They contend that the news media inadequately investigated some persons claiming to be veterans and attributing such problems as homelessness to the aftermath of the war.

Part III, "Stolen Valor", describes individuals wearing Vietnam War medals, ribbons and badges although they had not earned them.

Using the Freedom of Information Act, the authors retrieved records of people who claimed they served in Vietnam and received awards.

[2][3] It is believed to have contributed to Congressional passage of the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, which made it a crime for an individual to falsely claim to have been awarded military medals.

In a scathing review, he said the book displayed political partisanship, made "errors in research methodology" and misleading statements about Winter Soldier Investigation participants, and denigrated the experiences and motives of veterans who subsequently opposed the war.

A 2009 article in Columbia Journalism Review discussed how Stolen Valor exposed the media's gullibility in failing to fact-check people who claimed military service and awards.