Was it “illegal” to make such claims during Vietnam, as it is now?..............
Well, you are absolutely on track.
The Stolen Valor Act was passed in 2005 - initial I though this only applied to persons who impersonate Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.
Like this jackass who bought his Medal of Honor at an estate sale and said he earned it:
But, upon further research, I believe it covers all medals.
Perhaps this is a separate (but it is now law of the land) Federal provision now in place that makes it illegal for persons to wear medals they didn't earn.
Here is just one case:
Excerpt:
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He was wearing the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars and just about every medal in the book," said Major William G. Dragan, who attended the event and told ABC News that he immediately became suspicious of Weilbacher. "He boasted of getting his Navy Cross by leading a secret mission against drug cartels in Colombia, which seemed very strange to me," Dragan said. Weilbacher's girth also raised suspicion, Dragan said. "He is massively overweight, something like 400 pounds, and yet he claimed he had just left the Marines, which did not add up because he could never meet USMC physical standards," Dragan said.
It also is not "illegal" for people to lie.
If it was illegal to lie, then Hillary, Harkin, Reid, and Pelosi would be in big trouble.
The "soldier" that Rush Limbaugh called out committed other crimes.
He lied to the Veterans Administration about a disability claim, his service record, his rank, and a host of other issues.
He was never a Ranger either.
He never witnessed war crimes. He made it all up.
And now he is the hero to left?