Alan Mcilwraith, who falsely claimed to be a highly decorated British Army officer[1] (2005). His uniform and medals were purchased online.
A military impostor is a person who makes false claims about their military service in civilian life.[2][3][4] This includes claims by people that have never been in the military as well as lies or embellishments by genuine veterans. Some individuals who do this also wear privately obtained uniforms or medals which were never officially issued to them.
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.[5] In the United States since the early 2000s, the term stolen valor has become popular slang for this behavior, named for the 1998 book Stolen Valor.[6] Other terms include "fake warriors",[7] "military phonies",[8] "medal cheats",[9] and "military posers".[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.[11]
^Seenan, Gerard (12 April 2006). "Captain Sir Alan KBE - call-centre worker". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
^Henry Mark Holzer (August 9, 2012). Fake Warriors: Identifying, Exposing, and Punishing Those Who Falsify Their Military Service. Madison Press. ISBN 978-0985243784.
^Sterner, Doug; Sterner, Pam (February 4, 2014). Restoring Valor: One Couple's Mission to Expose Fraudulent War Heroes and Protect America's Military Awards System. Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1626365513.
^"Fake War Stories Exposed". cbsnews.com. 11 November 2005. Retrieved 2015-04-07. Civil War
^Green Chris (30 January 2015). "Homeless Veterans appeal: UK needs new law to stop 'Walter Mittys' posing as war heroes". The Independent. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
^Bernard Gary Burkett (1 January 1998). Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History. Verity Press. ISBN 978-0-9667036-0-3.
^Cite error: The named reference fake_THEF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Gehring, Verna V. (2003). "Phonies, Fakes, and Frauds - and the Social Harms They Cause". Philosophy and Public Policy Quarterly. 23 (1/2). Retrieved 2015-05-21.
^Cite error: The named reference anzm_Home was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Guardian Of Valor". Guardian Of Valor. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
^"Is it illegal to wear medals you weren't awarded?". BBC News. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
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