[thechat] Re: How do Americans feel about their wars

[Erika Meyer]

Joe,

>This is a common assumption. You should give a look at "Stolen Valor" -
>a book about the incidence of people who claim to Vietnam Veteran's, but
>actually are not.

The site you linked to for the review also includes these pages:
http://www.vietnow.com/arthome.htm
http://www.vietnow.com/arthome2.htm

>Stolen Valor is an amazing piece of scholarship - because so often 
>people *do* proclaim that they're Vets - the beauty is that such 
>claims can be verified or
>disproved, and the number that get disproved is pretty appalling.

 From the review, it looks a bit slanted, as if the authors are 
setting off to prove something.  When you set off in research looking 
for something, you usually find it.  But I guess one would have to 
read the book to know...

What would be a huge shame is if in fact people's real experiences 
were discounted as a result of books like this, thus alienating them 
further.

BTW just because someone is homeless and/or addicted, I don't 
automatically look down on them, or refer to them, as the reviewer 
does, as "bums."  Many of these people are actively working to help 
each other in ways a lot of us do not.

Speaking of 101st Airborne, I once dated a 101st Airborne (peacetime) 
vet who's greatest ambition was to win the World Series of Poker... I 
know he wasn't lying about being in the military because of how he 
shined his shoes and how he turned corners.  ;-)

Jimi Hendrix also served in the 101st Airborne.  My 90 year old 
grandfather, who kicked him out of Garfield High, absolutely refuses 
to believe it.   But apparently Hendrix exchanged jail time for 
military service...

http://www.historylink.org/output.CFM?file_ID=2498

Erika
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