Doug Sterner looks up information on a military medal winner in his files. Six years ago, he quit his job as a college computer instructor to devote all his attention to his database. (David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times / December 31, 1969)
One Man's Heroic Quest: Cataloging 350,000 Medal-Of-Valor Winners -- L.A. Times
For 14 years, veteran Doug Sterner has been combing military archives to create a list of all the recipients of the top medals of valor, a task the Pentagon is unwilling to do.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Doug Sterner drives from his cluttered apartment here to the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., carrying a portable photocopier and a belief in American heroes.
Inside the Navy archives, he flips through thousands of typed index cards detailing bravery in battle. Sterner pulls out a card and starts reading. He's mesmerized by this story:
Charles Valentine August, a Navy pilot who shot down two enemy planes in World War II, was later shot down himself and captured in North Africa. After escaping, August returned to combat and was shot down again and taken prisoner by the Japanese.
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My Comment: What can I say .... he is dedicated. My head bows down to Doug Sterner .... the work that he does is indispensable and vital for those heroes who are no longer with us.
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