Caustic Comedy Central comedian Daniel Tosh tackled a sensitive, serious issue with hilarity on his show — people who claim to be veterans when they never served.
In a segment titled, "Stolen Valor," on his show "Tosh.0," Tosh showed several videos of real veterans angrily confronting phony ones, and wisecracked, "They're out there risking possible embarrassment just to get free appetizers or a chick's number — that's courage in my book. Haven't you ever heard of dressing for the job you want?"
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Tosh sarcastically asked, "What are the real soldiers fighting for if not for our freedom to impersonate them?"
Tosh, who awarded phony veterans the "Golden Chicken Heart" medal, "the highest medal a faker could receive," commented on one incident when a non-veteran was caught wearing a camouflage military uniform in a mall, "See, it was laundry day. He had nothing else to wear. He didn't even realize he was wearing a matching hat, shirt and pants until he received a free coffee at Starbucks."
Despite Tosh's lampoons, stolen valor is considered a serious matter by veterans. In 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Stolen Valor Act, which made it a federal crime to wear un-earned military medals. The law was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2012, but a new law was signed by President Barack Obama in 2013, this time making it a crime to fraudulently claim military service to obtain money, property or "tangible benefits,"
Military.com reports.
Massachusetts Democratic state Rep. John Velis has proposed similar legislation in the state, and
told Fox News, "As repugnant as it is, if someone lies about serving for something like a pickup line in a bar, it’s legal under the First Amendment. My law is outside of that realm. The First Amendment does not give you the right to commit fraud.
"People take that uniform and the American flag very seriously," Velis said. "You don’t get to say you fought for it when you clearly haven’t."
Other states, notably New Jersey, Alabama, and Pennsylvania, have followed suit. Former Army infantryman and combat vet Ryan Berk busted a fake veteran at the Oxford Valley Mall near Philadelphia on video, confronted him and his video received over 2 million views on YouTube,
Army Times reported.
Tosh donned the uniform of a British soldier in the Revolutionary War in a staged confrontation scene, claiming his commanding officer was Paul Revere and he was wearing a British uniform because he was a spy,
Military Times reported.
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