Rating: 
Summary: An "eye opening"expose on a dishonest aftermath of War.
Review: ..... I was also saddened to read how "The Wall" in Washington has been turned into a side-show of stalls selling T-shirts and hotdogs to the visitors. In Australia, monuments and memorials to our honoured war-dead are held in great esteem and reverence, and are places of silent reflection and pride. Although the "something for nothing" dodgy vets claims are on the increase in Australia, it is more difficult to forge a false service record, and australian veterans of the Vietnam era seem to be able to spot imposters with ease.
In summary, a very good read, with some startling insights into a system (DVA) which seems to have brought a lot of the problems on itself through sloppy checking procedures and a self-serving bureaucracy.
Rating: 
Summary: Myths, Lies, and Pretenders
Review: This is one of the top 3 books on understanding Vietnam and its aftermath. Many, all for their own selfish purposes, have impugned the character of American's Vietnam fighting men. The 60's radical left deliberately distorted the character of America's Vietnam fighting men for political purposes. Their distortions continue to this day. Many in the news media deliberately distorted it for political purposes and money, and remain unrepentant to this day. The government deliberately distorted it to protect the concomitant stupidity of many of its military and political leaders, like Johnson, McNamara, Harkin, Taylor, and Westmoreland. But no distortions did more damage to the true character of the honest, brave, and patriotic American's who stood up and were counted by serving honorably in Vietnam than those perpetuated by the pretenders. Burkett and Whitley expose the wannabe's who lied about their service, their valor, their missions and their importance, and thus set the record straight. The so-called Vietnam generation was not about college protestors and Woodstock. It was about honor, serving your country, sacrificing a few years of your life for the greater good, and fulfilling your patriotic duty. It is much more difficult to carry the flag in harm's way than it is to put a flag decal in your car window. The pretenders and their lies painted all Vietnam Veterans in false colors. Thanks to Burkett/Whitley, the lies are now out in the open. Unfortunately, the pretenders are still active and loud. On November 10, 2002, the Marine Corps birthday and day before Veterans Day, the FBI and Houston Police Department arrested a pretender for wearing unauthorized medals. This man was an executive board member of an elite Marine Corps unit organization with many active members who served in Vietnam. The message is clear: do not accept tales as facts, DD214's as accurate, or leftist and media characterizations as history. Read Stolen Valor and Neal Sheehan's Bright Shining Lie, and either get a signed release to obtain unaltered service records, or send for records via the Freedom of Information Act for anyone claiming to be a Vietnam Veteran. Stolen valor is valor that still exists, it's just missing. The truth can restore it to its proper place. Reading this book is a great place to start the restoration. Thank you to Burkett & Whitley...
Rating:
Summary: Journalists and Editors Should Read This Book
Review: Every journalist, editor, and TV producer should read Stolen Valor. Hopefully that would keep them from interviewing and featuring the scruffy looking liars, fakers, and "wannabees" in camouflage fatigues covered with patches, pins, and unearned medals when they want to interview a Vietnam veteran. Too many journalists pass on to their readers--and preserve for posterity--whatever lies they are told about secret missions behind enemy lines, American atrocities, amazing Rambo-type combat, and our nation's highest awards for valor which somehow were never recorded in the faker's official records. Are these journalists just naive or are they intentionally supporting an anti-Vietnam War, anti-military, and anti-American agenda? Burkett and Whitley demonstrate how those opposed to the war (and the military and the government) are using the myth of vast numbers of Vietnam veterans being so psychologically scarred by the war that they are dysfunctional and the parallel myth of widespread American atrocities in Vietnam to validate their own political agendas. The leaders of the American Legion, VFW, and other mainstream veterans' organizations would also do well to read this book. Many of them have been hoodwinked by fakers who gain positions of leadership and influence within veteran's organizations and become public spokesmen based on their impressive--but false--war records. The machine copies of DD214 forms used by individuals to join veterans' organizations, obtain VA care, and convince skeptics cannot be accepted as valid proof of service because they can be forged with copy machines. Burkett and Whitley tell us the way to unmask the liars and frauds is to use a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain a copy of their DD214 directly from the National Records Center in St. Louis, MO. I've encountered some of these phonies myself and my theory is that the longer and dirtier their hair and beards are, the more they look like street people, the more medals, badges, patches, pins, and other gewgaws they are wearing, the more likely they are to be impostors. It's not difficult for a real veteran to see the inconsistencies in their claims but journalists and the public who have never served are easily fooled into believing these bums are typical of Vietnam vets. That's why "Stolen Valor" is an appropriate title for this book. They are besmirching the reputation of all of us who served honorably and are proud of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Burkett and Whitley's research questionable
Review: On page 585 of Stolen Valor, Burkett refers to the 1986 photo of Wright at the Vietnam memorial and also mentions Wright's father. "Col. Gary Wright, the father, was indeed shot down over Vietnam and remains missing in action," the book states. "But after a search of military records, I could find no indication that his son, Gary Gene Wright Jr., was a Vietnam veteran or indeed ever served at all in the military." Wright, 46, said he was shocked when told by friends that his reputation was attacked in the book. He said he sent military documents to Burkett and had Navy friends call the author to back up his story. Burkett said he never received anything definitive from Wright and insisted his conclusions about him were correct. "I attempted to find a military record for him and couldn't find anything," Burkett said. "He provided me nothing to contradict that." Mike McLellan, a public affairs officer at the Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn., almost immediately found a military record for Wright. "I can confirm that he was in the Navy," McLellan said. "That's iron-clad as far as I'm concerned, and I would take that to court." a fax from the records center in St. Louis revealed the details of Wright's military career, including a stint in January 1974 in VA 155, an attack squadron assigned at the time to the USS Oriskany. When told of those findings, Burkett acknowledged that Wright probably was in the Navy. But he continued to insist Wright hadn't served on the Oriskany or in the Vietnam War. But using other Navy records, McLellan was able to cross-reference the dates of Wright's service in VA 155 with the travels of the Oriskany, and he ascertained that Wright had indeed served on the ship when it launched attacks on Vietnam. "I can't see it any other way," McLellan said. "This Wright fella is telling you the truth." Additionally, Navy veteran Willie Farmer of Carrollton, Ga., said he worked hand-in-hand with Wright on the Oriskany. Farmer, 50, said Wright was "sort of a nerdy fella," but he liked him anyway. Whitley has been contacted in the past by veterans who have prompted her to correct the record, but Whitley thus far has refused to do so. Burkett and Whitley's refusal to correct the record casts question over their research and most certainly detracts from the basic premise of the book. The honourable thing to do would be to redact any reference whatsoever to Mr Wright from future editions of the book - his continued inclusion serves no useful purpose.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding myth-busting book
Review: Mr. Burkett's book is best described as a war on myth, both surrounding the Vietnam War in general and with psuedo soldiers. On the former, the author goes after popular myths like Agent Orange supposedly causing cancer, there being more draftees in Vietnam than say WWII, etc. and demolishes them with fact. On the latter, Burkett exposes the frauds (both famous and obscure) who claim to be Vietnam vets or vets with high decorations. Among those who Burkett shines the light of truth: 1)one fellow who claimed to have participated in atrocities yet his specialty wasn't one that would have allowed him to even be in the situation he described; 2)one man who claimed the Medal of Honor falsely; 3)one fellow who described exploits in Vietnam yet never actually set foot in Southeast Asia; 4) one person who claimed combat service yet was never in the military at all. Burkett's book also exposes the incredible lack of background work that the press does when interviewing supposed veterans. Mr. Burkett, from the son of a real Vietnam combat veteran, thank you for your work.
Rating:
Summary: Good to a Point
Review: I support the authors efforts to expose those who are fake veterans. I also believe that more needs to be know about Vietnam Veterans and their status in society today. My concern with the book is that Mr. Burkett lets his political leanings creep into the book. He like all Americans is free to have those prejudies/convictions. However, this makes me wonder if the research is really unbiased. For example when he discusses Agent Orange and Maude DeVictor a former VA employee, he throws in a statement "and was involved in the black power movement" on (page 528). OK, if Maude DeVictor was involved in the black power movement, so what? Did she have a record of being arrested and convicted? Does it bear on the issue of Agent Orange? Or, is it an attempt to discredit her because of her politics? In the Case of Dan Rather, Mr. Burkett takes him to task for joining the reserves during the Korean War and later being medically discharged from active duty with the USMC (page 107). If true, where is Mr. Burketts condemnation of George W. Bush joining the Texas Air National Guard and not serving in the Vietnam War? I suggest that these examples could lead one to question the research of the book for the reason that Mr. Burkett's thesis may have been driven by a political agenda. Lot of good material, I just wish he'd left the personal political stuff out. Read the book, but with a critical eye.
Rating:
Summary: Job well done...
Review: This is a book whose usefulness should not be underestimated. I think it fair to say that given the misshaping of America's understanding of the Vietnam vet through much of Hollywood's rubbish, such as "Platoon" and "Apocalypse Now" a powerful antidote is required. This book shows what a commitment to truth can produce and should be read by people who want a three dimensional understanding of the Vietnam vet whose courage and sacrifice have never received their due. (by a non-Vietnam vet)
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Research That Exposes Disgraceful Fraud
Review: Bravo to B.G. Burkett for exposing a good many of the myths surrounding Vietnam veterans that Hollywood and too many gullible journalists have been promoting for decades. By not letting himself get taken in by good sounding stories and instead doing simple common sense research like using the Freedom Of Information Act to get the service records of the many men claiming medals and decorations they were never entitled to have, or conning the taxpayers out of funds for "PTSD" due to combat conditions they never could have experienced, Burkett provides us with a chilling insight into how the biases of our elite journalists and the elites of popular culture have allowed so many of those con artists to paint a false picture of the Vietnam Vet in general. I was especially gratified to read the accounts of how Burkett's research helped expose the men who received flattering profiles in Dan Rather's 1988 CBS documentary "The Wall Within" as dishonest, but even more powerful are his accounts of high ranking officials in local veterans organizations who built up their reputations based on lies, as well as some hardened criminals who tried to excuse their conduct based on their bogus tales of "suffering" from Vietnam combat experiences they never went through. Patience Mason's review below baffles me. First off, she doesn't seem to have read the book because she keeps saying that Burkett relied on DD214 files for his research, when in fact he relied on the service records from the National Archives. And I have a blunt question for Mason: Do you think its no big deal that there are many people wearing decorations they're not entitled to wear, or who give Vietnam Vets a bad name when the evidence shows they never spent a day in combat? Many of the phonies that Burkett exposes were not merely of the "truck driver" variety, they were people who never spent a day in Vietnam. Why should that offend Mason or anyone else that Burkett has exposed these con artists and in some cases helped send some crooks to jail where they belong? I somehow suspect that those who bash Burkett's work do so less because they can challenge the facts he puts forth, but more because of their ideological biases.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Investigative rock-turning at it's best!
Review: Reading "Stolen Valor" literally made me sick to my stomach! Like most Combat Vietnam Veterans, I can tell when someone is exagerating or inflating their military experiences! In this book, Burkett takes it a step further and uses the Freedom of Information Act to "Out" frauds and others who claim to be actual warriors from the Vietnam jungles. A great read and one to keep for future references.
Rating:
Summary: Book Destroys Vietnam Stereotype
Review: "Stolen Valor" is the brilliant result of one man's passion to honor the genuine heroes of the Vietnam War, and to expose those who fraudulently claim to be a part of that special brotherhood. The book virtually destroys the stereotype of the Vietnam veteran as some sort of bitter, disturbed loner and reveals the remarkable achievements of the so-called "haunted generation." "Stolen Valor" should be required reading for students of American military history, and for students who wish to pursue a career in journalism. The book is a superb example of the importance of integrity in all walks of life.
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