thedrifter
07-22-05, 07:29 AM
House bill takes aim at 'stolen' acts of valor
CSU student's paper inspires legislation
By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News
July 21, 2005
A 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 38-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."
Ellie
CSU student's paper inspires legislation
By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News
July 21, 2005
A 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 38-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."
Ellie