‘Horrible Idea’: House Proposal Makes Uncovering Stolen Valor Harder, Researchers Say – By Rebecca Kheel (Military.com) / June 20, 2023
Uncovering when people are lying about their military service could be harder under a proposal in Congress to restrict public access to some military records, researchers of stolen valor and military history say.
At issue is a provision included in the House Appropriations Committee’s draft 2024 Pentagon spending bill that would bar the military from releasing basic details about someone’s service record without that person’s consent.
“It is a horrible idea,” said Doug Sterner, who curates a database of Medal of Honor recipients and championed a law that makes stolen valor a federal crime if it’s for profit. “It’s a horrible idea, and it flies in the face of the true history of the men and women that preserved this great nation.”
