About The Webmaster

Doug and Pam Sterner

Doug enlisted in the Army in 1969 and took basic training and Combat Engineer A.I.T. at Fort Leonard Wood, MO before completing the 6-month Non-Commissioned Officers Candidate Course, where he graduated 6th in his class.  He began his 2 tours of Vietnam duty in August, 1970, as a squad leader in Company A, 65th Engineer Battalion (Combat), 25th Infantry Division at Dau Tieng.  Less than two months later on a mission near the Cambodian border he received the first of two Bronze Star Medals.

By Christmas of that year Sergeant Sterner was reassigned to the 14th Engineer Battalion at (Fire Support Base) F.S.B. Nancy and F.S.B. Barbara north of Hue. The following February he received the Army Commendation Medal for Valor as a squad leader for the engineer unit that led the combat air assault to re-open the Khe Sanh Valley in Operation Lam Son 719. 

 Doug began his second Vietnam tour the following August with the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat), attached to the 101st Infantry Division (Airborne) at Camp Eagle, before returning south to Bien Hoa where he served with the 1st Air Cavalry Division. He "pulled" his last combat mission just seven days before his return home on 10 March 1972.  On that mission a photograph was taken of Doug (foreground) and  the team's R.T.O. (radioman) Specialist Fourth Class Jaime Pacheco, Doug's closest friend.  Jaime was killed in action two months after Doug returned home, and the photograph taken that day has become one of the most recognized photos of the Vietnam War.  In 1997 that same photo became the cover for the First Cavalry Division Association's official calendar.

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Following release from active duty, Doug spent five years as a member of an airmobile unit of the Montana National Guard. Today he remains active in several veterans' organizations, writes extensively on military and American history, and is considered the most knowledgeable historian of America's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor.  He has made numerous television appearances on FOX News, as well as ABCs "Good Morning America" and other national network broadcasts.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society Presents The Distinguished Citizens Award To DOUGLAS STERNER . . .A true American Patriot who firmly believes in God, children, and love of country, always selflessly giving in support of those beliefs. (From engraving on the back of the Award)

Doug's HomeOfHeroes website is one of the largest and most popular military sites on the Internet, receiving 15 million hits each month.  It has been featured on Fox News, in the New York Times, The Reader's Digest, The Chicago Herald, Focus on the Family Radio Broadcasts, CNN, and much more.  He has been published in numerous magazines, newspapers and is a contributor to the popular book, Chicken Soup for the Veterans Soul.  He also contributed to re-writing The Soldier's Guide, U.S. Army Field Manual 7-21.3, the official U.S. Army publication used in training programs for senior Non Commissioned Officers.

Current projects include serving in advisory roles on several Television documentaries, and Doug was advisor and a key figure in the production of the acclaimed 2004 documentary "Beyond the Medal of Honor", a 5-DVD set that aired on PBS and was subsequently placed, with curriculum, in every high school in America. Doug has further authored more than 100 major books on U.S. Military history, many of which are available through his website.

Doug and his wife Pam have four children and make their home in Pueblo, Colorado where their civic and patriotic activities have become a family effort. In 1998 their then-12-year-old son testified before the Colorado State Legislature in a successful effort to enact legislation authorizing distinctive vehicle license plates for Medal of Honor recipients. Their son-in-law is currently an officer in the U.S. Air Force, and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Doug and Pam  have received numerous awards including the Boy Scouts of America's "DISTRICT AWARD OF MERIT".  In 1998 Doug received the Pueblo Police Department's "Citizen's Award of Appreciation" for his role in apprehending a local felon.   In  1995 Doug and Pam were honored  by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society with an award for "Patriotism in America".  In 1997 the Congressional Medal of Honor Society presented its prestigious and rare Distinguished Citizens Award to Doug on behalf of the patriotism and efforts of the entire Sterner Family.   

On July 23, 2001 Doug was further honored on the floor of the United States Congress by Congressman Scott McInnis.  (Click on  the graphic at left to read the full text of this Congressional recognition of Doug and his family for their patriotic and educational efforts.) In September 2004 Doug was honored with a special recognition  by F.B.I. Director  Robert Muller for his Exceptional Service in the Public Interest as a result of his continuing efforts to assist the F.B.I. in identifying individuals who illegally wear military medals they are not entitled to, as well as the recovery of lost or stolen Medals of  Honor. Doug and his wife Pam have also received numerous recognitions for their efforts to enact legislation protecting the integrity of military awards through the recently passed Stolen Valor Act.

Beginning in 1999 Doug was appointed to two consecutive 4-year terms by Governor Bill Owens to the 7-member Colorado State Board of Veterans, an advisory board that oversees veterans' programs throughout his home state and and represents the Governor to the State's nearly half-million veterans and active duty personnel.  The Board also administers more than a quarter-million dollars in annual grants for direct services to veterans.  In 2001, Doug was elected by the members of this Board, to serve as its Chairman for a two year term. Among his many accomplishments during his tenure as Chairman of the Board was the initiation of Operation Recognition throughout the state, a program that allows qualified veterans who left high school before graduation to return to their alma matter to receive diplomas in recognition of their service and life-time learning. He also initiated a program that re-named one of the States Veterans Nursing Homes for Medal of Honor recipient Bruce McCandless.

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Pam Sterner

Pam Sterner has been described by one Medal of Honor recipient as "The most patriotic woman I've ever met."  Her own life, beyond her unqualified support of her husband's dreams, has been given to serving others.  With her partner Otis, she spent nearly ten years traveling and performing professionally as a ventriloquist, and is considered among the foremost ventriloquists in the world.  She has written numerous books on ventriloquism, and the earliest version of Otis, obtained when she began this talent as a young girl, is currently on display at the World Ventriloquist Museum in Fort Mitchell, KY.  During veterans and other military presentations, Otis has been known to dress in the uniform of an Army Special Forces Colonel to share his own humorous perspective on life in the military.

While majoring in Political Science at Colorado State University-Pueblo, Pam was named to Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, and was selected to represent Colorado's 3d Congressional District at the Model U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. During her Junior year she wrote a policy analysis paper that in 2005 became the basis of H.R. 3352 and S. 1998, companion bills in the House and Senate and titled The Stolen Valor Act of 2005. These two pieces of long-overdue legislation, passed unanimously in both houses of Congress in 2006 and signed by President bush on December 20, 2006, amended the sections of Title 18 (U.S.C.) pertaining to military awards, providing strong protections against fraudulent claims and improper use of military awards. Pam lobbied hard for the bills, making numerous appearances on National television news shows, as well as personal lobby efforts on Capitol Hill. (You can read the story "Roll Call" magazine did upon Pam's successful efforts here.)

To pay the bills, Doug is an adjunct instructor in Business Technology at Pueblo Community College. Pam graduated Magna cum Laude from CSU-Pueblo with a B.S. in Political Science in 2006, and now works as a Case Manager for Congressman John T. Salazar (D/CO-3), handling veterans affairs as well as other issues.

Either Doug and/or Pam  are available for a limited number of speaking engagements as their busy schedule allows.  For more information, feel free to e-mail them:

E-mail Doug and Pam

"It's hard to say whether Doug Sterner has done more for his country or for his fellow man. He loves them both and works hard to instill that love in the next generation." Adrian Cronauer "Good Morning Vietnam"

"Doug, you have the first hand experience about the duty, honor and sacrifice the Medal of Honor recipients have given to our country. You have recognized this sacrifice and, in turn, have dedicated your time and energies to honor these courageous veterans. You are a Veteran's Veteran." The Honorable Scott McInnis Member of Congress

For a Recent In-depth News Story about Doug and Pam Click on the above Photo

Enjoy the Music of Doug Sterner Recently recovered from his 1979 Gospel Album

Springfield (IL) Journal-Register (May 12, 2006)