You're comparing apples and oranges.

The same DoD that sails off a fleet with "green" fuel that costs over $38 a gallon, pays almost $400 million for a fighter jet; about $4,000,000,000 per submarine; or spends $800 (in 1980s dollars) on toilet seats; $900 for a hammer that costs $10.99 at Home Depot, is saying that a measly $250,000 is too much for something so important?!

Phoenix - I agree. In a decision between equally qualified contenders for employment, a "medal winner" may get the nod just because of his alleged meritorious service. This is more than "free speech" it is fraud with intent to gain special recognition.

What this person lied about is pretty low; however, they were not a prior serving American which means that they cannot be found guilty of violating the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice). Their rights to be a flagrant low life scum bag liar are protected by that same constitution that I spent 8 years of my life defending...and I never sat on a $800.00 toilet seat or used a $900.00 hammer.

Frauds are ultimately uncovered and ostracized. A list of Whoswho in Medaland will become a stick in the average soldier's eye when he's compared to those in a position to to bestow medals on each other. C'mon, look at any Generals jacket and you see a hideous display that runs up his chest and over his back. Does anybody think he's that good? Too often, medals depend on who you know and how well they write and aren't the measure they're held to be.

If the court is not going to protect the honor of medal recipients, then I say screw the whole shiny trinket thing and lets just give out cash bonuses according to the level of commendation.

I've also been wondering if this ruling can be used to construe lying on my tax return as protected freedom of speech... eh, probably not.

The court messed up on this one. Alvarez made these claims while he was campaigning for a position on the local water board, which makes it fall way outside of the "free speech" that they made their ruling about. His lies about receiving the MOH were made for monetary reasons (to gain a paid position on the water board). He also lied about his ex-wife, said they were still married so he could get her put on his health insurance (probably got cash under the table from her) and he was imprisoned for that and finally removed from the paid water board position.

I hope they do go ahead with this database and also that they go back at least to the Viet Nam war. I don't know how many jerks I heard brag about being in that war in the last 40+ years, but as soon as you ask a few specific questions about where, when, and what happened, it became glaringly evident that they were POS liars like this guy.

Getting ready for World War III.

Let me get this strait. I can lie...protected under free speech... got it. I can benefit from that lie... that is fraud. (wait.... I missed something) Serving in the military is voluntary... so (as soldiers) we get different "medals" for various schools, proformances, and sometimes just survival after being shot at. Some medals are "gimmes" some are so hard to get... you just gota look up to those who have them. But all have one thing in common: You gotta serve to earn them. You gotta give your time willingly and sacrifice some of your freedoms. At the end of the day (tour) you feel like you earned them and then you get out (of service) return to civilian life and silently watch some lie about the medals he recieved for time never served. He gets the job and (the vet) keeps looking.

Can anyone see the problem here. It's not the medals we care about... we care about the honor that goes with it... sometimes, the memories and the medals is all we have. Sometime , you see, our military service is cut short for one reason or another and our plaques, ribbons, awards, pictures and memories and old (smelly) uniforms is all we got... we no reward, no parades... some of us didn't even get a "Welcome home" banner.

Wives sometime divorce (because of separation), Kids become distant, friends are buried and IF, by the Grace of God, you survive all of that and you get a banner or parade and a decent retirement, your family is intact and you can now live a "quiet" life. You can now talk to old "war" buddies and brag about your accomplishments and then you see a man who takes all of that, lies about it and cheapens every thing you been through. It is enough to make a grown man cry... Unless you served... (I see some of you have) you know what I'm talking about.... I realize in the great scheme of things this is small potatoes but it seems to me that this is just the last straw.... This is NOT cool it is not about freedom of speech... it is just plain wrong.

It's about dam time! It should have been done some 50 or so years ago. But better late than never. My dad and my husband fought and earned their medals. It galls me to hear of those scumbags who didn't serve and didn't fight in any wars. I have volunteered for veterans (about 20+ years) and I am as proud of "my guys" as I am of my dad, my husband, my son, my daughter-in-law, my grandson (he had three tours in Iraq).

Oh, "my guys" includes female veterans. Can't leave them out. The staff where I work is mostly veterans.

A distinguishing commonality about real, decorated combat veterans is that those who have sacrificed the most often are the most reluctant to talk about their experiences or their decorations.

My late father was awarded many decorations in WW2 and Korea, yet whenever we asked about those awards he always told us "They came inside the combat rations, like the prizes in Cracker Jacks" ....and then he changed the subject.

Maybe the claim of being a decorated combat veteran and enthusiasm to talk about it should be the first clue that something may be amiss. Those who have actually served in combat more often can only open up about their experiences with other combat veterans; those who already understand.

Robert, you have it in a nutshell... My husband did two tours in Vietnam... and the only time he talks about it, is in the dark, in the middle of the night... when he is having what I refer to as "Night Terrors". There was no ticket tape parade for him. No recognition, other than a couple of medals that were literally "pitched" at him by his commander, and the spittle on his uniform, upon his return. If the person is talking openly about it, chances are extremely high, they were not really there... not in the thick of it...

Robert I am with you. Also most don't like to talk about it period ( except maybe with their DR's.) and even then.

No. Only at the time of your funeral I would imagine. Unless your put it on your resume for a job. It's about time something like this is being done. I despise liars especially on military service. Free speech is free speech, and our politicians lie all the time, but military servicelies just eat at my core.

Agreed Njofaustintx. Apparently I'm the only person in the history of the US Army that wasn't special forces!

Me and you, Tim... ended my time in artillery. JUST PLAY IT LOUD!

OHHHH do tell Njofaustintx, how will the database be of any use if everybody's medals are SECRET until they die?? Stupid. If we abolish the first amendment let me know where to mail my medals- I want a refund.

There is no such thing as "secret medals". They are awarded to you for display and recognition of service, valor, achievement, commendation, good conduct, etc. Although the ops you were on which resulted in the award may be classified, the medal itself is not. Anyone who tells you they got a medal but " I can't tell you because it's classified " is B.S.ing you.

In hindsight, it's about time that this is happening. It should have been done a long time ago.

celnav Lets see, I never used the word secret in my post and I was just giving a couple of scenerios like the part you did not read about listing your awards and decs on a resume. I would also imagine if you are running for political office or and public or private sector work. Not everyone should be able to access the database, only those you divy out your social security number too. Secret! There is no such decoration and adding words to my post that I did not state means your a person who cannot read or comprehend what you read! The VFW's do, and always have, looked up each members DD214 because you had to have participated in a campaign or action to join.

I believe the records for a DD214 can be obtain through the National Archives and can only be released to next of kin.

If this system already exists, I don't see the problem with releasing the persons Rank, years of service and acts of valor to a public archive as long as personal information isn't released. Kind of falls under the category of Code of Conduct.

As for Freedom of Speech, that is a liberty that protects us from oppression, such as if I told a government official he's a dumb ass I would not be persecuted, or I'm being watched by nosey NSA agents that find by blogging as reasonabley suspicious under the Patriot Act, they couldn't do a thing. It's not to protect criminals.

Editori,

Don't sell yourself short.

I have a feeling you've done more good than you're letting on. Military guys tend to downplay their accomplishments.

I agree Trouble falsifying awards should be punishable. The funny thing is he claimed to have gotten a MOH in 1987? I guess he doesn't know that they are awarded during war and there wasn't anything going on in 87...

Yes 1987 they were downsizing outr military and restructuring do to President Reagans' accomplishment with the Russians and the Wall.

I got "downsized and railroaded out in 1984 at the beginning of the downsize alonmg with many others whom I knew.

MOH's are kept on record and there have not been that many given out since the first award in 1862.

And I agree with Keeper of Horses as well, my awards are from the past, only I know what I did to receive them which gives me a sense of pride to go forward with.

Medals should go to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, but we will never know.

My military life allowed for me to learn something in life thus I can use today and the future.

Only we who served understand this, and it brings us together and tighter when we talk to another veteran about it. No one else can understand.

Semper Fi! gents, time to go and put some wind on my chin.

The funny thing is he claimed to have gotten a MOH

One of the few awards that can be easily checked with a simple search. He wasn't too bright.

He wasn't too bright.

Guess not. Especially in this day and age when all claims of any military service at all can be verified with a click of a mouse button. Lolz!

Troublehead, I thank you.

Oh for freaking crying out loud soazDan. There were MOH recipients during the Viet Nam conflict and it wasn't a war. There was no Congressional declaration of war and we lost all those men and billions of dollars for a damned "police action" that Robert McNamarra convinced John Kennedy was necessary because he had some stupid idea about the "Domino Theory". I didn't serve in the military even though the recruiters camped on my doorstep and sang the songs of Sirens to convince me to enlist. I would never surrender my rights to a bunch of boneheaded jackasses who never had an original idea in their lives. The military doesn't make leaders, it takes followers and turns them into cannon fodder.

You just advertised your own ignorance.

no commonsense:: You have shown us who the boneheaded jackass is.

There is also a number of websites available to get free copies of DD214's. Course the good old SF-180 is still required to be either faxed or mailed.

Being a retired career serviceman, I have found that most who boast of awards they say they have are probably those who never received them. I, as most servicemen, don't boast about our decorations. Those are private only to me. I know what I did to receive them and that is private to me and me alone!

If it was a good award, commondation medal, purple heart, bronze star, etc., it was worth points toward promotion while active duty. That's one plus. Plus the fact thet your country recognised you for valor or whatever. I was awarded numerour medals, but I do not brag about them. It's my business and my countries.

I served with many foreigners who joined the Air Force. But the Air Forces policy was no more then 4 years. If you, as a foreigner, wanted to stay longer, you had to pass the citizenship tests and drop you home country residency.

As every three out of ten needed waivers for a criminal history, maybe they are... Become a citizen and I'm fine with it.

One program, 09L, Translator aide, recruits native and heritage (spoken in the home by parents, English outside the house) speakers of other languages. They have to be citizens or have a green card. CID vets them to the nth degree as well. Of the 300+ Arab speakers recruited since 2004, several have been wounded and at least one KIA while serving as U.S. Soldiers in Iraq and other spots. The program does not limit itself to Arab speakers, anyone who meets the qualifications can apply. About the only language not needed is Spanish. These Soldiers, like any other non-citizen who serves in the Army honorably, can be fast-tracked for citizenship.

Data entry will up the cost. Many of the older records are not entered into any system.

You got hosting costs, storage, DB maint, offsite storage of backups, cpu and mem . How much did it cost the House and Senate, and lawyers to get this stuff before the supreme court and FAIL!

$250K is CHEAP!!

But with your name, city, and state, I could probably tell you what your address is, how much your going to paying in property taxes this year for the house, how much you paid last year, how many square feet your house is, how big a lot its located on, when you bought it... With a little work I coould tell you what color the shingles are on that house, and if you happened to be parked in the driveway when they snapped the picture, possible the make and model of your car.

Lots of things are public records. Welcome to the internet

32maniac Thank you for doing what you do,I wish there were plenty more like you! You my friend are somebody I would like to buy a drink for. Thanks again!

Rick Colo - -

Your DD Form 214 does list awards and decorations -- BUT -- if you don't have a set of orders confirming what is on the 214 -- they will take it away no matter what other proof you have. It happened to me. I was in the army during Korea and the AirForce in Nam - - The army used Serial #'s then and the AF converted to the SSN. Try pulling up something that used a Serial# - - lots of luck. It is entirely possible that I was dealing with the biggest sob in the records department but I lost everything on my 214 that I couldn't back up without a set of printed orders.

I never thought I would see a situation where something could possibly be worse than Cowardice. You are it. You disgust me.

Stick a flower in your ass and be silent.

sad you feel that way you can still go i think it would be better for all

I'm sure glad that I never had to depend on you.

Hey J. Howard, how do you know you didn't? All you neocons, baggers, jingoists and your ilk are intent on ensuring the downfall of America by wanting to deny first amendment protection for liars. How you gonna have a senate, a house, SCOTUS, the oval office, state governors and legislators? Without these who will lie us into our next war? I assume you've forgotten the boiler explosion on the battleship Maine, the dominoe theory, five deferrment Dick's nonexistent WMD. Better be careful what you pray for hoss; you just might get it! You super patriots might want to pause in your flag waving and bible thumping long enough to remember the millions of Vietnamese, Iraqis, Afghans and countless others killed and displaced for the benefit of the military-industrial complex and oil barons. While you're at it G.I. J., offer up a prayer for the indigenous Americans we eradicated in a systematic genocidal territorial expansion. You guys need to read something besides TV Guide and the sports pages. You might want to turn off the Fox propaganda network for awhile too.

B Hatfield/KY

We see things entirely different Hatfield - - and always will with the attitude you have, but you are entitled to your opinion - - no matter how wrong you are.

Rick Colo - -

Excellent post.

You need to look up the meaning of perjury.

And you are most likely correct.

but if it can, it needs to be done.

sorry your brother isn't getting the treatment he deserves

If it is on your brother's DD-214 then it is a valid award. Appeal to the Department of Veteran's Affairs so that years from now his descendants can see what a valiant man their grandfather was.