Stolen Valor Dies in Arizona This Year

Topic: Perspective

Those of you who have followed my various social media accounts for the past year, or even my non-political SubStack, know how I feel about the topic of Stolen Valor and why those who practice it severely piss me off. I believe all military service is something that deserves respect in its own right and qualifies someone to serve as a pillar of community once out of uniform. There is always someone with a higher rank, more dangerous job, more time in combat, or a bigger ribbon rack, so why is there any need to lie about military service?

Last year, Master Sergeant (Ret.) Jack Dona, my friend and colleague, was asked by Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers to investigate the military background of an Arizona business owner who ran for the State House in Legislative District 7. Let’s say almost nothing checked out or was consistent with what all Vietnam-era veterans can spot with a basic sniff test. Jack’s findings were consistent with the findings of groups who are dedicated to dissecting DD-214s and other military documentation, and he sent his recommendations back up the chain, like all intelligence professionals are trained to do. One major problem in intelligence world is that the recipient of the information makes the final say as to whether it is included in the final mission plan, or not. In Jack’s case, it was discarded, and Senator Rogers unleashed her fury publicly on both me and Jack because we had made this a public issue in defense of veterans. Both of our fathers were Vietnam veterans (and Jack’s served in Korea), so this was much more than a political issue for us. Everyone had our backs on social media after this reckless post was put out:

Fast forward to this coming Arizona legislative session, which opens today. Republican Walt Blackman, a combat veteran, wound up winning the open State House seat for District 7. He has introduced House Bill 2030, which if signed into law will build on the federal Stolen Valor Act of 2013 by setting the highest standard for a state-level position on the issue of stolen valor.

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From the Mountain Daily Star:

In Arizona, HB2030 creates strong deterrents against impersonating a Veteran, targeting fraudulent activities such as:

· Claiming military service or awards to obtain employment, government contracts, or veteran benefits.

· Using false veteran status to gain votes, campaign contributions, or political advantages.

· Falsifying or altering military documents, combat-related badges, or awards.

· Penalties range from a Class 4 felony to a Class 2 felony for offenses involving high-value benefits. The bill also mandates the removal of public officials convicted under the law. HB2030 builds on the federal Stolen Valor Act of 2013 by addressing gaps in federal law and expanding protections at the state level. It uses Arizona’s authority under the 10th Amendment to focus on fraudulent conduct affecting state programs, elections, and institutions.

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This legislation is named in honor of Jack’s Dad, Orlando, a retired Air Force Master Sergeant with multiple combat tours who passed away last year at nearly 92 years old. Veterans do not tolerate stolen valor in any way, and I look forward to giving public testimony in the committees of both chambers of the Arizona legislature in support of this bill. All Arizona residents should contact their state Senator and both Representatives (Arizona has two representatives per district) and push them to support HB2030.

I will continue to defend myself and my reputation against malicious social media postings like that shown above and will promote accountability within the community of veterans.

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Seth Keshel, MBA, is a former Army Captain of Military Intelligence and Afghanistan veteran. His analytical method of election forecasting and analytics is known worldwide, and he has been commended by President Donald J. Trump for his work in the field.