Military documents reveal decades of deceit about the Vietnam War and myths perpetuated by the mainstream media.

“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.

They stole my life, so I stole one right back. My name is William Alexander Armstrong. I come from a long, honorable, military family. My grandparents were heroes back home... but not me. Kidnapped by pirates, I've had to fight to survive on the streets of an alien world. Only now, I've got a way out. The only trouble is, my way out is to serve in the enemy's military, hidden under a stolen identity. I've got to hide who I am, build alliances, and hope to keep my head down at a military institute where one in three trainees don't survive. But hiding isn't in my blood. I'm an Armstrong, I'm born to fight, born to lead... and in this case, that might be the only thing that saves me. Because something is rotten at the Heart of Drakkus Prime, and stolen identity or not, valor may be the only thing to save the day.

Richard Serrano, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for the Los Angeles Times, pens a story of two veterans. In the late 1950s, as America prepared for the Civil War centennial, two very old men lay dying. Albert Woolson, 109 years old, slipped in and out of a coma at a Duluth, Minnesota, hospital, his memories as a Yankee drummer boy slowly dimming. Walter Williams, at 117 blind and deaf and bedridden in his daughter's home in Houston, Texas, no longer could tell of his time as a Confederate forage master. The last of the Blue and the Gray were drifting away; an era was ending. Unknown to the public, centennial officials, and the White House too, one of these men was indeed a veteran of that horrible conflict and one according to the best evidence nothing but a fraud. One was a soldier. The other had been living a great, big lie.

Stolen valor, or falsely claiming to have performed military service or claiming to have served in a different capacity than actually occurred, seems to be a growing problem in society. With the five branches (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force), and large amount of awards, the United States has created a large amount of confusion when it comes to military service. Even so, very little is known about the people who commit stolen valor and the financial crimes they commit. The current study is meant to lay a foundation for future research on the topic. The current study created a database from publically available online data on stolen valor offenders. The website used for analysis contained the cases of 68 people who have been outed for having falsified their military history. To analyze their stories content analysis was used. The current study0́9s findings suggest, although the results are not generalizable, that many people who have served in the military may falsify their military history. Furthermore, many of the offenders have a criminal record detailing their generalist criminal tendencies. There are many more characteristics which were found to be relevant to these offenders. As this is the first scholarly study on the topic, not including legal papers pertaining to the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, many more questions need answering. Better and more data can allow for better policy to be created. Even so, there are some recommendation based on the current sample. First more information needs to be available to the general public concerning the military awards and regulations. Also, a database containing basic data of people who have served should be available to the public so if a person makes a claim of military service, it can be checked in a decent time frame. Likewise, certain disorders seem to be used more often than other disorders to gain financial benefits. Better recognition of these disorders and research into them may be necessary to decrease the amount of fraud committed.

The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir of U.S. Navy Seal Chris Kyle, and the source for Clint Eastwood’s blockbuster, Academy-Award nominated movie. “An amazingly detailed account of fighting in Iraq--a humanizing, brave story that’s extremely readable.” — PATRICIA CORNWELL, New York Times Book Review "Jaw-dropping...Undeniably riveting." —RICHARD ROEPER, Chicago Sun-Times From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. His fellow American warriors, whom he protected with deadly precision from rooftops and stealth positions during the Iraq War, called him “The Legend”; meanwhile, the enemy feared him so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle, who was tragically killed in 2013, writes honestly about the pain of war—including the deaths of two close SEAL teammates—and in moving first-person passages throughout, his wife, Taya, speaks openly about the strains of war on their family, as well as on Chris. Gripping and unforgettable, Kyle’s masterful account of his extraordinary battlefield experiences ranks as one of the great war memoirs of all time.

This book reveals an on-going problem pertaining to stolen valor. Stolen valor occurs when men and women claim honors, benefits, and material goods by lying about military service.

Stealing Valor is a mini-book on the 2013 Stolen Valor Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama. There is much controversy around the law as it in fact, criminalizes lying when the lies facilitate profit, financial gains or a means to promote something that has a monetary value. The issue of Free Speech is the center of the book as it differentiates the meaning of the phrase - Stolen Valor. Various examples are cited and the book is a great stepping stone for further examinations of the law that is still sitting sideways with many veterans and organizations - In fact, some national organizations are actively referring imposters or alleged impostors to vigilante committees that review the military history of the person identified to be a fake- a fraud and an opportunistic person seeking self-important or financial gain for self. Readers should use this book as a reference book for many other sources on Stolen Valor on the internet as it is full of citations.

"What sort of combination of hypocrite and paradox is John Kerry?" asks this heated critique of the Democratic presidential candidate’s Vietnam–era military service and antiwar activism. O’Neill, a lawyer and swift boat veteran, and Corsi, an expert on Vietnam antiwar movements, show how Kerry misrepresented his wartime exploits and is therefore incompetent to serve as commander in chief. Buttressed by interviews with Navy veterans who patrolled Vietnam’s waters, some along with Kerry, readers will discover how he exaggerated minor injuries, self-inflicted others, wrote fictitious diary entries and filed "phony" reports of his heroism under fire—all in a calculated quest to secure career-enhancing combat medals.

All her life, elite Delta Force operative Kate Wilder had played by the rules - including the one that forbid her from following through on the scalding hot chemistry she had with her commanding officer, Captain Mason "Bear" Johnson.But rules are like people - all too easy to break.Kate found that out the hard way, when she and Bear crossed paths with Kamal Kahn - a brutal, psychotic terrorist who nearly stole everything from her.Captured, tortured, and broken, Kate was left mentally and physically shattered - and while Bear and his team were able to bring her home, Kate's friends and family were left wondering if she'd ever be whole again.Can Kate recover from the wounds of her past? Can Bear come to terms with the danger he placed her in?In the cool seclusion of rural Maine, can these two broken hearts make each other whole? Or are shattered lives unable to be pieced back together - and does the valor Kamal Kahn stole from Kate include the bravery to open up her heart to love again?Stolen Valor is Book Seven in the acclaimed Johnson Family series by author Holly J. Martin - each one a fast-paced, richly detailed romance that seamlessly weaves achingly intense emotion with pulse-racing suspense and heart-warming true love.oWARNING: This book contains realistic and appropriate depictions of PTSD and the circumstances that cause it, and is dedicated to the valor and courage of our young men and women in uniform