In the mid-1970s the shrinking VVAW was riven by a struggle between radical and liberal members. The demonstration was named "Operation Dewey Canyon III" (Dewey Canyon I and II were secret operations into Laos that were never reported to the American people). If American soldiers go into the village assumed to be friendly, the VC would often shoot them out of the huts or kill them with grenades. Article. So they did that and a bunch of flower sniffing teenagers jumped right on the bandwagon and started yelling babykillers at our soldiers - forgetting that these same "babies" were running up and tossing grenades into their helicopters. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the Cold War. Americans seem to have accepted the idea that the war is winding down, at least for Americans, and they have also allowed the bodies, which were once used by a President for statistics to prove that we were winning this war, to be used as evidence against a man who followed orders and who interpreted those orders no differently than hundreds of other men in South Vietnam. It wasn't a nice place and the situation wouldve had a detrimental emotional and physical toll on our boys over there. They can be slow, creeping things, like cancer. Approximately 2,700,000 American men and women served in Vietnam and it was the first war in which the US failed to meet its objectives. Now, fifty-three years later, VVAW is still going strong-- continuing its fight for peace, justice, and the rights of all veterans. The soldiers were placed in an impossible situation- the Viet Cong would come in at night and threaten to kill the inhabitants of a village if they didn't allow them to plant booby traps, stash weapons and supplies. For many of the American Veterans of the war, the wounds of Vietnam will never heal. PO Box 73038 Washington, D.C. 20056 Are high school sports in need of radical reform? We’d been lied to and used. [6] In 1971 Vietnam Veterans Against the War circulated a petition to Congress among troops in Vietnam demanding an end to U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia. The American public back at home for the first time see the horrors of the war in every living room in the U.S., ranging from dead civilians, to napalmed victims, to the devastating nature of the U.S. troops fighting after being there for years. The American and allied forces were portrayed (by the media) as drugged-up blood thirty baby killers. The event lasted three days, while bringing together over 100 veterans in Detroit, Michigan. On June 1, 1967, the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) was founded in New York after six Vietnam vets marched together in a demonstration for an end to the war. The VVAW, through open discussion of soldiers’ first-hand experiences, revealed the truth about the nature of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. Still, that is separate from how the soldiers were treated. At home, veterans formed a national organization, Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). 84 min. This award-winning film demonstrates the role soldiers and veterans played in the anti-Vietnam War movement. This was emphasized by no less than John Kerry (yes, our present Secretary of State) who blatantly lied before Congress about "massacres" and "atrocities" committed by the troops. Like you, I served in Germany during the Vietnam era and I've always called myself a Vietnam era veteran. There was a generational gap that translated into “dawning of the age of Aquarius”. By Bill Bigelow. I had teachers in the late 70's/early 80's who were Vietnam vets and hated the Vietnamese. Did Neanderthals bury their dead or just let them lay around . Americans thought it was none of their business to interfere in a matter in Vietnam. Although there were many anti-war groups at the time, The Vietnam Veterans Against the War seems to have gathered more attention from the FBI than most others. about the active role soldiers and veterans played in the anti-Vietnam War movement. He would tell me when he came back to america he was called a coward and was mocked by his neighbors. The group was organized to give voice to the growing opposition to the escalating war in Vietnam among people in the military. They didn't know who the enemy was. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. How do you think about the answers? Vietnam Veterans Against the War demonstrate As a prelude to a massive antiwar protest, Vietnam Veterans Against the War begin a five-day demonstration in Washington, D.C. As both a Vietnam veteran and a member of the anti-war movement, Lembcke knew this criticism ran counter to what he personally experienced and witnessed. That’s what gave rise to the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War … The families of those who returned were both happy and proud, but not the community(s). Learn more from the award-winning documentary film Sir! The Americans would come in, find these things, often after encountering the booby traps and taking sniper fire. Phone: 202-588-7205 | Email: [email protected], Web design and development by new target, inc. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 1) The Vietnam War was entirely an unpopular war. After a contested election in 1978 and a lawsuit between feuding parties, the energies of both sides were diminished. Hate the War, Respect the Warriors; and 2.) The TV changed all of that. Why does the USA celebrate Thanks giving  when the British founded them only to celebrate Independence Day? Before the invention of the TV, you have to pay money to see the newsreels so it was not widely accommodate to the public. Soldiers during that era were NOT proud to even admit that they had served over there. 100 pages. And forgetting that while this was their contribution, others were there fighting and dying to preserve their country and lifestyle. By Walter Dean Myers. He told me all Vietnam veterans were not wanted back why? Two lessons were actually learned from Vietnam, and I think only two: 1.) The group was organized to give voice to the growing opposition to the escalating war in Vietnam among people in the military. As the number of American soldiers in Vietnam decreased in the early 1970s, membership in the VVAW (along with antiwar activism in general) waned. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 3 pages. Why were the Nazis prosecuted for invading Norway even though Britain tried to invade Norway as well ? Protests against the Vietnam War did not start when America declared her open involvement in the war in 1964.America rallied to the call of the commander-in-chief and after the Gulf of Tonkin incident it became very apparent that few would raise protests against the decision to militarily support South Vietnam. War always is. Groups like VFW won't accept us since we didn't serve in a combat zone where most who were in country were subjected to the hazards of war. So, once again, from the safety and comfort of our air conditioned houses, it's easy to sit back and say oh that's terrible. The Vietnam War (Vietnamese: Chiến tranh Việt Nam), also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America (Vietnamese: Kháng chiến chống Mỹ) or simply the American War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. The US Government used these soldiers to fight a war they knew was a lost cause- Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon all knew that Vietnam was a quagmire. It was held in Washington DC from April … Still have questions? It's like they blame on the soldiers who actually had no say in politics and were doing what the government told them to do, instead of the government that actually manage politics as well as choosing which country they were ordered to deploy. On June 1, 1967, the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) was founded in New York after six Vietnam vets marched together in a demonstration for an end to the war. Vietnam was a valid, necessary, and ultimately effective war, brought on by another country's aggression against the US ultimately, and we stepped up and took action. October 22, 1972, San Francisco Veterans Day Parade. It all started in 1967, with six Vietnam veterans marching together in a peace demonstration. Each person was given time to tell of their experiences in Vietnam. We grew rapidly to a membership of over 30,000 throughout the … To the contrary, one of the hallmarks of the period's anti-war movement was its support for the troops in the … It was almost impossible for them to find jobs. During much of the Vietnam War the American public was lied to about the progress (or lack of it) of the war, and the Tet Offensive (won by the U.S.) was the moment that the American public realized the war was not what the President and the Pentagon said it was. VVAW says it is a national veterans' organization that campaigns for peace, justice, and the rights of all United States military veterans. Of course it is. It was in April of 1971 that VVAW held its first national demonstration to protest the war in Vietnam. -- Maurice Isserman,Hamilton College "This extraordinary and deeply moving history explodes all the encrusted stereotypes of GIs on one side of the barricades and anti-war protestors on the other. Our way of life was under a slow, creeping threat by Communism. They didn't want to be there, they just had to be or stepped up and did what was needed by their country. People reacted as though it was UNAmerican to have served there & took it out on those returning home!!! By Harvey Richards. Vietnam had been divided into North and South Vietnam, and American officials resolved to prop up the government of South Vietnam as it fought against a communist insurgency supported by North Vietnam. Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) condemns in no uncertain terms the bombing of Sharyat airbase in Syria six days ago by Donald Trump’s administration. reasons that some americans opposed the vietnam war. This incident unfortunately shattered the "good guy vs bad guy" image the American people havr for decades and gave an ignition to those who protested the war and now extended their hatred against the U.S. soldiers who fought there. Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) is an American tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation founded in 1967 to oppose the United States policy and participation in the Vietnam War. My grandpa was a Vietnam veteran he passed away last year I have his dog tags and a picture of him and his friends when they landed in Vietnam along with all his medals. In the early 1960s, most Americans would have viewed the conflict in Vietnam as a minor proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Wikimedia Commons Why is America now averaging over 3,000 deaths per day from covid? Winter Soldier Investigation: Eary in 1971, the Vietnam Veterans against War sponsered an event to out the out the crimes that American soldiers were being told to commit in Southeast Asia. Even in a "bad" war, it's not the soldiers who are to blame, it's the policy makers. When the boys returned home, they were booed & some were even spit on. Government records reflecting initial fears about the United States government's true motivations for involvement were made public in the early 1970s, … As the war progressed into its fourth year, a number of soldiers who had been wounded in Vietnam brought to light the poor treatment of injured veterans when they returned to American soil, which further drove protests against Vietnam. 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