Military impostor
In British military slang, such impostors are called "Walts", based on James Thurber's fictional character, Walter Mitty, who daydreamed of being a war hero.
[10] Lying about military service or wearing a uniform or medals that were not earned is criminalized in some circumstances, especially if done with the goal of obtaining money or any other kind of tangible benefit, though laws vary by country.
An impostor may make verbal statements, written claims, or create deceptive impressions through actions, such as wearing a uniform, rank insignia, unit symbols, medals, or patches.
[2] Generally impostors fall into two broad categories: civilians who have never been in any branch of the military, and real veterans who make false claims exaggerating their experiences or accomplishments.
Impostors in the latter category may claim any of the following: While many individuals outright fabricate some or all of their military service history, others employ equivocation tactics, ambiguous language, omission of important details, or similarly misleading behavior that avoids making a technically false statement they can be called on, but still gives a deceptive impression.
These individuals often become absorbed in a fantasy of being a veteran that they attempt to live out in real life, sometimes even inserting themselves into public events or ceremonies, or volunteering for interviews with journalists about their alleged experiences.
Among imposters that wear uniforms, they often make mistakes about the placement of patches, insignia and medals, and may have some from the wrong branch or from old campaigns they could not possibly have taken part in.
"[23][24] A common error is placing too much emphasis on the neatness of a uniform or certain quirks about how it is worn, which is not necessarily compelling when a veteran is older and has been out of the service for several decades.
It additionally makes it a crime to possess any fraudulent discharge papers, commissions, warrants or military ID, including those that are forged, altered or belong to someone else.
[29] This crime refers to the act of fraudulently pretending to be a soldier's identity or job title in order to obtain illegal benefits, and damage the prestige of the armed forces and their normal activities.
[30] Under the Minor Offenses Act, Article 1, Section 15, any person who fraudulently claims to hold an official position, rank, decoration, degree or other title prescribed by law or its equivalent in a foreign country, or wearing uniform, regardless its civil servant, police or military uniform, decoration, insignia or other mark prescribed by law or one made in the likeness thereof, even though he or she is not qualified to do so, shall be liable to imprisonment or fine.
[36] According to Article 258 of the Penal Code of Romania, it is an offence to impersonate a member of the armed forces by wearing a uniform without permission and it shall be punished by imprisonment or by a fine.
[20] In November 2016, the Defence Select Committee recommended making the wearing of unearned medals a criminal offence punishable by up to six months imprisonment, though the law was not passed.
[40][41] In the United States, the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, which criminalized any false claim regarding military service, was struck down as violating the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.
Subsequently, the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, which makes it a federal offense to falsely claim to have received any of several major military awards with the intention of obtaining money, property, or other tangible benefits, was passed and remains in effect.
In the 1975 film Paper Tiger, the main character is a British man who claims to have held the rank of Major during the Second World War, and do have won the Military Cross twice and the Croix de Guerre for his exploits.
