Rating: 
Summary: The epitome of good history, research and journalism
Review: A voracious reader I am particularly interested in books about the Vietnam conflict, especially in light of the fact I spent a year there in the service of my country. I've always advised those interested enough to inquire, that if you can read only one book on the war read Neil Sheehan's A Bright Shining Lie; since reading Burkett's and Whitley's effort I've modified that advice to, "If you can read only two books on the war Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History." Stolen Valor is not a history of the war. Rather it's one of those indispensable works that that adds essential background information needed to understand the peripheral issues that arise in the wake of every conflict. Burkett and Whitley have done their homework and documented their book with what appear to be unimpeachable sources and first-hand accounts. The main thrust of the work is to set the record straight on a number of sticky issues that have come forth after the war's end. Whether the Agent Orange controversy or the propriety of hawking T-shirts at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., Burkett and Whitley examine most of the major issues surrounding Vietnam veterans along with their accompanying moral ramifications. Perhaps the most enlightening material concerns the Veterans Administration and its attitude towards and treatment of those veterans who claim to be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of their service in Southeast Asia. We learn that the VA apparently treats not only those who served in Vietnam for PTSD, but some who apparently never set foot on Vietnamese soil; and even more astonishing are revelations some veterans who didn't even serve during the Vietnam era are the recipients of the VA's largesse for Vietnam induced PTSD. The book is a treasure trove of information about imposters, those who are labeled "wannabes." Well documented is the high incidence of individuals, some actual viet-era veterans, some never having serve in the theater and incredibly some who never served in the military at all, who are fakers and self-proclaimed war heroes adorning themselves with unearned decorations and illegal medals. Numerous accounts are included of individuals who have made outlandish and false claims of having completed elite military training programs, and then further shaming themselves by claiming ex- P.O.W. status. The book contains excellent information on how to check the military records of individuals, and includes important lists. Enumerated are those who received the Medal of Honor, Vietnam; the Distinguished Service Cross, Vietnam; the Navy Cross, Vietnam; the Air Force Cross, Vietnam; and Vietnam era POW's who returned alive. I consider this an outstanding contribution to the general body of literature surrounding the war. It is engrossing, well written and most informative. For anyone with a interest that goes below the veneer of most Vietnam conflict treatments, I consider this a "must read." If there are flaws they are few and insignificant. Perhaps the single thing that bothered me the most was the occasional tendency on the part of Burkett to be flippant and resort to humor that, more than once, seem stilted and awkward. But this criticism should not detract overall from this examination of real problems and issues that beg to be addressed and examined on a larger scale. This work, in a real way, is a wonderful tribute to all those who served and did so without returning home to besmirch their contributions by claiming heroic actions and deeds of which they were not a part. At the same time the book stands, whether consciously or not, as a tribute to the wounded and those who so gallantly made the ultimate sacrifice
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Summary: A Vietnam Must-Read
Review: This is a seminal book for those interested in Vietnam War and its subsequent history. Specifically, the book stresses the numerous cases of fraud and deception practiced by "Vietnam Vet" imposters. It furthermore takes on the media who simplistically believe every outright tall tale told by anyone shabbily dressed in combat fatigues and reeking of booze. The media generally won't interview successful vets like Roger Staubach. The media won't mention the thousands of vets who work for Fed Ex, Southwest Airlines, or EDS. They want the drunken-bum template to better sell their programs. Stolen Valor also details the ease with which it is possible to use fake military discharge paperwork in order to manipulate the media or the Veterans Administration. While duping the former may serve to heighten a warped need for attention, duping the latter is like hitting a legal lottery that pays $30,000 per year. The secret is outlined in the chapter entitled, "The Vietnam Veteran's Guide to Tax-Free Living." The background military records check needed to receive a 100% disability due to PTSD is laughably lax. One suspects that the shrink lobby at the VA makes has turned PTSD into a problem to justify their jobs (and continued funding). The authors suspect and document many fraudulent cases. The authors also suspect many DISHONORABLY discharged veterans are into this scam. The book is a well documented goldmine. The index is thorough. There are numerous endnotes FOIA requested documents sited for debunking bogus claims. Five appendices at the end of the book list the Vietnam Vets who were awarded the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, The Navy Cross, The Air Force Cross, and those who were held as POWs. Hopefully, these lists will be up on stolenvalor.com soon, so the media can better check facts. Note that the Vietnam Veterans of America has IGNORED this book. Are they, as an organization, that steeped in the victimization mentality that they cannot even COMMENT on such meticulous and damning writing? What are they afraid of? (That many of the vets they 'service' may not be legitimate?) If you buy one non-fiction book this year, "Stolen Valor" should be it.
Rating: 
Summary: Potentially a good book, ruined by political rant
Review: Burkett should stick to exposing phonies. He knows nothing about PTSD. Unfortunately, he falls among the know-nothings that have kept all mental health in the dark ages for so long. Since you can't prove it with a blood test, only by taking a self-described history of a patient, mental illness is always open to to barbs from the cynical. Do people abuse the VA? Yes, some do. So people abuse many contacts with the government, whether its creative bookkeeping before tax time, farm programs, or many others. Does the abuse of a few condemn a whole program or make everyone in that program a liar? Burkett shows his true colors by taking two vets whose records he could'nt fault, and making cynical judgements about their motives because they don't subscribe to his party line about the War in Vietnam. I wonder if Burkett can even fathom the incredulity of a combat vet as he reads Burkett's rear area war stories about his heroic effort to keep his shower water hot.
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Summary: here's the facts
Review: The best thing about this incredible book is the list of those who hold the MOH and DSC in the appendix, plus a complete list of living POW's so nobody can pretend to be who they ain't. Getting this information should have been child's play for all those reporters for all those years. Burkett was unsinkable. I think the real underlying point of this book is the frightening ability of the media to perpetuate a lie on the American public for so many years, contrary to all reality. Scary
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Summary: Burkett may have valid points, but.....
Review: Burkett may have important things to say, but I only needed to get through two chapters of his book to recognize that he commits some of the same offenses he accuses others of. For instance: The author starts off by telling us his variation of the old "I got called a baby-burner at the airport" story (Think about it: Would you aggressively and unnecessarily confront a stranger who you thought was capable of extremely violent behavior? Do you know anybody who would?) and then goes on to describe how he had college professors give him and other Viet Nam veterans a hard time because of their military service (If true, this is a serious violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. How come the author never challenged his university on this one?). We are then treated to a description of the author's tour of duty in Viet Nam: Viet Nam veterans will read between the lines and instantly note that this guy had one of the least dangerous and most comfortable in-country gigs imaginable, yet he comes home with a bronze star and various other ornaments. This illustrates a problem that may be even more serious than bogus veterans: Particularly after the Tet Offensive, some units in Viet Nam handed out very important military awards for what was essentially nothing more than good conduct - particularly to commissioned officers like Burkett. Maybe the old adage is true; people who live in glass houses should not throw stones....
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Summary: Solidly debunks many Vietnam War myths and misconceptions.
Review: Remarkable in-depth research presented quite well. No one likes war and this is especially true for the Vietnam War. A line was drawn and a stand taken that communism would not move south from North Vietnam into the Republic of Vietnam and likely on into Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. A noble cause and at the time, certainly the right thing to do. The national leadership failed to develop a winning strategy and failed even worse in communicating with the American people. This happened at a time when our liberal education philosophy encouraged challenging authority and exploded on college campuses when draft deferment ended for college students in December 1997. Thus the expanding antiwar movement was growing rapidly just before the battles of TET of 1968. Although the enemy suffered truly huge losses during TET, the media played to the antiwar movement and terribly distorted the facts. Westmoreland exacerbated the situation by a gross political error requesting more troops to finish off the Viet Cong. The media interrupted this as we were losing. Burkett took on a volunteer job to raise funds for a Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He kept running into terribly negative views of Vietnam veterans as generally unworthy of a memorial. Like, "Why would you want to honor a bunch of losers, bums and social degenerates?" Using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Burkett started requesting the official military record of accused criminals who claimed their Vietnam War experiences "made them do it." He has exposed hundreds of phonies, liars and wannabes. He found that if the veteran claimed a lot of decorations for bravery in combat, was in an elite unit such as the SEALS or Special Forces and performed "secret" missions, he quite likely was a phony. Burkett proved that the six "stars" of Dan Rather's CBS "The Wall Within" were phonies with totally untrue or grossly exaggerated, distorted stories. He specifically debunks over 30 books, movies, TV programs and major news stories. The authors make a strong case that Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam has not led to disease and death. Twenty years of studies at a cost of more that $400 million came up empty. The most compelling evidence is the study of 1,174 of the 1,206 Air Force pilots and crewmen who served as the Ranch Hands. As an initiation rite, each new squadron member DRANK a cup of Agent Orange. The old Ranch Hands drank along with them, keeping track of total intake. Some drank as much as a gallon. When their low flying aircraft took hits, some crew members became drenched in Agent Orange. They had from 10 to 150 times the dioxin exposure of the average American. After fifteen years and four examinations, the health of the Ranch Hands is generally the same as the control group except they have slightly more deaths and diabetes attributed to alcohol abuse--not Agent Orange. Over 250 pages of the book is devoted to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder--PTSD. Strong evidence is presented that there is pervasive fraud in claims for PTSD. VA bureaucrats have gained enormous increase in staff and budget for PTSD. Entrepreneurs and hustlers have made big bucks coaching and "educating" veterans how to "recognize" (or create) PTSD symptoms. Unfortunately Burkett's brush may be too broad here. The reader might come away thinking there is no legitimate PTSD. Amongst all those conveniently labeled PTSD, there are a few genuine cases of emotionally disabled veterans who can not function normally because of their war experiences. These should not de disparaged and lumped with the phonies. They deserve care and concern. A great book. Easily a Five Star rating!
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Summary: A wonderful book and a real eye opener.
Review: Until I read this book, I never realized being a phoney Viet Nam Combat Veteran could pay so well. The VA is willing to pay big taxpayer bucks to just about anyone who can sob a good Viet Nam story...without even checking to see if they were in Viet Nam. Some of the phoney stories exposed in this book made me gasp. Some fake stories recieved national exposure and others are immortalized in educational courses. The chapter on Agent Orange was amazing. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Even the appendices are useful and interesting. I'm glad the authors wrote this book.
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Summary: A Tough Read that Got It Right!
Review: Burkett and Whitley have helped to set the record straight. Veterans of the War in RVN now have evidence that their military history was, and still is, manipulated by those vested in the "Politics of Victimization". This is a very tough read. This is a very enlightening read. I thank the authors for restoring the truth to the discussion of Vietnam Veterans.
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Summary: Finally, the truth is told!
Review: I am a Viet Nam Vet. For years I have felt great disgust with the media for the continual portrayal of my fellow vets a drugged crazed, mudering maniacs. Mr. Burkett and Ms. Whitley deserve great credit for what they have exposed. Keep up the fire!
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Summary: This is a dishonest book that slanders Vietnam veterans.
Review: This is a dishonest book that slanders Vietnam veterans. Burkett and Whitley pose as defenders of Vietnam veterans, just as Senator Joseph McCarthy posed as a defender of American democracy. This book seeks to be the litmus test of the true Vietnam veteran against the false pretenders. It names some pretenders, but it implies that all veterans who do not share the authors' viewpoint on politics must be suspect. Real veterans are not against war, it says. Real veterans never have come to the conclusion that the war in Vietnam was an immoral, illegal and unnecessary waste of blood and treasure conducted by people who should have been given prison sentences for their "high crimes and misdemeanors." I include Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Kissinger, Rusk and McNamara in this short list. The authors are self-appointed, right wing, propagandists with an agenda that smears veterans with real claims against the government for Agent Orange problems and PTSD problems. The right wing does not want to own up for the damage it did to our own citizens, let alone the damage it did to the people of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Students of history should realize that the struggle over Vietnam continues. It was a struggle for the hearts and minds of the American people and the Vietnamese people. This book shows that the struggle continues and that some of the weapons deployed are character assassination, smear, slur, citation out of context and omission. Where was George Bush, Jr. in the Vietnam War? We know where Clinton and Quayle were. Why does this book come down so hard on those who spoke out against the war, but says so little about those who served only as cheerleaders for the atrocity? I see it as a piece of propaganda for right wing values with no real value for any serious student of the Vietnam War. I recommend Marilyn Young's - Vietnam Wars - as a better departure point.
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