The Tree of False Valor Bears No Good Fruit

Many former heroes in the Military Influencer space have found themselves in hot water recently after evidence emerged that they misrepresented so aspects of their past. I’m not going to name names. That has been done plenty of times already, and frankly, it’s happening so much right now that it’s hard to keep up with the names and the allegations. But it all comes down to a cardinal sin for the Veteran Community: posing. And veterans hate posing.

Posing in the military is taken very seriously, and Stolen Valor is not a victimless crime. It’s fraud, and it’s deception. In recent cases, the deception helps create a personal that translates into big money. And when the poser bubble bursts, like it almost always does, then the impact is felt throughout the Veteran Community and beyond. Every time a publicly-known veteran gets caught in a lie, an exaggeration, or a crime, it makes all of us look bad. Public faith in the military is already slipping; we don’t need to liars, the exaggerators, and the let-them-assume-ers out there adding to the problem by sharing their BS stories. There have been some doozies. We even have our share of fake war criminals. My all-time favorite is this guy:

There’s a temptation that comes for some of us after the uniform comes off—or even while we’re still wearing it. It whispers in the quiet moments, especially in the veteran bars, online bios, or at the reunion tables: “No one will know. Add a little. Stretch it. You earned the spirit of it, didn’t you?”

Let me be blunt.

Don’t do it.

Don’t inflate your record. Don’t wear valor that isn’t yours. Don’t claim credit for things you witnessed but didn’t do. Don’t let your insecurity dishonor the uniform you once wore with pride.

Just be who you are.

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The Lie That Costs More Than You Know

We’ve all seen it. A guy adds a combat patch he didn’t earn. A woman lists a Purple Heart that was never awarded. Someone quietly implies they were “in the unit” when they only visited the compound. A vague bio lets civilians draw the wrong conclusion… and nobody rushes to correct them.

It might start small. But it grows fast. And every step down that path is a step away from integrity.

Why? Because the truth almost always comes out. And when it does, it will stain every honorable moment you actually did earn. It will humiliate your family, disappoint your brothers and sisters, and invite a shame no amount of bravado can scrub away.

The tree of false valor bears no fruit. Only rot.

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The Real Warrior Stands in the Truth

The most recent outbreak of Stolen Valor within the veteran commujnity is particularly frustrating because a number of the allegations involve veterans who are legit badasses in their own right. They didn’t NEED to make stuff up. But they did it anyway.

You don’t have to stack bodies by the dozens to be taken seriously in the Veteran Community. You don’t need a SEAL trident to be worthy of respect. You don’t need a combat action badge, or a stack of ribbons, or a classified resume to have done something meaningful in uniform. And if you didn’t serve in combat? That doesn’t diminish your service. You stood the watch. You trained. You deployed. You carried the burden.

That’s enough.

You are enough.

Being a cook, a mechanic, a supply specialist, a clerk, a driver, a comms guy, a medic, or a support NCO—those roles win wars. The trigger-pullers don’t function without the lifeblood of support. That’s not rhetoric. That’s reality. Every rifleman knows it.

So own your lane. Take pride in what you did. Not in what you wish you did.

Because the moment you start faking your record, you’re telling the world that who you really are isn’t good enough. And that is a damn lie.

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Who You Are Is More Than What You Did

You are more than a DD-214. You are more than a MOS or a mission. The oath you took was about serving the nation, not collecting medals.

When your kids, your friends, or your civilian colleagues ask about your time in uniform, they don’t want to be impressed. They want to be inspired. And real stories—ones with grit, boredom, mistakes, teamwork, laughter, and sacrifice—those are the ones that matter.

So don’t perform for an audience. Speak with humility. Tell the truth. Laugh at your own expense. Let people see the humanity behind the camouflage.

That’s what leadership looks like. That’s what honor sounds like.

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Final Word: Keep It Clean

Listen, this life’s hard enough. We bury too many good men and women already. Don’t be the reason someone looks at our community and questions its character. Don’t give stolen valor room to breathe.

There’s nothing wrong with saying, “I served, and I’m proud of that.” Even if your record won’t end up in a movie. That humility? That honesty? It’ll echo longer than any tall tale ever could.

Because when it’s all said and done—rank fades, records get dusty, medals tarnish.

But integrity? That sticks.

So wear your own damn story. Just be who you are.

And that will always be enough.

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Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Charles Faint served over 27 years in the US Army, which included seven combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with various Special Operations Forces units and two stints as an instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also completed operational tours in Egypt, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea and earned a Doctor of Business Administration from Temple University as well as a Master of Arts in International Relations from Yale University. He is the owner of The Havok Journal, and the views expressed herein are his own and do not reflect those of the US Government or any other person or entity.