Re: “False claims of military valor are hardly criminal,” Jan. 24 editorial.

The Post criticizes the Stolen Valor Act, saying free speech is more important than punishing someone for lying about their military record.

All of us recognize that speech is limited. Yelling “fire” in a theater, lying about having a bomb on an airplane, these things are against the law.

I often had coffee at the University of Colorado Boulder with a gentleman who claimed to be a general working undercover. I e-mailed some friends and found that he had no military record at all. But he was harmless, clearly enjoyed the admiration of those who believed him and it was a victimless crime.

Actor Brian Dennehy’s lying is very different. According to B.G. Burkett’s book “Stolen Valor,” for whom the act is named, Dennehy was a Marine from 1959 to 1963 but claimed he was in Vietnam and wounded in combat. In 1998, he finally told a newspaper, “I lied about serving in Vietnam and I’m sorry.” It’s probable he did it to create the impression he was a tough guy like his roles. Still, in 2007, he again claimed to have served in Vietnam, while talking to a Wall Street Journal reporter.

While Dennehy lied to advance his career, his actions harm real veterans.

To be sure, Rick Strandlof did not directly profit by saying he was a Marine who served in Vietnam and who was awarded a Purple Heart and a Silver Star. The Post considers such a lie “reprehensible,” but not criminal. Yes, there are lies that are relatively harmless and lies that are victimless. Strandlof’s lies were neither. Could he, as an ordinary citizen, have devoted himself to raising money for veterans? He could. His lying is harmful, as it makes all fund-raising for veterans suspect, and its victims are the people he supposedly sought to support: genuine veterans. Should it be against the law to do that?

It’s possible to unmask frauds like Dennehy and Strandlof, but there are many thousands of such claims. Before they are exposed, some of them — like Strandlof — do substantial damage to real veterans. But they continue to lie because there is no punishment.

The Post suggests that Strandlof should get a pass. Those of us who carry real scars don’t think he should. Unless people who do this are punished, they will continue to do it.

David Steiner (davidesteiner@gmail.com) is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, a retired professor of theater and public speaking and a columnist for the Allenspark WIND. He is a member of the 2009 Colorado Voice panel.