The Department of Defense is planning to set up a database of military medal winners, in the wake of the U.S Supreme Court ruling that found the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 unconstitutional.
The law struck down by the court made it a crime to lie about having earned military medals. In its ruling, the justices suggested the Pentagon might create a medal database to make searching false claims easier, according to the Stars and Stripes.
Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters yesterday:
“We are exploring options to stand up a database of valor awards and medals. The goal is to stand up such a database.”
As Home Post reported yesterday, a bill making its way through Congress, called the Stolen Valor Act of 2011, narrows the law ruled unconstitutional by declaring it would only be illegal to lie about having earned military medals if the goal was financial profit.
That measure is currently awaiting a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
