The Defense Department has officially unveiled a new website that honors service members’ highest acts of valor.
The site can be found — at http://valor.defense.gov — and it is designed to raise awareness of service members’ heroism and to help deter those who falsely claim military honors.
Currently, the new DOD website initially listed only those service members awarded the congressional Medal of Honor — the country’s highest military honor — since the 9/11 attacks, but Pentagon officials recently added some of (and will eventually include all of) the past and present service members who have been awarded:
- the Army‘s Distinguished Service Cross and
- the Navy and Air Force service crosses
to the database over the next few months.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said. “One of the most important things we can do for all veterans is to honor the service of those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.” Panetta also stated that the database will “help maintain the integrity of awards and honors earned by service members and veterans”
Ultimately, officials said, the intent of the website is to honor soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who received the highest valor awards in operations since Sept. 11, 2001. These are the Medal of Honor, service crosses and the Silver Star. The listing covers only awards since Sept. 11, 2001. The site currently lists only those awarded the Medal of Honor, and will expand to include the other awards, officials said.
“It is essential that we honor and recognize our service members’ achievements, while maintaining the integrity of our award data,” said Erin C. Conaton, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. “We are working quickly to compile accurate information on the heroes of the post-9/11 conflicts. At the same time, we will work with the military services to identify and seek to address the challenges associated with compiling data from earlier conflicts.”
Related articles
- The Pentagon’s Fighting Back Against People Who Lie About Being In The Military (businessinsider.com)
- Valor Website Now Includes Service Crosses (defense.gov)
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