroes.

Such was the case of Xavier Alvarez. After being elected to the Three Valleys Municipal Water District in Pomona, Calif., Alvarez introduced himself at his first public meeting as a wounded war veteran who had received the nation’s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor.

Alvarez is a liar. He was not awarded the Medal of Honor, he was not wounded in war and, in fact, he never even served in the military.

He was prosecuted for his prevarication under the Stolen Valor Act, which was adopted by Congress in 2005 and signed into law in late 2006. Under the law, it is a federal misdemeanor to falsely claim to have received any U.S. military medal. If convicted, those dishonesty claiming to have earned medals could be sent to jail for up to six months unless, like Alvarez, they lie about being Medal of Honor recipients, which increases the prison term up to one year.

Alvarez has fought his conviction. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco struck down the law as an unconstitutional restraint on free speech. But the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld the law, saying the First Amendment guarantee of free speech didn’t necessarily cover lying.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case, ironically on the 280th anniversary of George Washington’s birth.

It was Washington who first established American military decorations in 1782, seven years before he became the young nation’s first president. It also was Washington who laid down strict punishment for soldiers who claimed to be medal recipients, but were not.

Alvarez’ attorneys freely admit their client is a liar. And he hasn’t only lied about being a decorated wounded vet. Alvarez is quite a practiced liar, apparently. At various times, he has claimed he played hockey for the Detroit Red Wings, was married to a beautiful Mexican starlet, was an engineer and was in the American embassy in Tehran during the Iranian hostage crisis of the late 1970s. He claims he not only rescued the U.S. ambassador during that crisis, but was shot when he went back to retrieve the embassy’s American flag.

Alvarez, it seems, has claimed to be everything but a double-naught spy and a brain surgeon.

It has long been a federal crime to wear medals that you haven’t earned, though it is a misdemeanor.

Steven Burton wore a Marine Corps uniform to his 20th high school reunion, adorned with a chest full of medals, including the Navy Cross, the service’s highest honor. Not only isn’t Burton a decorated Marine, he isn’t even an un-decorated one.

A female classmate who was really in the Navy got suspicious. She talked him into posing for a photo with her, then turned the photo over to the FBI. Burton wound up pleading guilty and being sentenced to probation. He should have just combed a little Grecian Formula into his hair and rented a Ferrari for the evening.

Pretending you were in the military when you weren’t is a little sad, while claiming you received a medal is infuriating.

People who shovel such loads of bull droppings are pathetic and not worthy wasting time on.

These people’s lives must be so unfulfilling that they feel compelled to make themselves seem somehow greater than they are.

But in their efforts to build themselves up, they are dishonoring all the men and women who have served, and who are serving, this country, especially the ones honored for their valor.

Thanks to the efforts of a real veteran, Doug Sterner, and his wife, Pam, there is a database of nearly 100,000 military awards presented since the Civil War, including all 3,475 Medal of Honor recipients. A paper written by Pam for a college political science course expressed her husband’s frustrations over those who falsely claimed to be medal recipients. That paper led to the Stolen Valor Act.

It seems to me the First Amendment guarantee of free speech should not be interpreted to cover lying about something as solemn as a military honor.

That way, these fakers receive worse punishment than simple public embarrassment, a condition to which they are apparently immune.



Mullin is senior writer of the News & Eagle. Email him at jmullin@enidnews.com.