Senate Bill (S. 2610) Introduced

Senators introduce bill to create military awards database

By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, February 21, 2008

ARLINGTON, Va. — Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have introduced a bill calling for the creation of a national database that would contain the names and citations of all military members awarded the Medal of Honor or any other medal authorized by Congress.

Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., and Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., introduced the bill Feb. 8.

The Military Valor Roll of Honor Act of 2008 would require the Department of Defense to establish a searchable database containing the names and citations of members of the armed forces who have been awarded all military honors given under general orders.

The proposed law is virtually identical to a bill introduced by Salazar’s brother, Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., in the House Armed Services Committee last fall. The House bill has 42 co-sponsors, but has yet to make it out of the HASC’s military personnel subcommittee.

In addition to making it easier to verify the status of military veterans, the database also will make it easier to identify individuals who falsely claim decorations, status and benefits as wounded veterans, according to Doug Sterner.

Sterner, the founder of a Web site called Home of Heroes (www.homeofheroes.com), a virtual museum that offers the history of each Medal of Honor recipient, has made the creation of such a database his life’s work.

Citizens and servicemembers alike are often surprised to discover that no comprehensive database currently exists, he said.

Sterner is working to collect the citations for all major military awards on his site, but says that “it’s a disgrace” that such a massive effort should be left to a single volunteer.

Yet Sterner said Defense Department officials and the military services routinely cite Home of Heroes to members of Congress, the press and families who are searching for citations and other information on military members decorated for valor.

“It’s a disgrace,” he said. “They should have had this [database] years ago. The technology certainly exists. It’s just a matter of will, and we owe it” to those who have been awarded the medals, he said.

Senator pushes bill for public valor roll

By Brendan McGarry - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 20, 2008 8:09:50 EST

Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., has introduced a companion bill to legislation his older brother, John, already introduced in the House calling for the creation of a federal database of Medal of Honor and other military award recipients.

Salazar co-sponsored the legislation — which would create a searchable database known as the “Military Valor Roll of Honor” — with Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla.

“It is time that we bring the record-keeping for our veterans’ honors into the 21st century by creating a publicly searchable database that shows the honors and distinctions our veterans have earned,” Salazar said in a statement. “This database will help ensure that we are properly honoring our nation’s heroes; it will also allow law enforcement to crack down on those who falsify records and claim service they did not perform.”

According to the bill, the Military Valor Roll of Honor Act of 2008 would fund a database “containing the names and citations of members of the armed forces, members of the U.S. Merchant Marine, and civilians affiliated with the armed forces who have been awarded the Medal of Honor or any other medal authorized by Congress for the armed forces, the U.S. Merchant Marine or affiliated civilians.”

The legislation calls for the defense secretary to establish and maintain the database using military records and other “appropriate and accurate” sources of information.

While many original records exist in storage at the National Archives, no index exists to search for the recipients by name. Even when identifying information is known, often records can only be obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, according to Martinez.

The Senate’s version of the bill, S 2610, was introduced last week. The House’s version, HR 3769, was introduced in October. Each bill has been referred to each chamber’s respective Armed Services Committee.

Eric Wortman, a spokesman for Rep. Salazar, said Friday that the Salazar brothers work together on a variety of legislative issues. “They will work to see that it gets passed for our nation’s veterans,” he said.

Wortman couldn’t estimate how much the legislation would cost — a concern that has been raised by at least some members of the House Armed Services Committee. But Wortman noted that many committee members co-sponsored the bill.

“We feel confident that it will move sometime this year,” he said.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado, who also sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said it would be prudent for the committee to consider holding a hearing on the matter.

“Decorating our soldiers with a medal is done so to honor soldiers and to demonstrate the nation’s appreciation for the extraordinary courage and commitment they show as they fight for the freedoms and values we hold dear,” Lamborn said in a statement. “It is an honor that should not be taken lightly.

“Therefore, an adequate system should be implemented to ensure these recognitions are recorded accurately,” he said.

Rep. Salazar has pushed for greater accountability in military valor before. In the 109th Congress, he introduced the Stolen Valor Act, which President Bush signed into law in late 2006. The legislation made falsely claiming a military medal a felony offense.

To Date Senators Salazar and Martinez are the ONLY Co-Sponsors of S. 2610
Please Start Calling your Senators to join them.

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