Rating: 
Summary: How the army became an old frump.
Review: I usually try to find the humor in the books which I read, but it usually isn't very polite to point it out. When the Secret Service is through reading my psychiatric file, the government is sure to conclude that books like this are its best defense against grandiose individuals like me. I have been happy when great poets have said things like "What fools these mortals be," and then written comedies, which can be really awful in dreadful times like these, when all the words which could describe our feelings would definitely be offensive. There was a South Park movie about a war with Canada that might even be considered funnier than the contents of this book, but Nam was a monumental failure for American foreign policy which inspired a lot of comments that make South Park comedy seem innocent in a little kid kind of way. Most of the great old army jokes are beyond recall now, but this book brought back the F.T.A. bit, in its discussion of what Jane Fonda was all about. When I was actually in the army, I found it strange that the army thought that I could get into serious trouble for saying "F.T.A.", as if they had a right to be safe from any desire that I might have to Fun, Travel, and Adventure up the nature of the experience which they were actually having. This book is a reminder of what the army was all about in that regard.
Rating: 
Summary: A Confirmation of Previous Suspicions
Review: Mr. Burkett and Ms. Whitely have produced an extremely valuable work. Reading can at times be difficult because the book constanly generates anger, sadness, and frustration. As a Vietnam veteran the book does a thorough job of relieving that nagging feeling about not feeling guilty, about not feeling guilty. It can serve as a very useful document to explain the very ordinary mis-perceptions that most Americans, and probably others, have about the Vietnam War and the veterans it produced. I believe the authors'10 plus years of research validates without doubt, the disinformation promulgated by many institutions, individuals, and the media. I for one, am grateful for their efforts!
Rating:
Summary: A book that kicks *** and gives names ...
Review: Viet Nam was the "war" of my generation. While a relatively few fled, millions more served and 58,000 of those died in that little finger of land in Southeast Asia. The war divided our Nation and defined many of us politically for years to come. But no matter what your stand on the war, this is a book you must read.As it has always been, old men waged a war ... young men fought a war ... and young men older than their years returned from that war. Vilified by both public and press, these men and women returned not to the parades of old, but as being viewed as dirty little players in a dirty little war. As the years passed into the late 80's and 90's, in a grand display of guilty conscience and media-generated chest-beating, being a Viet Nam vet became "vogue" ... but in largely a negative way. Murderer? Well -- that's because he's a Viet Nam vet. Homeless? Well -- that's because he's a Viet Nam vet. Addicted, abusive, "not quite right"? Well -- that's because he's a Viet Nam vet. Happy, successful, secure, and getting on quite well with his life? Well -- that's obviously a fluke because after all, he's a Viet Nam vet. In "Stolen Valor" Burkett and Whitley dispell the myth of the "typical" Viet Nam veteran as a wigged-out, drugged-up loser who was "just fine" before the Viet Nam experience. In case after case, they show an overwhelming number of these miscreants who claim to be so traumatized by Viet Nam, never even went to Viet Nam and in fact, some of them were never in the military at all!! They expose the way these "cheaters" use the system at tax-payers' expense and more importantly, at the expense of veterans who truly are in need. And on the other side of the coin, detailed descriptions are given of the countless thousands who went to Viet Nam, served their country, returned and even in the face of all the adversity, took up their lives and made the very best of themselves. If you, as I, were ever a part of the "Viet Nam generation", this book is one you must not miss. Read ... learn ... tell your friends. Find out how you can begin to help restore our Viet Nam veterans' "Stolen Valor"
Rating:
Summary: A Pebble in the Pond
Review: I title my review a pebble in the pond because of the ripple effect created by the "plop". Stolen Valor documents the devastating effect the many fakers, liars and "vets" have created over the past 30+ years to create in the public mind a perception of the Vietnam Vet that is totally wrong. As the recent episode with Mr. Ellis so vividly portrays, we can only wonder how many thousands of students were told made up stories with unknown content which they then repeated "as the truth". I am a Vietnam combat veteran and salute Mr. Burkett for his efforts. This book should be a required read on any university campus that has any course related to the Vietnam War.
Rating:
Summary: The explosion of myths
Review: I don't think there is one page in this book where my jaw didn't drop in surprise and outrage at the fakery that is documented here. Journalists from Dan Rather to local small town reporters have been fooled by some of these fakers, mostly because these journalists were too lazy to investigate the backgrounds of the people they were writing about. The most disturbing part of the book is when B.G. Burkett confronts these reporters with the facts that prove their reporting is seriously flawed and misleading, and yet the reporters often refuse to set the record straight. If journalists are this sloppy in covering Vietnam veterans, what other subjects are they not telling us the truth about? The book is as much an indictment of journalism as a profession as it is of the phony veterans themselves. Hopefully "Stolen Valor" will go some way toward restoring the reputation of the many fine and brave soldiers who served in Vietnam, and served well. I salute Mr Burkett for a job well done.
Rating:
Summary: Historical Accuracy Is Important
Review: This meticulously researched book describes the myths and lies that have grown up around Vietnam and its Veterans. It also shows how those distortions have affected public policy. It is important reading for everyone interested in Vietnam, for history buffs and certainly for reporters and policy makers. With the latest revelation (June 2001) of Pulitzer Prize winning historian Joseph Ellis' falsification of his war record even as he taught a class on the war, it is clear the issue is ongoing and important.
Rating:
Summary: Required reading
Review: As a Vietnam veteran who lost one leg along with the loss of use of the other leg and right arm, I must say that Stolen Valor is a courageous, insightful book that should be required reading for every VA doctor and administrator in this country. I for one am sick and tired of hearing about another so-called "stressed out" Nam vet going beserk, when in fact the closest he ever got to Vietnam was when he washed the general's wife's car while stationed in Hawaii. Just because someone claims to have fought in Vietnam does not make it a fact. And how does someone who swabbed the deck of an aircraft carrier as it sailed 20 miles off the coast of Vietnam claim he's now suffering from PTSD? Or the loser who cleaned latrines in the safety of Da Nang--while sleeping in air conditioned rooms and eating sumptuous meals and never hearing the sound of a rifle fired in anger--come home with an armload of combat medals, including two or three Purple Hearts? I for one am sick of it. If everyone who said they served in Vietnam during the war actually did, that small peninsula would have sunk into the South China Sea decades ago. These leeches MUST be weeded out, and this book is a good start. Are their lives so shallow they must steal what other men have earned and shed their blood for? Get a life, for God's sake. And as for the VA...open your eyes! I will close by posing a question for the VA: Has even one person who receives compensation for PTSD ever actually recovered? I doubt it. Why climb off the "gravy train." This charade is a slap in the face to every Vietnam veteran who was legitimately disabled fighting for his country.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: ... Mr. Burtett deserves high praise indeed for writing this myth-exposing book and forcing the phonies back under their rocks. Although I disagree somewhat with his take on Agent Orange-I have a background in chemistry and there is no way that stuff can be harmless based on the chemicals it contains-this is still a fantastic book. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: A fine example of scholarly research...
Review: This is a fine book written from a qualified perspective. I appreciate all of the hard work both authors have invested in the writing of this book and their contribution towards setting the record straight about a very misunderstood generation and group of people. I had no idea that there were so many perpetrators in existence but the gravity of their abuse of the public trust is completely plausible given our generation's ignorance of the military and its lifestyle and procedures. This work hit particularly close to home because both my father and father-in-law are Vietnam veterans and outstanding members of their communities; unlike some of the bums which have tarnished the valor and achievement of the many. This is truly the work of responsible historians and approaches the subject from a very balanced viewpoint: that performance of duty and a task well executed, no matter how small or seemingly trivial, is more important than embellishing one's own war record to gain notoriety and praise from unsuspecting passers-by. A must read for the scholar of the Viet-nam era and an intriguing look into the patterns of behavior of pathological liars and insecure veterans. I have discovered many liars panhandling on the streets under the guise of veterans and all it takes is a few simple questions. What disturbs me is that, before, I would never have thought to ask. Thank you both for opening my eyes and doing your part to record for posterity a view of history which is based on fact and passes the appropriate tests of rationality.
Rating:
Summary: The Vietnam Veteran Myth Exposed
Review: B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley have provided an immeasurable service to the countless Vietnam veterans who served with honor and distinction in our country's longest war. The book, Stolen Valor, was an eye opening event for myself and my wife. I served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in '67 and '68, with B-Co 1/503 Infantry. When I returned from 'Nam, I could never understand why I never felt the moral distress that was being perpetuated by the media on this country. At times, I thought there was something wrong with me, becasuse I never felt the pangs of dishonor so prevalent in the other "combat vets" who were often displayed on TV. This book has provided the answer that I have looked for all these years. Explanations about bogus "experts" who portrayed so many bizarre accounts of murder and mayhem helped me understand the agenda that has been waged for so many years by left wing pundits. I am finally at peace with myself, and my comrades who fought and died in Vietnam. The impact of Stolen Valor on the liberal elite could not be better emphasized than by the fact that it is virtually unavailable in our library system. Why? Because it exposes so many "best sellers" concerning Vietnam as pure nonsense.
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