Statist Worship of Military Veterans by the Occupy Movement

The Occupy Wall Street movement opens itself up to the possibility that in their statist worship of the military that one of their celebrated veterans might not be whom they claim to be. And indeed, it has happened with the military record of an occupier in question in Buffalo, N.Y.:

The claims of a dedicated member of the Occupy Buffalo movement that he saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan are not supported by Army records.

Christopher M. Simmance has told several media outlets, including The Buffalo News, that he served as many as three tours of duty in those war zones and that he was severely injured in Afghanistan.

Service records obtained from the Army, however, show he was stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., for three years and he left the active-duty Army in January 2001 -- before the 9/11 terror attacks.

I understand the incentive for the occupiers and the veterans among them to broadcast current or former military affiliation. Whether occupiers would like it or not, America has a strong love affair with its military stretches that all the way back to its very beginnings when it chose as its first president a military general. Somehow, the fact that the "1 percent" of us that served in the military took up arms for the benefit of the state apparatus and its interests is noteworthy to the general public.

Why else, for example, would Ron Paul supporters boast about the good doctor's popularity with active-duty personnel? Why else did Sgt. Shamar Thomas's rant go viral? What else made Sgt. Scott Olsen's injuries at the hands of the Oakland Police Department more offensive than Brandon Watts' equally horrific injuries?

But really -- and I say this as a veteran myself -- why are we treating veterans differently?