Letter to the Editor: Military imposters
BY Dick Walker, Tulsa
Sunday, July 08, 2012
7/08/12 at 2:56 AM
It is now legal to lie about military
service and awards received.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony
Kennedy wrote for the majority
in striking down the Stolen
Valor Act. He wrote that the First
Amendment “protects the speech
we detest as well as the speech we
embrace.” Detest is not even close
to describing the anger and contempt
felt for these military imposters.
Ask Bill Fournet, Tulsa, how he
feels about an imposter claiming
to be a Medal of Honor recipient.
Bill was born four months after his
father, U.S. Army First Lt. Douglas
Fournet, was killed in the Vietnam
War, for which he received the
Medal of Honor posthumously. Bill
never knew his father.
Ask Mike Wigton, formerly of
Tulsa, how he feels when an imposter
claims he fought at the battle of
Khe Sanh, Vietnam. Mike’s brother
Greg, a U.S. Marine Corps lance
corporal, was killed in action at the
battle of Khe Sanh.
Ask any military amputees how
they feel when an imposter claims
to be a veteran of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Detest is not even close — military
imposters found guilty should
be punished.
Of the U.S. military, it is said, “All
gave some — some gave all.” The
imposters gave nothing!
Editor’s note: Walker is a former U.S. Marine Corps officer and a Vietnam veteran.
Letters to the editor are encouraged. Send letters to letters@tulsaworld.com.
Associated Images:
The Medal of Honor awarded to Marine Pfc. Albert E. Schwab is now on permanent
loan to the Tulsa Historical Society. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World file
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