Phone: 202-588-7205 | Email: [email protected], Web design and development by new target, inc. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Source: Public domain. Would a squad of WW1 German or British machine gunners be able to hold out the swarming savages breaching the hole in the western wall of ? 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 event lasted three days, while bringing together over 100 veterans in Detroit, Michigan. The fact that a decorated and loyal veteran could oppose the very war he had fought in, just like the existence of organization, was disturbing to a lot of … about the active role soldiers and veterans played in the anti-Vietnam War movement. 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. Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc. (VVAW, Inc.) is a national veterans organization that was founded in New York City in 1967 after six Vietnam vets marched together in a peace demonstration. After a contested election in 1978 and a lawsuit between feuding parties, the energies of both sides were diminished. 2005. There was a lot of stupidity directed at Vietnam veterans. 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. We grew rapidly to a membership of over 30,000 throughout the … Many people were against it because there was no sense that the United States could win. We’d been lied to and used. As the number of American soldiers in Vietnam decreased in the early 1970s, membership in the VVAW (along with antiwar activism in general) waned. 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. The families of those who returned were both happy and proud, but not the community(s). Draft cards burned in solidarity with David Miller. The American and allied forces were portrayed (by the media) as drugged-up blood thirty baby killers. Hate the War, Respect the Warriors; and 2.) Are high school sports in need of radical reform? By David Zeiger. Still, that is separate from how the soldiers were treated. 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. People reacted as though it was UNAmerican to have served there & took it out on those returning home!!! He told me all Vietnam veterans were not wanted back why? How do you think about the answers? 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. 2) The enemy in Vietnam knew their terrain and jungles very well and they blend into civilian population to avoid being targeted or use them as human shields; this caused the American soldiers to overreact and unable to tell the difference between combatants and civilians. Each person was given time to tell of their experiences in Vietnam. They didn't want to be there, they just had to be or stepped up and did what was needed by their country. No Sir! When the boys returned home, they were booed & some were even spit on. Anywhere from 70,000 to 300,000 Vietnam veterans committed suicide upon their return. reasons that some americans opposed the vietnam war. When we came home we found that people didn’t see us as heroes, since we really hadn’t done anything people needed us to do. You can sign in to vote the answer. Before the invention of the TV, you have to pay money to see the newsreels so it was not widely accommodate to the public. -- 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. In the mid-1970s the shrinking VVAW was riven by a struggle between radical and liberal members. Teaching Activity. Congressional leaders reach $900B coronavirus relief deal, Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine shots leave warehouses, Cheese and red wine could boost brain health, Izzard praised for embracing feminine pronouns, Struggling Americans fear stimulus won't be enough. I had teachers in the late 70's/early 80's who were Vietnam vets and hated the Vietnamese. 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. PTSD was NEVER considered as a REAL problem. 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. Learn more from the award-winning documentary film Sir! 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. Why does the USA celebrate Thanks giving  when the British founded them only to celebrate Independence Day? And forgetting that while this was their contribution, others were there fighting and dying to preserve their country and lifestyle. The liberal wing won the right to use the VVAW … Big retailers buoyed by 'once in a lifetime' convergence, Trump won't put aside grudges, even for good news, Berkley reflects on famous 'Saved by the Bell' scene, As end nears, Trump gets doses of flattery, finality. Most Vietnam veterans were draftees, not volunteers. No Draft- one of the main reasons a draft was never considered in the wars since 911 is they draw out protesters and increase opposition to war. So the protesters tried to call the American soldiers murderers and baby killers, and there are too many stories of veterans being mistreated to dismiss them. The group was organized to give voice to the growing opposition to the escalating war in Vietnam among people in the military. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the Cold War. 2005. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, years after the war in Vietnam ended, the proliferation of these spitting stories increased greatly. McNamara (Secretary of Defense) under President Johnson has spent decades apologizing to the American public for lying about the Vietnam War. Even in a "bad" war, it's not the soldiers who are to blame, it's the policy makers. PO Box 73038 Washington, D.C. 20056 By Walter Dean Myers. 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). 100 pages. Kerry then turned to the Vietnam Veterans Against the 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. This award-winning film demonstrates the role soldiers and veterans played in the anti-Vietnam War movement. It was terribly unfair to those soldiers to do that. This group had been founded in 1967 by six veterans. If We Knew Our History Series. Still, that is separate from how the soldiers were treated. 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. 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. Everyone has a different view on the topic. The group was organized to give voice to the growing opposition to the escalating war in Vietnam among people in the military. What if ww1 had it's own Blitzkrieg (using cavalry instead of tanks, and artillery instead of air strikes)? Even in a "bad" war, it's not the soldiers who are to blame, it's the policy makers. Faced with the reality that his hopes were fading fast, Kerry did what every upcoming savvy politician would do: he joined the spineless “America is Evil” crowd, turning against his fellow vets. 2013. He would tell me when he came back to america he was called a coward and was mocked by his neighbors. Film. People back then blamed the military even though MANY really did NOT want to be there. Invasions of other countries are not always slam bam blitzkriegs. Why were the Nazis prosecuted for invading Norway even though Britain tried to invade Norway as well ? Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 3 pages. For many of the American Veterans of the war, the wounds of Vietnam will never heal. It publishes a twice-yearly newsletter, The Veteran; this was earlier published more frequently as 1st Casualty (1971–1972) and then as Winter Soldier (1973–1975). 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. 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. 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. As a result, some American soldiers took their anger on the civilians who allowed (forceful or not) the enemy to plant booby traps. This was the first "living room" war, where we saw images of death and atrocity on the evening news, over dinner. By the Zinn Education Project. 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. The TV changed all of that. Our troops were barely adults in unfamiliar territory being shot at...most of whom never wanted to be there. Wikimedia Commons War always is. Why is America now averaging over 3,000 deaths per day from covid? Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc. (VVAW) is a national veterans' organization that was founded in New York City in 1967 after six Vietnam vets marched together in a peace demonstration. 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. The hippies protested the war because they resented the draft, not because of some moral outrage over the war. At home, veterans formed a national organization, Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). Still have questions? So you can either "hope for the best" and slowly die, or at some point realize the threat and take up the knife. It was organized to voice the growing opposition among returning servicemen and women to the still-raging war in Indochina, and grew rapidly to a membership of over 30,000 throughout the 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. During the fall 1969 Moratorium mobilizations, combat troops on patrol near Da Nang wore black armbands in solidarity with the protests. As a cohort, Vietnam veterans were met with none of the fanfare and received none of the benefits bestowed upon World War II’s “greatest generation.” No 'Welcome Home' parades for Vietnam … It was also the first time America failed to welcome its Veterans back as heroes. 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. Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Teaching the Vietnam War: Beyond the Headlines, Camouflaging the Vietnam War: How Textbooks Continue to Keep the Pentagon Papers a Secret, June 30, 1966: Fort Hood Three Release Public Statement on Vietnam Refusal. It was organized to give voice to the growing opposition among returning servicemen and women to the still raging war in Indochina. Text of speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the Vietnam War, followed by three teaching ideas. Explore these pages; see what we've done, what we do, and why we do it. People who maligned those soldiers should be ashamed, still now, 50 years later. That's why America hasn't seen the 60's-style protests anymore. There was a generational gap that translated into “dawning of the age of Aquarius”. Teaching Activity. To the contrary, one of the hallmarks of the period's anti-war movement was its support for the troops in the … Article. Troops stationed in Vietnam often sympathized with the antiwar movement back home. The … 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. Sophisticated picture book on one soldier’s patrol in Vietnam, for upper elementary. 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