Phony War Heroes Under Investigation
On Veterans Day, FBI Focusing on Hundreds of False Claims
Stolen Valor
Just why would anyone fake a medal of honor?
"It's self esteem," said Sanborn. "If they want to be somebody they're not, its instant gratification."
Stolen valor watchdogs say the federal government should have a complete database of veterans and their military histories including the medals they were awarded in order to deter imposters and help federal authorities find and prosecute them.
Doug Sterner, a decorated Army sergeant who served in Vietnam and who maintains the most comprehensive database of military medals in the country, has been advocating for a federally run database for years. He authored much of the language in a bill pending in Congress that would mandate the Defense Department to maintain such a database.
Sterner says he gets four to six reports per week of phony war heroes who claim medals of valor. "There are so many that the FBI just can't handle them all," he said.
Sanborn said that there is limited manpower to address the issue, but nonetheless, "the word is spreading and it's getting out there that the people that are doing this will be prosecuted aggressively."
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