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Stories of American Heroes - Brought to you from the "Home of Heroes" - Pueblo, Colorado
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Stories of American Heroes - Brought to you from the "Home of Heroes" - Pueblo, Colorado |
House bill takes aim at 'stolen' acts of valor
CSU student's paper inspires legislationBy John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News
July 21, 2005A paper written by a student at Colorado State University at Pueblo has inspired federal legislation to tighten a loophole for people fraudulently wearing military awards.
U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., this week introduced a bill - dubbed the Stolen Valor Act - that would make it a federal crime to falsely claim to be a recipient of the Medal of Honor and other top military awards.
The impetus for the bill came from a policy analysis paper that Pamla Sterner wrote for a political science class at CSU-Pueblo last fall.
"Pamla Sterner's work is what brought this issue to our attention," said Nayyera Haq, a spokeswoman for Salazar.
That's pretty heady stuff for a 48-year-old who describes herself as having once been a reluctant college student. In her 22-page paper, Sterner reported the number of fake Medal of Honor recipients outnumber the 120 living recipients of the nation's highest military honor.
"And it's not just old soldiers sitting around telling war stories," Sterner said. "Most of the people who commit this fraud will do other (criminal) things."
Sterner credits her husband, Doug, a Vietnam veteran, with raising her awareness of medal fraud.
Several years ago, Doug Sterner created www.homeofheroes.com,a Web site devoted to honoring the legitimate recipients of the Medal of Honor as well as the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross.
The site - while not official - has become a frequently consulted database. Sterner said he fields about 10 inquiries a month that lead to someone being exposed as a phony.
Existing federal law prohibits people from fraudulently wearing, manufacturing or selling the medals.
But it doesn't stop them from identifying themselves as medal recipients, claiming it on their résumé or hanging fake medals on their walls, Pamla Sterner said.
Tom Cottone, a New Jersey-based FBI agent who specializes in prosecuting false medal cases, said he has helped prosecute about 100 Medal of Honor impostors since 1996.
Cottone caught one at his own church in April 2004 while attending a funeral for a Marine killed in Iraq.
He noticed a man dressed as a Marine Corps captain with several medals. Cottone became suspicious when the man failed to snap to attention when Taps was played. The man later confessed to never having served in the military and was prosecuted.
Cottone said he knows several authentic Medal of Honor winners. They are easy to tell apart from the impostors, he said.
"These are the most humble guys you will ever meet," he said of the real recipients. "These impostors are the opposite. They will talk to anyone who will listen."
Copyright 2005, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.
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July 15, 2005
It is with enthusiasm and gratitude that I write to thank you for supporting the introduction of the Stolen Valor legislation to protect the honor and integrity of military awards recipients.
As President of
As a regional comprehensive university that caters to the
educational, social, and cultural needs of Southern Colorado, CSU-Pueblo
strives to provide programs and activities that contribute to bettering
the lives of I thank you in advance for referencing the connection of this legislation to CSU-Pueblo and to the efforts of Pamla Sterner. She is a testament to the caliber of graduates we produce and to the quality of educational experiences we attempt to provide for each and every one of our students.
If I can be of any assistance as you work to get this legislation
passed, do not hesitate to call me at (719) 549-2306.
With collaborative projects such as this, we can build a better Sincerely,
Ronald L. Applbaum |
Colorado Congressman John Salazar, Colorado State Senator Abel Tapia and Medal of Honor recipient Peter Lemon, met recently to discuss the introduction of the Stolen Valor Bill of 2005, which Salazar introduced yesterday to Congress. The foundation of the bill was spelled out in a policy analysis paper by CSU-Pueblo student Pamla Sterner.
(High Resolution Image of Above Photo)DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE POLICY ANALYSIS PAPER AS A WORD DOCUMENT.
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Please Sign Our |
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Stolen Valor Act of
2005 . |
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Read/Download the Policy Analysis Paper that is the basis for this legislation. |
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John T. Salazar (CO-3) SPONSOR |
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Doug or Pam Sterner may be contacted at: (703) 461-3626 or by Email: Pam Sterner - Doug Sterner
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To more fully
understand the depth of this problem Please Visit |
HomeOfHeroes.com now has more than 25,000 pages of US History for you to view.
James
Fields (Left) regaled the audience in Chillicothe, MO, on
veterans day with tales of his heroism that earned him a Navy
Cross for heroism in Vietnam while serving under Lt. Col.
Oliver North. The same day in St. Louis, Michael Wielbacher
showed up for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball wearing the Navy
Cross and Distinguished Service Medal, along with a two Silver
Stars with "V", four Bronze, and more. Both were
bogus heroes. Wielbacher is prosecutable but Fields is NOT (he
was wearing a Navy Cross PIN, not the Medal. Both are exposed
in this excellent report from the St. Louis Fox Affiliate.
