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Walter Mitty:

The 'Walter Mittys': Why do some people pose as heroes?

One well-publicised case involved Roger Day, who admitted he hadn't earned the 17 medals - including awards for serving in World War II, the Military Medal and SAS badges - that he wore at a 2009 parade in Warwickshire.

In 2008, bus driver Jamie Barrett was spotted marching in Edinburgh with members of the Parachute Regiment who had served in the Falklands. He had bought his medals online. After he was exposed, Barrett said: "I'm basically a Walter Mitty type of person."

And last year, Oxford's town crier Anthony Church confessed to inventing a career in the armed forces. He had previously claimed he was a "regimental sergeant major" and had worn a Falklands medal.

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Impostors who wear military medals they have not earned could face jail if a bill now before parliament is passed. What drives these "Walter Mittys" to invent fake tales of heroism?

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