What is Stolen Valor?
In a recent article in AZCentral.com, they outline a few Stolen Valor cases and highlight Doug Sterner, who has been active in stolen valor issues.
Doug and his wife were behing getting a Stolen Valor law passed in addition to Doug writing a book on Stolen Valor titled “Restoring Valor: One Couple’s Mission to Expose Fraudulent War Heroes and to Protect America’s Military Awards System.”
What is stolen valor? Arizona man’s phony exploits inspire law to crack down on it
Rebekah L. Sanders | Arizona Republic | Oct 24, 2022
A man accused of faking a military record and taking advantage of military families is just the latest claim of an Arizona resident pretending to have served in the armed forces for personal gain.
A number of high-profile “stolen valor” cases have occurred in Arizona over the years, including a Willcox man whose tall tales about being a decorated war hero spurred Congress to pass a law in 2006 against military impersonations.
An Arizona Republic investigation showed Matt Augee, who runs the Phoenix nonprofit RecFX Foundation, repeatedly claimed he served as a soldier and sheriff’s deputy. Military and law enforcement have no record of it.
Augee also is accused of duping veterans out of tens of thousands of dollars and taking donations for himself, former supporters said.
Multiple people, including Augee’s parents and a member of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame, reported him to state and federal authorities, but investigators filed no charges. Augee maintains he did nothing wrong.
Stolen valor is an insult to ‘real heroes’
Doug Sterner, a Vietnam veteran and military historian, researches cases like Augee’s and maintains the Hall of Valor, the largest database of verified U.S. military award citations.
Doug has been known to read the TAH articles from time to time, so make sure and give him a shoutout if you are so inclined. We will make sure he is aware of this publishing so he can browse the comments.
Category: Stolen Valor, Stolen Valor Act
Im a former Arizona and soon to be Arizona resident again here very soon
Thank you Doug for your work on this
As most of us have seen stolen valor
Is just the tip of the ice berg
Re: “the tip of the iceberg”.
More like “the cherry on top of the shit sundae”.
Exactly 🤞🤞🤞
Thank you
Valor Thieves are nothing but despicable POSes that aren’t even worthy of doing a Police Call thru a Veterans Cemetery. Closest they should be allowed to get to a Real Veteran is giving tongue baths to bed pans in a VA Hospital. Everybody wants to be a War Hero until it’s time to do War Hero Stuff. When busted for their lies, put them on the front lines and let them show what they are made of. I wasn’t a War Hero, but I served Honorably with a number of War Heroes.
May the Barbed Cock of Satan torment Valor Thieves for all Eternity while their worthless souls burn in Hell.
Look, drugs and hookers aren’t free. And when you look and act like Augee your options are limited even if sober, which is unlikely.
Doug is an awesome guy, He is arguably the authority on Valor Awards. Worked with him more than once.
Keep firing, Doug!
Thank you, Doug and Pam.
Claude Douglas Sterner (Doug Sterner) – Wikitia
Doug, thank you for what you do. It is a pretty big task. Please look for assistance here if you ever need any.