Here is an Article I wrote that is posted on K1TP's web site As the World Turns:
The Darker Side of Amateur Radio
By W1MSG, Craig R Gagner
I have been involved with Amateur Radio since 2000, and as of last year I finally completed my upgrade to General Class which has opened many new doors in the hobby. I have made a lot of contacts around the world and have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences.
Amateur Radio offers a certain amount of anonymity due to locations and distances, you may talk with some one on the radio for years and never actually meet that person. Many times a conversation will involve what you do for a living, I am in the Military, this usually will bring out someone’s Veteran status and a short discussion about their time in the military, what they did and where they were stationed. It is always a pleasure to meet and chat with a Military Veteran and I always thank them for their service.
Unfortunately there is a trend that seems to be spreading, and its not just on Amateur Radio. People are embellishing their careers in the military to include acts of heroism, false claims of awards and service. Then you have the imposters and phonies, claiming things as absurd as black ops and even being a Navy SEAL, Delta Force, or Special Forces just to name a few claims. I personally take everyone at face value until they give me reason to question their claims. Most people who have served can quickly tell if someone may be adding the extra WOW factor to their stories. The one thing they fail to realize is that their entire military record is easily obtainable by utilizing organizations such as the POW Network, or just filling out a SF-180 form and submitting it. Many of these people when confronted with the truth will still try to defend their claims by saying their records have been sanitized, and their files are secret. This is totally false, the military does not do this, and they never have. The information in an Official Military Personnel File lists data that is not of a classified nature. It will list the individuals rank, duty assignments, awards, years in service, and schools. Certain items are blacked out to stay in compliance with the Privacy Act, but you will have a very good idea of what their military career was.
The Stolen Valor Act of 2005, signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 20, 2006, is a U.S. law that broadens the provisions of previous U.S. law addressing the unauthorized wear, manufacture, or sale of any military decorations and medals. It makes it a federal misdemeanor offense to falsely represent oneself as having received any U.S. military decoration or medal. If convicted, defendants may be imprisoned for up to six months, unless the decoration lied about is the Medal of Honor, in which case imprisonment could be up to one year.
Unfortunately some of the District Courts ( California ) have decided that its unconstitutional and think that people should be able to lie their ass off under the 1st Amendment.
There are also those that would fraudulently change their discharge paperwork in order to receive disability compensation and services from the Veterans Administration. To me this is the lowest form of scum and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law when caught.
I encourage each and every one of you out there on the airwaves to look into anyone you may suspect of embellishing their military career. Please take a look at P.O.W. Network and see just how many of these imposters and phonies are out there.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me, all of my data is good with a call sign search. I am by no means an expert but I can probably point you in the right direction.
73
Craig
W1MSG
So what are your feelings on this subject ???
op:
The Darker Side of Amateur Radio
By W1MSG, Craig R Gagner
I have been involved with Amateur Radio since 2000, and as of last year I finally completed my upgrade to General Class which has opened many new doors in the hobby. I have made a lot of contacts around the world and have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences.
Amateur Radio offers a certain amount of anonymity due to locations and distances, you may talk with some one on the radio for years and never actually meet that person. Many times a conversation will involve what you do for a living, I am in the Military, this usually will bring out someone’s Veteran status and a short discussion about their time in the military, what they did and where they were stationed. It is always a pleasure to meet and chat with a Military Veteran and I always thank them for their service.
Unfortunately there is a trend that seems to be spreading, and its not just on Amateur Radio. People are embellishing their careers in the military to include acts of heroism, false claims of awards and service. Then you have the imposters and phonies, claiming things as absurd as black ops and even being a Navy SEAL, Delta Force, or Special Forces just to name a few claims. I personally take everyone at face value until they give me reason to question their claims. Most people who have served can quickly tell if someone may be adding the extra WOW factor to their stories. The one thing they fail to realize is that their entire military record is easily obtainable by utilizing organizations such as the POW Network, or just filling out a SF-180 form and submitting it. Many of these people when confronted with the truth will still try to defend their claims by saying their records have been sanitized, and their files are secret. This is totally false, the military does not do this, and they never have. The information in an Official Military Personnel File lists data that is not of a classified nature. It will list the individuals rank, duty assignments, awards, years in service, and schools. Certain items are blacked out to stay in compliance with the Privacy Act, but you will have a very good idea of what their military career was.
The Stolen Valor Act of 2005, signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 20, 2006, is a U.S. law that broadens the provisions of previous U.S. law addressing the unauthorized wear, manufacture, or sale of any military decorations and medals. It makes it a federal misdemeanor offense to falsely represent oneself as having received any U.S. military decoration or medal. If convicted, defendants may be imprisoned for up to six months, unless the decoration lied about is the Medal of Honor, in which case imprisonment could be up to one year.
Unfortunately some of the District Courts ( California ) have decided that its unconstitutional and think that people should be able to lie their ass off under the 1st Amendment.
There are also those that would fraudulently change their discharge paperwork in order to receive disability compensation and services from the Veterans Administration. To me this is the lowest form of scum and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law when caught.
I encourage each and every one of you out there on the airwaves to look into anyone you may suspect of embellishing their military career. Please take a look at P.O.W. Network and see just how many of these imposters and phonies are out there.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me, all of my data is good with a call sign search. I am by no means an expert but I can probably point you in the right direction.
73
Craig
W1MSG
So what are your feelings on this subject ???
op:
