NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ Controversial Vietnam veteran and Vanderbilt alumnus
B.G. "Jug" Burkett will speak on campus Oct. 21 about "The Myths of the
Vietnam War ñ Then and Now." Burkett, the co-author of Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of its Heroes and its History,
has been passionate in his efforts to expose people who are not the
Vietnam heroes they claim to be. His talk is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. in
Wilson Hall Room 126.
"With the military service of both major presidential candidates coming
under heavy scrutiny during the 2004 campaign, Burkett’s talk promises
to be lively and topical," said Thomas Schwartz, professor of history.
Burkett served in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam and was
awarded a Bronze Star, the Vietnamese Honor Medal and the Vietnamese
Cross of Gallantry with Palm.
Burkett served as a research adviser for the documentary Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal,
scheduled to be shown on Sinclair Broadcast Group stations prior to the
election. Sinclair’s plan has generated strong protests from the
Democratic National Committee and other groups supporting John Kerry
for president.
Burkett’s interest in exposing inaccurate reports about the Vietnam War
developed while raising funds for a Vietnam War Memorial in Texas.
Burkett challenged Dan Rather and the CBS network in 1988 about the
truthfulness of a documentary called "CBS Reports: The Wall Within,"
which claimed to tell about horrific events in Vietnam, such as
atrocities committed during the war, drug abuse, criminal behavior and
despair. The reports were based on the recollections of six men who
supposedly served in Vietnam. Burkett found that only one of the men
who were interviewed had actually served in combat, and many of their
stories were fabricated.
In 2003 Burkett received the Army’s highest award for a civilian, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award. His book Stolen Valor was honored with the William E. Colby Award for the outstanding military book.
Burkett received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt in
1966. His talk, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored
by the Vanderbilt departments of history, political science and
American studies.
Media contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, (615) 322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu