Dear Sir, I am sorry that you took offense with my request for some type of “official” documentation for some of your military awards.  By your letter I see that you are rather upset with me and my certificate services.  I can understand your frustration over that.  I do not doubt any person’s claim to their military service or the recognition that has been shown them by the presentation of service medals, but I must follow the law.  The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 was passed to make it a crime for a person to impersonate a veteran or wear U.S. military medals they did not earn.  It was enacted to protect those who have served and worn a uniform in the Armed Forces.  I am a former Marine (1984-1991) and I honor and respect this law.

      Because the internet has made it very easy for a person to assume any type of identity, I have must have some type of proof when a high level award is requested.  It is part of my business model and I refuse to print a “novelty” award for someone who did not earn it.  Most of my customers accept and appreciate this because they are prior service and do not want their awards cheapened in any way.  There are other certificate providers on the internet who will print you anything you want for a cheaper price and do not follow the Stolen Valor Act. You may want to communicate with one of those services to see if they can help you.   Both of my web sites state in many places and in plain English that we do not print any type of novelty certificates and some proof may be needed to complete a certificate transaction. The actual medals are not proof enough because many can be purchased on Ebay or various internet providers with out any type of proof of military service. This is why I ask for a service photo or a copy of a DD214 with ss# blacked out. This is not a hidden fact on the site.  The sites even have links to recent news articles of military imposters exposed.  As I said, I take this very seriously.

     YourMilitaryHistory provides a needed service for many active duty and former servicemen.  I provide a high quality and low cost option for a person to replace various certificates from their military history.  My certificates are for personal display only and are created to “look better” than official issued certificates that one may have received during their time in the service. They are made with archival inks, heavy-weight papers and more details than the originals.  I do not claim to make exact reproductions of all government issued documents.  Only the U.S.  government can do that and in most cases they will not reissue personal citations. I do not think you will find that I have ever claimed to be an “official government” source anywhere on my printed materials or on the websites.  Every customer is valued and I will do all I can to help them through the ordering process and purchase items that they will be proud to display, but I will not break the law for a few dollars or to make a sell.   I am refunding your payment  A simple internet search for “military replacement certificates” will lead you to other vendors who will be very willing to fill your certificate order regardless of the Stolen Valor Act of 2005.  I do value your business and your service to our nation.  If I can ever be of further assistance with any of my “reproductions” or custom military artwork, please let me know.