thedrifter
05-14-09, 07:43 AM
Real heroism refreshing for military historian
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May 13, 2009 - 5:00 PM
TOM ROEDER
THE GAZETTE
Doug Sterner is excited that a Fort Carson Green Beret is getting the Distinguished Service Cross today in a ceremony at the post.
Real heroism is refreshing for Sterner, a military historian in Pueblo who finds himself spending as much as 100 hours a week investigating phony veterans who claim high honors to boost their egos or line their pockets.
"The guys who really were there and really get awards, you could live next to them and never know it," Sterner said. "That's the difference between the real heroes and the phonies."
Phony veterans have emerged from every war, even some who have claimed to have received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor. Sterner runs HomeofHeroes.com, a site dedicated to preserving the history of those who have earned the highest medal.
But he spends more time these days tracking fakers - as many as 10 a week.
He said he's not surprised at the brazen tale of Rick Duncan, executive director of the Colorado Veterans Alliance and a self-proclaimed Marine who had been wounded in Iraq. The Marines say they've never heard of Duncan, or Rick Strandlof - the man's real name.
"It happens all the time."
In the past decade, veterans groups around the country have stepped up efforts to expose fake war heroes. That effort led to the 2005 Stolen Valor Act, pushed through Congress by Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., which makes it a federal crime to falsely claim military honors.
Despite the law, Sterner said the country is thick with phonies, including a new generation of fake Iraq and Afghanistan vets.
"Sometimes it's to get their picture on the front page, sometimes it's to get a better job," he said. "There's always some motivation."
He said another reason is the public's love of the military, which has blossomed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"Now it is good to be a hero it's good a to be a veteran - 25 years ago, you wouldn't claim to be a Vietnam veteran," Sterner said.
Sterner is backing another law, which would make it easy for him and other veterans advocates to expose phonies. The measure, pending in the House, would force the Defense Department to create an Internet database of every veteran who has been awarded any of the notion's medals. That would make the truth just a click away in the case of a phony while making it easier for families of real heroes to learn more about their past.
"The vast majority of the phonies haven't yet been found," Sterner said.
REAL HEROES HONORED THURSDAY
Fort Carson is hosting a 2 p.m. ceremony Thursday to honor soldiers from the 10th Special Forces Group, including one who is being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest medal for valor.
Staff Sgt. Jarion Halbisengibbs, a native of Fremont, Ohio, earned the medal "for extraordinary heroism in action on Sept. 10, 2007, while serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom," the Army said in a news release.
In the ceremony, Capt. Matthew A. Chaney and Sgt. 1st Class Michael D. Lindsay will receive the Silver Star Medal.
Ellie
Comments 1 | Recommend 0
May 13, 2009 - 5:00 PM
TOM ROEDER
THE GAZETTE
Doug Sterner is excited that a Fort Carson Green Beret is getting the Distinguished Service Cross today in a ceremony at the post.
Real heroism is refreshing for Sterner, a military historian in Pueblo who finds himself spending as much as 100 hours a week investigating phony veterans who claim high honors to boost their egos or line their pockets.
"The guys who really were there and really get awards, you could live next to them and never know it," Sterner said. "That's the difference between the real heroes and the phonies."
Phony veterans have emerged from every war, even some who have claimed to have received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor. Sterner runs HomeofHeroes.com, a site dedicated to preserving the history of those who have earned the highest medal.
But he spends more time these days tracking fakers - as many as 10 a week.
He said he's not surprised at the brazen tale of Rick Duncan, executive director of the Colorado Veterans Alliance and a self-proclaimed Marine who had been wounded in Iraq. The Marines say they've never heard of Duncan, or Rick Strandlof - the man's real name.
"It happens all the time."
In the past decade, veterans groups around the country have stepped up efforts to expose fake war heroes. That effort led to the 2005 Stolen Valor Act, pushed through Congress by Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., which makes it a federal crime to falsely claim military honors.
Despite the law, Sterner said the country is thick with phonies, including a new generation of fake Iraq and Afghanistan vets.
"Sometimes it's to get their picture on the front page, sometimes it's to get a better job," he said. "There's always some motivation."
He said another reason is the public's love of the military, which has blossomed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"Now it is good to be a hero it's good a to be a veteran - 25 years ago, you wouldn't claim to be a Vietnam veteran," Sterner said.
Sterner is backing another law, which would make it easy for him and other veterans advocates to expose phonies. The measure, pending in the House, would force the Defense Department to create an Internet database of every veteran who has been awarded any of the notion's medals. That would make the truth just a click away in the case of a phony while making it easier for families of real heroes to learn more about their past.
"The vast majority of the phonies haven't yet been found," Sterner said.
REAL HEROES HONORED THURSDAY
Fort Carson is hosting a 2 p.m. ceremony Thursday to honor soldiers from the 10th Special Forces Group, including one who is being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest medal for valor.
Staff Sgt. Jarion Halbisengibbs, a native of Fremont, Ohio, earned the medal "for extraordinary heroism in action on Sept. 10, 2007, while serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom," the Army said in a news release.
In the ceremony, Capt. Matthew A. Chaney and Sgt. 1st Class Michael D. Lindsay will receive the Silver Star Medal.
Ellie