Kevin Wallace has a mission. A retired U.S. Air Force senior master sergeant, he wants America’s veterans to be remembered, especially those who died in service to our country.
His wife also believes in this mission. Shortly after marrying, they sold everything they owned, bought a very used delivery-service van. They then took it on a 27,106-mile, 280-day road trip. Along the way, they recorded the stories of Purple Heart veterans and Gold Star families across North America.
His book, “Van of Valor: A 27,000-Mile Journey Through American Sacrifice,” documents their adventures. They searched for and met veterans and families willing to share their stories about service to the United States.
It was an unorthodox honeymoon yet one both felt compelled to undertake. For Kevin, it was a promise he‘d made to himself while under fire in Afghanistan: to remember those who’d served, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
For his wife, Lauren, it was an opportunity to share an experience with her new husband while simultaneously exercising her professional anthropology skills in her specialty: the anthropology of grief.
On the Road
Much of the book was written on the road. It’s as much a travelog as a memorial. The journey was challenging. They faced breakdowns and delays. As the authors acknowledge, it was completed with the help of the friends they found along the road.
They called their vehicle the Van of Valor. They memorialized the names of the veterans whose stories they captured along the way by writing them on the side of the van. By the time they were finished, there were 443 names on the van’s exterior.
Those whose names were on the van were both male and female. They served in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces except the newly formed Space Force. They'd served in wars from World War II to the present, including soldiers who died in combat as recently as 2024.
Gold Star Families
Many were Gold Star family members. The term came from the World War I practice of putting a blue star in the window for every family member in service. The blue star was replaced by a gold star if the family member died, hence the term Gold Star family.While the blue star tradition died out, in 1947, Congress authorized the military to present a Gold Star Lapel Button to family members of those killed in combat. In 1973, the Lapel Button for Next of Kin of Deceased Personnel, a Gold Star with oak sprigs, was introduced for family members of those who died on non-combat active duty.
Those interviews are among the most poignant in the book. The dead are frequently among the country’s best and brightest. Their deaths left a hole in their families’ hearts. Their deaths are also filled with unrealized promise. Things they could’ve accomplished will never be realized.
Interviews of veterans are also touching. In several cases, men and women wounded in service have kept locked up the emotional scars left by their injuries.
In some cases, having another wounded veteran ask them about their memories allowed them an opportunity to share memories too painful or too personal for them to talk about otherwise. In other cases, Lauren provided a window for these experiences to be shared.
Harry Silvers, a Purple Heart veteran, said : “This is the first time I’ve told a stranger my story. You’re the only people who have ever asked.” Another Purple Heart Vietnam veteran said it was the first time he'd spoken of his experiences in 50 years.
Lauren identified with women like Sgt. Breonna Moffett, killed in a 2024 drone attack in Jordan. She interviewed Breonna’s parents, allowing them to draw comfort by telling their daughter’s story.
“Van of Valor” is a book about sacrifice. It’s occasionally somber. It couldn’t be otherwise as a book whose purpose is to memorialize those who shed blood in defense of the United States.
Nevertheless, it’s ultimately an optimistic, even upbeat, story. What Kevin and Lauren found traveling the United States was the best of the country. They met people who were willing to go the extra mile.
They met veterans who refused medical discharge to continue serving their country. There were folks who were willing to put the Wallaces up for a night or a week and to help the Van of Valor on its journey.
They met many people who believe that the United States is special and that those who served our country honorably are the most special of all. This book is a stirring tribute to both the United States and its veterans.
