Restoring Valor: One Couple?s Mission to Expose Fraudulent War Heroes and Protect America?s Military Awards System

Description

"Terrific read. Stories of stolen valor you won't believe, and those who hunt them down and participated in writing legislation to restore dignity to all those who have truly served in combat." -Peter C. Lemon, recipient, Congressional Medal of Honor Stolen valor occurs when a person lies about receiving military decorations that he or she has in fact never earned. It has become a major societal problem that has been discussed numerous times in the news; according to the New York Times, the Department of Veterans Affairs paid disability benefits to more than six hundred people falsely claiming to have been POWs in the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. The number of stolen valor cases reported to the FBI has tripled in the last decade. In fact, more imposters lie about earning high military declarations for battlefield bravery than the actual number of real-life hero recipients. These imposters trade on tales and the trappings of military valor to secure privileges such as career advancements and even unearned veterans' benefits. In Restoring Valor, Doug Sterner provides riveting case studies of the stolen valor imposters he's investigated and exposed and the serious crimes-including murder-they've committed. He chronicles the evolution of stolen valor from the inception of the republic to today. Sterner shows why the federal law he and his wife, Pam, helped to enact-the Stolen Valor Act-is necessary. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Doug Sterner is a Vietnam veteran and two-time Bronze Star recipient. He has been a frequent guest on news shows such as Anderson Cooper and is the media's "go-to" person for the Stolen Valor Act. He is the founder of the Hall of Heroes website and curator of the Hall of Valor data base on Militarytimes.com. Pam Sterner is a graduate of Colorado State University, where, as a student in 2004, she authored the study that became the framework for the Stolen Valor Act. They live in Pueblo, Colorado. Michael Mink is a free-lance writer who has written more than five-hundred nationally published articles and has co-authored two previous books.

In praise of Doug Sterner: "[Doug Sterner] is a decorated Vietnam veteran who has made it his work in recent years to ensure that service members get the recognition they deserve and expose those who falsely claim acts of heroism under fire. Rather than wait for the government to act, Doug Sterner has." CBS News In praise of Restoring Valor: "We, as a nation, place a high degree of trust in those who proudly don America's military decorations. When an individual lies about receiving medals that were not, in fact, earned, we feel the utmost betrayal. Restoring Valor, offers a compelling and thorough account of this phenomenon known as 'stolen valor.'" Senator Bob Dole "An eye-opening must-read for every veteran. Restoring Valor not only identifies the reasons for enacting the Stolen Valor Act but also demonstrates why every veteran service organization needs to safeguard their ranks as well as their community against false claims of military service and valor." Mark L. Donald, Navy Cross recipient, former board member for the Legion of Valor, and department commander for the Military Order of Purple Heart "All of America needs to read this important information and learn from it." Sergeant First Class Sammy L. Davis, US Army (Ret.), Medal of Honor, Vietnam "This book is a must-read for all veterans! It is an outstanding chronicle of the extraordinary work done by the Sterners to protect our heroic veterans' valorous actions. Less than 1 percent of Americans ever serve in our armed forces. Nearly everyone wishes they had. There are a lot of wannabe heroes in the 99 percent who never served. Thank you, Pam and Doug, for your tireless efforts in outing many of these phony heroes." Brigadier General John C. "Doc" Bahnsen, US Army (Ret.) "Terrific read. Stories of stolen valor you won't believe, and those who hunt them down and participated in writing legislation to restore dignity to all those who have truly served in combat." Peter C. Lemon, recipient, Congressional Medal of Honor In praise of Doug Sterner: "[Doug Sterner] is a decorated Vietnam veteran who has made it his work in recent years to ensure that service members get the recognition they deserve and expose those who falsely claim acts of heroism under fire. Rather than wait for the government to act, Doug Sterner has." CBS News In praise of Restoring Valor: "We, as a nation, place a high degree of trust in those who proudly don America's military decorations. When an individual lies about receiving medals that were not, in fact, earned, we feel the utmost betrayal. Restoring Valor, offers a compelling and thorough account of this phenomenon known as 'stolen valor.'" Senator Bob Dole "An eye-opening must-read for every veteran. Restoring Valor not only identifies the reasons for enacting the Stolen Valor Act but also demonstrates why every veteran service organization needs to safeguard their ranks as well as their community against false claims of military service and valor." Mark L. Donald, Navy Cross recipient, former board member for the Legion of Valor, and department commander for the Military Order of Purple Heart "All of America needs to read this important information and learn from it." Sergeant First Class Sammy L. Davis, US Army (Ret.), Medal of Honor, Vietnam "This book is a must-read for all veterans! It is an outstanding chronicle of the extraordinary work done by the Sterners to protect our heroic veterans' valorous actions. Less than 1 percent of Americans ever serve in our armed forces. Nearly everyone wishes they had. There are a lot of wannabe heroes in the 99 percent who never served. Thank you, Pam and Doug, for your tireless efforts in outing many of these phony heroes." Brigadier General John C. "Doc" Bahnsen, US Army (Ret.) "Terrific read. Stories of stolen valor you won't believe, and those who hunt them down and participated in writing legislation to restore dignity to all those who have truly served in combat." Peter C. Lemon, recipient, Congressional Medal of Honor