Stolen Valor: The Legal Story Behind Impersonating Military Personnel

Abstract

Military impersonation, or stolen valor, is an understudied topic. Military impersonation can be committed by civilians and service members alike. Military service misrepresentation is adjudicated under civilian federal law (for civilians and veterans) or the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ; for service members). In the legal field, the main literature concerns the constitutionality of the Stolen Valor Act (SVA) of 2005. However, since the SVA of 2005, many developments have occurred. The same applies to the UCMJ, which underwent a large revision that went into effect in 2019. The scarcity of research has led to this legal study covering the federal statutes and state statutes that apply to military impersonation. Not only are financial motives found, mitigation of sentences in court cases is also a motive. Both demonstrate a need for military history verification.