You can now afford a home through a VA Home Loan. Get a Certificate of Eligibility with help from VA Mortgage Center.	Support our Veterans Who Have Chosen to Run for Public Office
.

Identifying REAL Heroes

Weeding Out the Phony Ones

In Vietnam we scoffed at Medals..."A Bronze Star and a quarter will buy you a cup of coffee in most restaurants (at that time coffee cost a quarter)".  Decades later, many veterans' attitudes have changed as those medals once scorned, are now proudly displayed for all to see.  Sadly, all too often, the latter-day heroes are figments of their own imagination after years of telling war stories.  Virtually any military medal other than the Medal of Honor can be purchased online, in surplus stores, or even military posts.  

In his book Stolen Valor, author B.G. Burkett has documented and exposed literally hundreds of wannabe heroes, including  would-be-heroes fully adorned with uniforms resplendent with some of our military's highest awards, who never even served in any branch of the military.  (You can click on the book cover at right to order this excellent work from Amazon.com).

Probably fewer than 1,000 Navy SEALs served in Vietnam, yet virtually every bar in America, on any given night, appears to be full of heroic Nam Vet SEALs.  The facts are, out of some 9 million men and women who served in the military during the period of the Vietnam War, less than one-third of them ever served in or near Vietnam.  Only about 1 in 5 In Country veterans ever heard a shot fired in anger, slightly more than 150,000 received wounds in combat, and only 245 earned our Nation's most prestigious and rare military award, the Medal of Honor.

There is NO dishonor in NOT having served in a combat zone, or in having served in a rear echelon capacity during time of war...or for that matter...even in time of peace.  As Americans we owe our deepest gratitude and respect to ALL who serve, regardless of when or where, or what their job may be.  It is appropriate to honor every veteran for his or her service, whether their uniform is devoid of medals or emblazoned with them.   In the same regard, every veteran has a responsibility to honor all who have gone before, and those who will follow after.  We do this by being proud of our service, content in our accomplishments, and honest in the way we present ourselves.  The fakes, phonies, and the wannabes tend to fall into four categories: MEDAL OF HONOR IMPOSTORS - This is the very WORST kind of phony.  At least once a month we are contacted through this website regarding men who are falsely presenting themselves as recipients of our Nation's highest military award. PRISONER OF WAR IMPOSTORS - Prisoners of War should be among our most honored citizens--men and women who have sacrificed their own freedom in the process of defending freedom for others.  Those who falsely present themselves as former POWs have stooped to the lowest levels imaginable. WANNABE HEROES - There is no shame in being a clerk, a driver, or holding some other menial non-combat position in time of war.  Often called REMFs, those who served in relatively safe areas were NOT always safe.  More than one clerk's name is on The Wall in Washington, D.C.  Some who served in these roles, however, find themselves caught up in the all-too-common game of Veteran one-up-manship.  To compete, or for whatever other reason, they award themselves medals never earned. WANNABE VETERANS - Who would have believed in the 1970s that one day, it would be in vogue to be a Vietnam Veteran.  Sadly, today, there are literally thousands of men (and women) who claim to be Vietnam Veterans who NEVER EVEN SERVED in the military. The phonies who fit into these categories are not limited to Vietnam Veterans, it is a problem across the generations.  Recently we received word of a WWII veteran, a kindly man in his 80s, who was falsely presenting himself as a Medal of Honor recipient on the Cruise Lines. Patriotic Americans should have no sympathy for any of these individuals.  They are thieves who, in the words of Mr. Burkett, have "Stolen Valor" of those who are true heroes, former POWs, and veterans.  Worse...they are CRIMINALS, subject to prosecution.

 

   It is a sad commentary on our society when the true service of our veterans must be questioned because of the exaggerations and outright lies of a few.  As a general rule, I try take all veterans at their word, but, at some point the stories become so unbelievable they are suspect.  For the more outlandish stories, there is usually a very simple way to verify the claims.  On this page you will find the names of ALL living Medal of Honor recipients from all wars, repatriated POWs from the Vietnam Era, and eventually much more.  (We are hoping to expand our POW database to include WWII and Korea and our awards database to soon include all recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross and Air Force Cross.

Beyond this, any citizen can file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain certain records of ANY veteran.  These records will include all authorized awards.  A link at the bottom of this page will provide additional information on this.

But first, some basic statistics:

Links To Lists

The Medal of Honor

Alpha List of Living Recipients Detailed List of Living Recipients All WWII Recipients Go HERE For a more detailed series of pages on PHONY MOH Recipients All Korean War Recipients All Vietnam War Recipients Somalia Recipients War On Terror Recipient Since World War II, NO Medals of Honor have been awarded for any military action beyond the five listed above.  There are NO classified awards.

 

Other High Awards

USMC Brevet Medal

Distinguished Service Cross Navy Cross Air Force Cross DSC Main Page NC Main Page ALL RECIPIENTS War On Terror Award Citations

 

Vietnam Prisoners of War Returned Alive

Alphabetical List Detailed List We are presently attempting to develop a database of World War II and Korean War POWs.

Obtaining Military Records & Replacement Medals Every veteran is entitled to a free set of replacement medals, as well as updated copies of their military records.  Family members may also request medals and or records for immediate family.  Private citizens can obtain certain records on ANY veteran by filing a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request.  Use the above link for detailed information on the process.

Recommended External Links

Vietnam Veterans A database containing the names, rank, mos and other details for 2.7 million Veterans of the Vietnam War.  (This list may NOT include ALL veterans, so absence from this database does NOT indicate a person did NOT serve.  Vietnam Casualties A searchable database for ALL Vietnam War casualties, with personal information, date of death, and an interactive program to post tributes and remembrances.

 

 

Copyright © 1999-2008 by HomeOfHeroes.com      P.O. Box 122 - Pueblo, CO 81005 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Unless otherwise noted, all materials by C. Douglas Sterner

Click Here to tell your friends about this website.

HomeOfHeroes.com now has more than 25,000 pages of US History for you to view.