What is stolen valor? The definition of stolen valor is when a person claims they have served in the military, or they embellish their rank or fraudulently claim that they were presented an award for valor. In order for actions to qualify as illicit, a person must have the intent to gain money, property or some other tangible benefit by convincing others that he or she received the award.
If you are attending military training or have a loved one currently in military training, I hope this post helps answer some questions. Remember, when in doubt, reach out to the chain of command for more information. For those of you who are wondering whether or not you will attend basic training, tech school or AIT, or if you’re wondering how the coronavirus outbreak will impact your military training in the future, read on.
Hospital ships date back to the early 1800s when the USS Intrepid was used as a hospital ship after being reconfigured. That model, for the most part, is applied today. To date, only one ship, the USS Relief, was built to serve as a hospital ship. The Mercy and the Comfort were converted from other uses into hospital ships.
As veterans, we should not be using our military experiences to make others uncomfortable by marginalizing their fears and minimizing contributions. I’ve seen it going on in social media circles and I’ve discussed this with military buddies. We should not be elevating our stature during this crisis as though we are greater than what is happening, as if we are the wise person atop the mountain having attained some type of wisdom only military people can acquire. Veterans, we are not more enlightened or anointed by some experiential being simply because we have worn a uniform or gone off to war.
Military medals represent the many faces military veterans have served; they represent those to our left and right, who stand with us shoulder to shoulder and military medals represent those who are no longer with us. They are precious metals.
A military ribbon rack is a résumé that tells those who know how to read them, where a person has been, what they have experienced, what they know and what they are capable of. But more importantly it tells us about their character and how they live their lives. Simply put, military ribbon racks do not just tell us what medals and decorations a person has earned. Instead, they tell us who the person is.
From memory, most Army veterans with more than a couple of years in uniform can recite the criteria to earn a U.S. Army ribbon and also explain the order of precedence for wear of U.S. Army ribbons. But if you’re a new soldier or maybe you’re someone who is trying to learn about U.S. Army ribbons to help a family member acquire awards they never received, or you’re putting together a military shadow box for a veteran or a family member, navigating all of the colors, criteria and campaigns can be a conundrum.
A military shadow box encapsulates a veteran's military service. Here are some thoughts if you're thinking about purchasing one to help you pick the right kind.