Stolen Valor

hh60cheese01 · 11-07-2009, 11:54 AM

Has anyone else read the book Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of its Heroes and its History by B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley?

I read it awhile back, and it was fantastic. Ive long thought that certain "veterans" you see on TV and at the bar scene (VFW) were suspect, and now I know how to prove it!

I would say that having served in the military, in combat zones and in direct combat, that nothing makes my blood boil more than someone posing as a war veteran and getting thanked for their "service".

I copied this from his website if you are interested in the summary of the book:

Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of its Heroes and its History is a self-published book by B.G. Burkett & Glenna Whitley which asserts that there is a false popular view of Vietnam War veterans as broken men and psychopaths. In addition the book purports to document "wannabes": people lying about Viet Nam experience, often when they had never been there. B.G. Burkett is a Vietnam War Veteran who served with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade as a company grade officer. Glenna Whitley is an investigative journalist who writes about crime and the legal system.

Has anyone here ever met someone claiming to be a veteran and then found out otherwise?

dngrous_dime · 11-07-2009, 12:29 PM

There was a guy in my platoon during Basic that would always talk about "back when he was in 'Nam"...

Apparently he had just gotten back from a church missions group a couple months before Basic.

van_wilder · 11-09-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by hh60cheese01

Has anyone here ever met someone claiming to be a veteran and then found out otherwise?

yes... a dude i used to work with when i was a bouncer claimed to be in the marines for 10 years. first he said he had an office job and he would put sand on the floor of his office so he could hear when someone came in while he was napping... then the next week he said he repaired guns while he was in and had a 240 lb tool box he would carry on his shoulder 2 miles to the firing range and repair guns that broke/jammed or w/e... when i asked what his MOS was he never answered me.

also he was stationed in japan and ran a night club while he was in, oh an i cant forget that he is a certified rolex repairman and jeweler and has been for 14 years, all while being a professional bull rider too...

come to find out after i had left that job, he was in fact in the marines but washed out of basic...

hh60cheese01 · 11-09-2009, 11:47 PM

That reminds me of a story my older brother told me.

My brother had a friend who was actually in the Air Force, and if I remember right, he had something to do with C130s. Any way, this kid was home on leave, so my brother hit him up to go out to the bar because the kid told him he just got back from Iraq. So they are having a good time at the local bar and the kid is making a big deal of his "service" in Iraq. His famous line to strangers was "What is the price of freedom?" then he would reply to his own question "Two shots!" So people were buying him drinks left and right. Fast forward to a week later. My brother sees this kids mom in the local grocery market and comments to her that he is glad so and so is back safe from Iraq. She looks at him completely dumbfounded and says "My son has never been to Iraq."

I don't get why people who actually served in the military, have to falsify their own service...its honorable just serving in these times, no need to lie about what you've done.

11-07-2009, 11:54 AM	#1
hh60cheese01 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 109 Location: User is: OffLine	Stolen Valor Has anyone else read the book Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of its Heroes and its History by B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley? I read it awhile back, and it was fantastic. Ive long thought that certain "veterans" you see on TV and at the bar scene (VFW) were suspect, and now I know how to prove it! I would say that having served in the military, in combat zones and in direct combat, that nothing makes my blood boil more than someone posing as a war veteran and getting thanked for their "service". I copied this from his website if you are interested in the summary of the book: Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of its Heroes and its History is a self-published book by B.G. Burkett & Glenna Whitley which asserts that there is a false popular view of Vietnam War veterans as broken men and psychopaths. In addition the book purports to document "wannabes": people lying about Viet Nam experience, often when they had never been there. B.G. Burkett is a Vietnam War Veteran who served with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade as a company grade officer. Glenna Whitley is an investigative journalist who writes about crime and the legal system. Has anyone here ever met someone claiming to be a veteran and then found out otherwise?
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-07-2009, 12:29 PM	#2
dngrous_dime Project Classified LIVES! Age: 29 Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 15,190 Location: 49633 User is: OffLine	Re: Stolen Valor There was a guy in my platoon during Basic that would always talk about "back when he was in 'Nam"... Apparently he had just gotten back from a church missions group a couple months before Basic.
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-09-2009, 08:26 PM	#3
van_wilder No Bull Age: 24 Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,746 Location: myrtle beach, sc User is: OffLine	Re: Stolen Valor Quote: Originally Posted by hh60cheese01 Has anyone here ever met someone claiming to be a veteran and then found out otherwise? yes... a dude i used to work with when i was a bouncer claimed to be in the marines for 10 years. first he said he had an office job and he would put sand on the floor of his office so he could hear when someone came in while he was napping... then the next week he said he repaired guns while he was in and had a 240 lb tool box he would carry on his shoulder 2 miles to the firing range and repair guns that broke/jammed or w/e... when i asked what his MOS was he never answered me. also he was stationed in japan and ran a night club while he was in, oh an i cant forget that he is a certified rolex repairman and jeweler and has been for 14 years, all while being a professional bull rider too... come to find out after i had left that job, he was in fact in the marines but washed out of basic...
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-09-2009, 11:47 PM	#4
hh60cheese01 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 109 Location: User is: OffLine	Re: Stolen Valor That reminds me of a story my older brother told me. My brother had a friend who was actually in the Air Force, and if I remember right, he had something to do with C130s. Any way, this kid was home on leave, so my brother hit him up to go out to the bar because the kid told him he just got back from Iraq. So they are having a good time at the local bar and the kid is making a big deal of his "service" in Iraq. His famous line to strangers was "What is the price of freedom?" then he would reply to his own question "Two shots!" So people were buying him drinks left and right. Fast forward to a week later. My brother sees this kids mom in the local grocery market and comments to her that he is glad so and so is back safe from Iraq. She looks at him completely dumbfounded and says "My son has never been to Iraq." I don't get why people who actually served in the military, have to falsify their own service...its honorable just serving in these times, no need to lie about what you've done.
	[Reply w/Quote]