The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 9, March 4, 2007, Article 23

LETTER TO CONGRESS REGARDING STOLEN VALOR ACT

Alan V. Weinberg writes: "You may, if you wish, reprint all or
part of the attached email I sent to Senator Feinstein so that other
readers can similarly write their Senators and Representatives."

"Dear Senator Feinstein:

"Congress in December passed the US Stolen Valor Act to prevent
unlawful wearing of medals by a few kooks and military nuts. Truly
isolated occasions.

"An unintended consequence of this law and how it's worded decimates
the centuries- old tradition of collecting, buying and trading US
military decorations supported by the multi-thousand member OMSA
organization.

"The law prevents the mailing, trading or buying of the Distinguished
Service Cross, the Navy Cross, the Air Force Cross, the Silver Star,
the Purple Heart and perhaps other military bravery decorations. Indeed,
the law's wording actually prevents a medal recipient on the war front
from mailing home to his family or wife the medal he was presented!
And there is no explicit provision in the passed law for normal
collecting or dealing activity  in these decorations.

"Thousands of collectors now have highly valued decorations like
Purple Hearts (for example) in their collections (some of which,
with documentation, can run into the multi-thousands of dollars) and
all research their medals and exhibit them with appropriate recipient's
history attached. Indeed, in this long-established hobby, there is
universal condemnation against wearing an unawarded military decoration.
The spirit and practice behind collecting these military decorations is
to make them "come alive" with pictures and the military history of the
original honored recipient and the actual event that culminated in the
decoration issuance. The original military hero is thus honored and
remembered well after his name and bravery/sacrifice has faded in
public or even family memory.

"To pass this US Stolen Valor Act as it was worded in order to prevent
a few kooks from wearing or claiming rights to wear a military decoration
was a travesty in common sense and will drive the military decoration
hobby underground. Aside from that, it may well be unconstitutional
(due process) in suddenly depriving thousands of collectors the high
values they paid for their medals and making those military decorations
legally valueless and non-tradable/saleable."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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