I wanted to pass on a book recommendation that was given to me by a veteran I am interviewing this weekend. He is a professional career advisor at my graduate school and we reconnected at an event at the iSchool a few weeks ago. As a Vietnam veteran, he experiences frustration at the dissonance between his service and his professional career as they are intertwined in his particular experience. He recommended I read Stolen Valor as a precursor to our interview.
As an information professional, I found this book illuminating. It showcases the power of the Freedom of Information Act and a highly determined veteran. In the book, B.G. Burkett goes to great lengths to reclaim the rightful honor of his fellow Vietnam veterans by researching common claims and exposing exaggerated or completely falsified stories.
What strikes me as interesting is that the VHP is not a group that sets out to tell the "truthful" story - as stories can be dissonant depending on who experienced what. However, falsifying war records is dishonorable and falsifying medals can now be a criminal offense if done for profit.
Now, a note on oral history vs. factual claims. As an oral historian, my job is to capture the essence of the story on tape and it is the job of my interviewee to abide by the truth when relaying their experiences. However, I heavily emphasize that my interviewees give me stories, not dates, for this exact reason. When older veterans get caught up on what date a particular event happened, or who did what where, their stories skip a beat and they lose concentration. Sometimes, especially with interviewees that have memory issues, I nudge them on so that instead of feeling frustration they feel as though their experience was a positive one in the end.
At any rate, I would highly recommend Stolen Valor for anyone working with the VHP who up until now may have been hesitant to interview veterans of war in the Vietnam era. This book has reframed the discussion for me and I now have two Vietnam-era interviews in the works.
