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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 |
Dishonorable conduct
EDITORIAL
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
Publish Date: July 27, 2005FEW THINGS are as despicable as a person who falsely claims to have been awarded military medals for valor or wounds.
We honor those who serve us in the armed forces, and particular honor goes to those whose sacrifices are worthy of special commendation. At the top of these is the revered Medal of Honor, awarded to those heroes whose uncommon valor reflects the highest credit to their branch of service.
But there are other important medals as well: the Distinguished Service Cross, Air Force Cross, Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star and, for those wounded in battle, the Purple Heart. A grateful nation distinguishes those whose actions have prompted the awarding of these honors.
Unfortunately, there are those few who would defile the very honor those medals represent by wearing copy-cat awards they have not earned. Recently Pueblo veteran Doug Sterner tipped the FBI that a man in Caseville, Mich., was fraudulently claiming to be a Medal of Honor recipient and also was wearing a bogus Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Mr. Sterner operates the popular Web site, “Home of Heroes,” referring to Pueblo’s having been home to four living Medal of Honor recipients at one time. The Web site offers an education about the nation’s highest honor.
When Mr. Sterner learned that the Michigan man was claiming to be a Medal recipient, he knew that was false, for he is familiar with every living Medal recipient’s name. And this dishonoring of military awards has led Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., to introduce the Stolen Valor Act of 2005.
The act states that Congress finds that fraudulent claims of being awarded these medals damage the reputation and meaning of them, but that federal law enforcement officers currently are limited in their ability to prosecute these fraudulent claims. The act allows for those who make false claims of military medals to be fined or imprisoned up to six months, or both.
Rep. Salazar has not stopped with sponsoring this legislation, though. The producers of the comedy film “Wedding Crashers” operated a Web site with a printable Purple Heart advertised as a gimmick to pick up women and get free drinks Ñ a ploy used in the so-called comedy. Rep. Salazar put pressure on the filmmakers, and Monday they yanked the phony Purple Heart from the Web site.
As Rep. Salazar put it, “If any movie-goers take the advice of the ‘Wedding Crashers’ and try to use fake Purple Hearts to get girls, they may wind up picking up an FBI agent instead.” Under Rep. Salazar’s legislation, they could “crash” the federal prison complex near Florence for a half year of reflection.
This is a straightforward bill. Congress should approve and President Bush should sign it.
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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.
