The Supreme Court struck down the Stolen Valor Act last week, overturning the law that criminalized lying about one’s military honors and angering many military veterans.
The Supreme Court is not the lone target of veteran disappointment, however — for some, Congress is the real body to blame.
“I am disappointed by the decision and put the blame on Congress for passing a law with no teeth,” said retired Col. Jack Jacobs, who received the Medal of Honor in 1967 for rescuing wounded soldiers under heavy fire, while suffering from a head wound, during the Vietnam War.
“They could have written a law that would make it difficult for the Supreme Court to strike down over free speech,” he added.
Jacobs, whose reaction was provided to The Daily Caller by the United States United States Naval Institute (USNI), was not surprised about the decision. As a firm believer in the First Amendment, however, he wished Congress had passed a stronger law that did not violate free speech principles.
Daniel J. Murphy, the father of Lt. Michael Murphy — a U.S. Navy SEAL posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in 2005 saving his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan by sacrificing his own life — and a former New York district attorney, echoed Jacob’s sentiments.
“The law was too broad and needs to be more narrowly tailored and written to address real concerns with folks lying on their official resume and statements to receive a benefit (whether its monetary or enhancing his/her reputation) as opposed to the puffery and exaggeration that goes on about people’s exploits in the war … the barroom braggadocio,” Murphy explained in a statement provided to TheDC by USNI.
The Supreme Court is not the lone target of veteran disappointment, however — for some, Congress is the real body to blame.
“I am disappointed by the decision and put the blame on Congress for passing a law with no teeth,” said retired Col. Jack Jacobs, who received the Medal of Honor in 1967 for rescuing wounded soldiers under heavy fire, while suffering from a head wound, during the Vietnam War.
“They could have written a law that would make it difficult for the Supreme Court to strike down over free speech,” he added.
Jacobs, whose reaction was provided to The Daily Caller by the United States United States Naval Institute (USNI), was not surprised about the decision. As a firm believer in the First Amendment, however, he wished Congress had passed a stronger law that did not violate free speech principles.
Daniel J. Murphy, the father of Lt. Michael Murphy — a U.S. Navy SEAL posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in 2005 saving his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan by sacrificing his own life — and a former New York district attorney, echoed Jacob’s sentiments.
“The law was too broad and needs to be more narrowly tailored and written to address real concerns with folks lying on their official resume and statements to receive a benefit (whether its monetary or enhancing his/her reputation) as opposed to the puffery and exaggeration that goes on about people’s exploits in the war … the barroom braggadocio,” Murphy explained in a statement provided to TheDC by USNI.
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