DOCSLIB.ORG

Charting a Course of Resistance Five Decades of an Tiwar Organ Izing from the RESIST N Ewsletter

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Charting a Course of Resistance Five Decades of an Tiwar Organ Izing from the RESIST N Ewsletter Trinity College Trinity College Digital Repository Resist Newsletters Resist Collection 8-30-2011 Resist Newsletter, July-Aug 2011 Resist Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/resistnewsletter Recommended Citation Resist, "Resist Newsletter, July-Aug 2011" (2011). Resist Newsletters. 383. https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/resistnewsletter/383 ISSN 0897-2613 • Vol. 20 #4 A CALL TO RESIST ILLEGITIMATE AUTHORITY July-August 2011 Charting a Course of Resistance Five decades of an tiwar organ izing from the RESIST N ewsletter By Nick Perricone and Christy Pardew To this day, as evidenced by our overed in dust, we sorted through Newsletter collection, the US government history last week: four decades of has continued to engage in new wars­ Ccarefully-filed issues of the RE­ declared or not-and new lies. Yet the SIST Newsletter in our office storage room. impulse to resist has not let up. Consci­ At once sobering and inspiring, the News­ entious people continue to voice their letter archives paint an intriguing picture objections to war and violence, choosing to of the past 40 years. From Vietnam War stand instead for peace with justice. We of­ draft resistance to the Black Panther Party, fer the following excerpts, in part, to catch from the Freedom of Information Act to a glimpse of this hope and inspiration. vi~lence and US complicity in Central The United States has a long history America, from AIDS activism to struggles with war. According to the historian Wil­ in labor unions: the Newsletter archives liam Blum, since World War II alone, the serve as a chronicle of left organizing for US has dropped bombs on no fewer than the latter part of the twentieth century­ 19 different countries, spanning each cor­ and the first decades of the twenty-first. ner of the globe. In this issue, we plan to With Obama' s recent declaration that look back at RESIST s origin in resistance the "tide of war is receding:' in Afghani­ to the war in Vietnam, Laos and Cambo­ stan, military interventions were on our dia, and to follow the subsequent series of minds as we parsed through old Newslet­ bombings and interventions carried out by ter issues. We followed the thread of war our government to the present day, duti­ and bombings from our very first issue fully covered in these pages along the way. throughout the collection. This is history While mass draft resistance has become we hope we can learn from. a thing of the past, its spirit remains alive When a group of antiwar organizers as conscientious objectors and soldiers started RESIST in 1967, young men all who refuse to deploy remind us that re­ over the country faced prosecution and sistance to unjust wars is always relevant. For now, 44 years after RESIST s found­ possible jail time for their resistance to In the following excerpts, selected from ing, at a time when the president has an­ the Selective Service Act, which insti­ previous issues of the Newsletter, we hope nounced that he needs no congressional tuted the draft and forced them to fight to show the various manifestations of approval to drop bombs on a foreign in Vietnam. These men rejected their American hegemony-from full-scale war country, we hope this backward glance conscription into a war they felt to be in Vietnam and southeast Asia to a more will prove to be both insightful and pro­ unjust. At the same time countless more purely ostentatious display of might such vocative to our readers. men and women across the United States as our war on Grenada; through covert organized and joined these draft resistors episodes and maneuvers in Nicaragua and Nick Perricone is a student at Tufts in solidarity, calling for an end to the war Guatemala, all the way to the present-day University and a RESIST intern. and for true justice for all. RESIST was campaigns in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Christy Pardew is the editor of the born out of this sentiment. Libya and elsewhere. RESIST Newsletter. "Already our Next Vietnam.?" Doug McKay, March 1970 ment in the war on such a large scope Republic of Vietnam. But US involvement Not more than a month ago, newspa­ presents a dilemma of major proportions. in Laos is anything but new. It may be pers around the country "discovered" US I knew we were doing a little of this and traced to a foreign policy nearly twenty involvement in Laos. The Senate Foreign a little of that in Laos, but I had no idea years old, a policy which also explains our Relations committee began to demand it was a major operation of this kind .... " involvements in Korea and Vietnam. • information on the extent of our military Forced to concede US involvement in commitment in that country. "What Laos by incidents now too blatant to go ~SOCIAL CHANGE~ strikes me most," Senator J. William Ful­ unnoticed, the State Department is claim­ - :;o C) rri bright commented, "is that an operation ing that our military presence there is a z ~ :::> )> of this size could be carried out without recent development, made necessary by LL.. z LL J;::. members of the Senate knowing it and movements on the Ho Chi Minh trail or O 0 without the public knowing ... US involve- by attacks against Laos by the Democratic (/) -< >~ RESIST (/)i "Saying No" 0 o ~ .,, z ,, Editorial, August-September 1982 attack on Beirut. Also this summer came c:r C ~ z Once upon a time the unthinkable became the first draft indictments. Threatened so w 0 thinkable, and the previously unconceived many times, when they finally occurred a::: - ~ 3~NVH:> 7'11:>0S ~ of began to blind us to the horror of the they seemed vaguely old hat. The anti­ familiar. It was the achievement of books draft movement had been crying wolf for For information and grant guidelines, write to: like Jonathan Schell's Fate of the Earth to two years. When the wolf finally arrived RESIST, 259 Elm Street, Suite 201 fill our heads with precise images for there wasn't much of a movement to Somerville, MA 02144 ultimate destruction: the firestorm, the greet him. 617-623-5110 • [email protected] blast wave, the reduction of ozone. Con­ There has been a fair amount written The RESIST Newsletter is published six times ventional war palled in comparison. In a about the continuum of violence, how a year. Subscriptions are available free to way, June 12 was the culmination of our conventional will become nuclear. The prisoners and to individuals for a suggested education, our recognition, as hundreds Middle East has long been chosen as the donation of $25/year. The views expressed in articles, other than editorials, are those of of thousands marched to to rid the world site of such a war, and Daniel Ellsberg has the authors and do not necessarily represent of our nightmares. explained that conventional forces will be the opinions of the RESIST staff or board. Then the summer came and not much the "tripwire." But right now, faced with RESIST Staff: Robin Carton was happening on the nuclear war front. the relentless shelling of Beirut, the ruth­ Ravi Khanna The Administration and Congress were lessness of that violence, it seems obscene Yafreisy Mejia Christy Pardew to condemn the conventional because it impressed by June 12 in spite of them­ RESIST Board: selves. The nuclear freeze got some serious may lead to worse. Cynthia Bargar Marc Miller consideration. The defense appropriations The reality of conventional war is Jennifer Bonardi Jim O'Brien bill passed with the MX and civil defense terrible enough. The actions of a million Melissa Carino Carol Schachet Miabi Chatterji Ragini Shah provisions intact. The nuclear freeze bill young men in saying no to such horror Warren Goldstein-Gelb Sarath Suong headed for defeat, at least for this year. should not need justifying, not to the Becca Howes-Mischel Camilo Viveiros Meanwhile, Lebanon: the invasion, the government, not to the courts, and finally, Kay Mathew Jen Willsea bombing of Sidon and Tyre, and then the not to the peace movement. • RESIST Interns: Marina Canale-Parola Nick Perricone "The Draft" RESIST Volunteer: Nancy Wechsler Newsletter Editor: Christy Pardew Editorial, April 1982 numbers will be officially estimated at Guest Co-Editor: Nick Perricone About the time that schools and col­ about one million, and will actually be Printing : Red Sun Press leges are getting out for the summer, the much higher. The government will have Banner art: Bonnie Acker Justice Department will begin selected to bring a successful, highly-publicized Printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based ink prosecutions against those who failed to case in each major television market if www.resistinc.org register for the draft. By that time their continued on page 3 0 ---- 2 RESIST Newsletter, July-August 2011 their campaign is to have the desired effect of intimidating large numbers of young men to register. All indications to date are that prosecutions will be brought against those who have refused to register on principle, not those who have forgotten or were waiting to see if they got caught. One would think that the peace move­ ment would even now be preparing and positioning itself to launch a major peace initiative around the defense of non­ registrants. Coming in the politically-sen­ sitive pre-election period, and perhaps during the height of activities around the UN' s Special Session on Disarmament, such a campaign would serve to make our commitment to peace specific, and to empower and encourage young people to stand up to the drift toward war.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Soldiers and Veterans Against the War
    Vietnam Generation Volume 2 Number 1 GI Resistance: Soldiers and Veterans Article 1 Against the War 1-1990 GI Resistance: Soldiers and Veterans Against the War Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/vietnamgeneration Part of the American Studies Commons Recommended Citation (1990) "GI Resistance: Soldiers and Veterans Against the War," Vietnam Generation: Vol. 2 : No. 1 , Article 1. Available at: http://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/vietnamgeneration/vol2/iss1/1 This Complete Volume is brought to you for free and open access by La Salle University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Vietnam Generation by an authorized editor of La Salle University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GI RESISTANCE: S o l d ie r s a n d V e t e r a n s AGAINST THE WAR Victim am Generation Vietnam Generation was founded in 1988 to promote and encourage interdisciplinary study of the Vietnam War era and the Vietnam War generation. The journal is published by Vietnam Generation, Inc., a nonprofit corporation devoted to promoting scholarship on recent history and contemporary issues. ViETNAM G en eratio n , In c . ViCE-pRESidENT PRESidENT SECRETARY, TREASURER Herman Beavers Kali Tal Cindy Fuchs Vietnam G eneration Te c HnIc a I A s s is t a n c e EdiTOR: Kali Tal Lawrence E. Hunter AdvisoRy BoARd NANCY ANISFIELD MICHAEL KLEIN RUTH ROSEN Champlain College University of Ulster UC Davis KEVIN BOWEN GABRIEL KOLKO WILLIAM J. SEARLE William Joiner Center York University Eastern Illinois University University of Massachusetts JACQUELINE LAWSON JAMES C.
    [Show full text]
  • Newsletter Still Doesn't Have Any Reporting on Direct Queries and Submissions To: Recent Developments in U.S
    N ewsletter NoVEMbER, 1991 VolUME 5 NuMbER 5 SpEciAl JournaL Issue In This Issue................................................................ 2 The Speed of DAnksess ancI "CrazecJ V ets on tHe oorstep rama e o s e PublJshER's S tatement, by Ka U TaL .............................5 D D ," by DAvId J. D R ...............40 REMF Books, by DAvid WHLs o n .............................. 45 A nnouncements, Notices, & Re p o r t s ......................... 4 eter C ortez In DarIen, by ALan FarreU ........................... 22 PoETRy, by P D ssy............................................4 4 FIctIon: Hie Romance of Vietnam, VoIces fROM tHe Past: TTie SearcTi foR Hanoi HannaK by RENNy ChRlsTophER...................................... 24 by Don NortTi ...................................................44 A FiREbAlL In tBe Nlqlrr, by WHUam M. KiNq...........25 H ollyw ood CoNfidENTlAl: 1, b y FREd GARdNER........ 50 Topics foR VJetnamese-U.S. C ooperation, PoETRy, by DennIs FRiTziNqER................................... 57 by Tran Qoock VuoNq....................................... 27 Ths A ll CWnese M ercenary BAskETbAll Tournament, Science FIctIon: This TIme It's War, by PauI OLim a r t ................................................ 57 by ALascIaIr SpARk.............................................29 (Not Much of a) War Story, by Norman LanquIst ...59 M y Last War, by Ernest Spen cer ............................50 Poetry, by Norman LanquIs t ...................................60 M etaphor ancI War, by GEORqE LAkoff....................52 A notBer
    [Show full text]
  • Vietnam War on Trial: the Court-Martial of Dr. Howard B. Levy
    Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons Faculty Publications 1994 Vietnam War on Trial: The Court-Martial of Dr. Howard B. Levy Robert N. Strassfeld Case Western Reserve University - School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/faculty_publications Part of the Military, War, and Peace Commons Repository Citation Strassfeld, Robert N., "Vietnam War on Trial: The Court-Martial of Dr. Howard B. Levy" (1994). Faculty Publications. 551. https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/faculty_publications/551 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. TilE VIETNAM WAR ON TRIAL: TilE COURT-MARTIAL OF DR. HOWARD B. LEVY ROBERT N. STRASSFELD• This Article examines the history of a Vietnam War-era case: the court-martial of Dr. Howard B. Levy. The U.S. Army court-martialled Dr. Levy for refusing to teach medicine to Green Beret soldiers and for criticizing both the Green Berets and American involvement in Vietnam. Although the Supreme Court eventually upheld Levy's convicti on in Parkerv. Levy, ill decision obscures the political content of Levy's court-martial and its relationshipto the war. At the court-martialLe vy sought to defend himself by showing that his disparaging remarks about the Green Berets, identifying them as "killers of peasants and murderers of women and children," were true and that his refusal to teach medicine to Green Beret soldiers was dictated by medical ethics, given the ways in which the soldiers would misuse their medical knowledge.
    [Show full text]
  • A Matter of Conscience: Resistance Within the U.S. Military During the Vietnam War Bill Shirt
    Vietnam Generation Volume 2 Number 1 GI Resistance: Soldiers and Veterans Article 7 Against the War 1-1990 A Matter of Conscience: Resistance Within the U.S. Military During the Vietnam War Bill Shirt Willa Seidenberg Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/vietnamgeneration Part of the American Studies Commons Recommended Citation Shirt, Bill and Seidenberg, Willa (1990) "A Matter of Conscience: Resistance Within the U.S. Military During the Vietnam War," Vietnam Generation: Vol. 2 : No. 1 , Article 7. Available at: http://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/vietnamgeneration/vol2/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by La Salle University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Vietnam Generation by an authorized editor of La Salle University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A M a tter of C o n sc ien c e: R esista n ce WlThiN ThE C.S. MiliTARy D u r Inq ThE VIet n a m W a r Bill ShoRT WillA SEldENbERQ In 1982 when the Vietnam veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C., it was the beginning of the nation’s retrospection about the war and its aftermath. But eight years and hundreds of books, articles, films and TV programs later, the GI resistance movement during the war has been consistently ignored. Frustrated by this glaring omission, we embarked on a project to tell the story of resistance. A Matter of Conscience: Resistance Within the U.S. Military During the Vietnam War, a series of portraits and oral histories of vets who resisted against the war while still on active duty, has been exhibited at various locations throughout the country for the past two years.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Lose in Vietnam, Bring Our Boys Home'
    Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons Faculty Publications 2004 ‘Lose in Vietnam, Bring Our Boys Home’ Robert N. Strassfeld Case Western Reserve University - School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/faculty_publications Part of the Law Commons Repository Citation Strassfeld, Robert N., "‘Lose in Vietnam, Bring Our Boys Home’" (2004). Faculty Publications. 267. https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/faculty_publications/267 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. "LOSE IN VIETNAM, BRING THE BOYS HOME" ROBERTN. STRASSFELD. This Article examines the contest over dissent and loyalty during the Vietnam War. The Johnson and Nixon Administrations used an array of weapons to discourage or silence antiwar opposition. These included crinLinal prosecutions for "disloyal speech," a tool that they used with less frequency than s01ne other administrations in times of war; prosecutions for other "crimes" that served as pretext for prosecuting disloyal speech; infiltration and harassment; and an attempt to characterize their critics as disloyal. The antiwar movement, in turn, responded to allegations that dissent equaled disloyalty by offering an alternative vision of loyalty and patriotism. In so doing, they recast notions of allegiance, betrayal, support of the troops, and our obligations in the face of conflicting loyalties. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1892 I. THE USES OF LOYALTY IN THE VIETNAM WAR ERA ........... 1894 A. The Model of Legal Repression: The World War I Experience ...........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Aug. 18, 2016, Vol. 58, No. 32
    ¡Alto a la agresión de Washington! 12 Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org Vol. 58, No. 32 Aug 18, 2016 $1 WWP presidential candidate, Monica Moorehead and Hertencia Petersen, aunt of Akai Gurley murdered by NYPD, at NYC City Hall occupation, Occupations amp up Aug. 3. Black Lives Matter struggle By Minnie Bruce Pratt Activists with Millions March NYC began an occu- pation of New York City Hall Park the morning of Aug. 1. The protesters have renamed it “Abolition Square” to emphasize their commitment to a world without the state terror of policing. Organizers want the racist institution of the New York Police Department abolished and replaced by communi- ty-based policing that residents can hold accountable. As a path to that goal, activists said they would occu- py Abolition Square until Mayor Bill de Blasio met three key demands: fire Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and end “broken windows” policing; defund the New York Police Department and invest in Black, Brown and working-class communities; and provide reparations to victims’ families and survivors of police terrorism out of the NYPD budget. By the end of Aug. 2, the MMNYC activists had won their first demand. Despite corporate news articles saying it wouldn’t happen, Bratton announced his resignation. In a statement to WW, Monica Moorehead, Workers WW PHOTO: TONY MURPHY World Party presidential candidate, urged widespread support for Abolition Square. She said of her visit there: “It was so inspirational being in the midst of young activists — Black, Latinx, Asian, LGBTQ, those with Workers in Rio: ‘No poverty, no coup!’ disabilities — united around the issues of fighting for reparations for survivors of police brutality and fami- By Chris Fry to education,” said Anna Barros, an English teacher in ly members who have lost loved ones to police violence, Rio.
    [Show full text]
  • Vietnam Vets Against the Vietnam War: the People's House in Clarksville, TN (1970-1972)
    Vietnam Vets Against the Vietnam War: The People’s House in Clarksville, TN (1970-1972) Research by Alice Saunders Advised by Jeffrey Burds History Department College of Arts and Sciences This research paper explores the history of a particular organization that flourished in a time of controversy and uncertainty throughout the United States. The People’s House was a GI coffeehouse located outside of Fort Campbell in Clarksville, TN from 1970 to 1972 that was developed in response to a growing opposition to the Vietnam war from the soldiers themselves. During the war, GI coffeehouses played a key role in providing a safe space outside of Army bases where disillusioned GI’s could speak their mind and organize together. This purpose, combined with the hope of bringing together GI and civilian activists, inspired and motivated the People’s House and its members. This research reveals that both the community of Clarksville and also the federal government did not approve of the People’s House. From firebombs to hearings before the House of Representatives, it is apparent that many viewed the People’s House as both a Communist cell and a threat to national security. The methodology used in this research involved a close examination of primary source and government documents related to the People’s House and interviews with past members. This research paper examines the importance and history of the widely under recognized GI movement and examines the reasons why the federal government saw the People’s House as a threat to the safety of America. The paper concludes that the legacy of the People’s House and other coffeehouses like it is an increase in governmental and public tolerance for criticism of the military by members of the military, the government, and the general public.
    [Show full text]
  • Revisiting the GI and Vietnam Veterans
    Gudaitis, Alexandra 2019 History Thesis Title: “An Act of Honor”: Revisiting the GI and Vietnam Veterans Against the War Movements: Advisor: Jessica Chapman Advisor is Co-author: None of the above Second Advisor: Released: release now Authenticated User Access: N/A Contains Copyrighted Material: No “An Act of Honor”: Revisiting the GI and Vietnam Veterans Against the War Movements by Alexandra A. Gudaitis Jessica Chapman, Advisor A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors in History WILLIAMS COLLEGE Williamstown, Massachusetts April 15, 2019 Dedicated to the brave participants in the GI and Vietnam Veterans Against the War Movements, especially those who shared their stories with me. Table of Contents Acknowledgments.....................................................................................................................i Introduction: “We Have to Tell People the Truth”.........................................................................................1 Chapter One: “Acts of Conscience”: The GI Movement of the Vietnam War..............................................17 Chapter Two: “The Highest Form of Patriotism”: Vietnam Veterans Against the War................................55 Conclusion: “I Have No Regrets”................................................................................................................99 Images.....................................................................................................................................107
    [Show full text]
  • American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, Hearings, 1970
    AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, 1970 HEARINGS BEFORE ,THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY AND SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENTS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETY-FIRST CONGRESS SECOND SESSION APRIL 29, MAY 1, 6, 1970 Printed far the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 46-301 0 WASHINGTON : 1970 COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS THOMAS E. MORGAN, Pennsylvania, Chairman CLEMENT J. ZABLOCKI, Wisconsin E. ROSS ADAIR, Indiana WAYNE L. HAYS, Ohio WILLIAM S. MAILLIARD, California L. H. FOUNTAIN, North Carolina PETER H. B. FRELINGHUYSEN, New Jersey DANTE B. FASCELL, Florida WILLIAM S. BROOMFIELD, Michiga LEONARD FARBSTEIN, New Pork J. IRVING WHALLEY, Pennsylvania CHARLES C. DIGGS, JR..Michigan H. R. GROSS, Iowa WILLIAM T. MURPHY, Illinois E. Y. BERRY, South Dakota CORNELIUS E. GALLAGHER, New Jersey EDWARD J. DERWINSKI. Illinois ROBERT N. C. NIX. Pennsvlvania F. BRADFORD MORSE. Massachusetts JOHN S. MONAGAN, ~onILecticut VERNON W. THOMSON, Wisconsin DONALD M. FRASER, Minnesota JAMES G. FULTON, Pennsylvania BENJAMIN S. ROSENTHAL, New Pork PAUL FINDLEY, Illinois EDWARD R. ROYBAL, California JOHN BUCHANAN, Alabama JOHN C. CULVER, Iowa ROBERT TAFT, JR., Ohio LEE H. HAMILTON, Indiana SHERMAN P. LLOYD, Utah JOHN V. TUNNEY, California J. HERBERT BURKE, Florida ABRAHAM KAZEN, JR., Texas WILLIAM V. ROTH, JR., Delaware LESTER L. WOLFF, New York JONATHAN B. BINGHAM, New York GUS PATRON, Pennsylvania BOYD CRAWPORD,Staff Administrator ROY J. BULLOCK,Senior Staff Consultant ALBERT C. F. WESTPHAL, Staff Consultant FRANKLINJ. SCHUPP, Staff Consultant HARRY C. CROMER,Staff Consultant PHILIPB. BILLINGS, Staff Consultant MARIANA. CZARNECKI,Staff C'onaultant MELVIN 0.
    [Show full text]
  • An Army of the Willing: Fayette'nam, Soldier Dissent, And
    An Army of the Willing: Fayette’Nam, Soldier Dissent, and the Untold Story of the All‐ Volunteer Force by Scovill Wannamaker Currin Jr. Department of History Duke University Date: _______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Nancy MacLean, Supervisor ___________________________ Adriane Lentz‐Smith ___________________________ Dirk Bonker ___________________________ Sarah Deutsch Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History in the Graduate School of Duke University 2015 ABSTRACT An Army of the Willing: Fayette’Nam, Soldier Dissent, and the Untold Story of the All‐ Volunteer Force by Scovill Wannamaker Currin Jr. Department of History Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Nancy MacLean, Supervisor ___________________________ Adriane Lentz‐Smith ___________________________ Dirk Bonker ___________________________ Sarah Deutsch An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History in the Graduate School of Duke University 2015 Copyright by Scovill Wannamaker Currin Jr. 2015 Abstract Using Fort Bragg and Fayetteville, North Carolina, as a local case study, this dissertation examines the GI dissent movement during the Vietnam War and its profound impact on the ending of the draft and the establishment of the All‐Volunteer Force in 1973. I demonstrate that the US military consciously and methodically shifted from a conscripted force to the All‐Volunteer Force as a safeguard to ensure that dissent in the ranks never arose again as it had during the Vietnam War. This story speaks to profound questions regarding state power that are essential to making sense of our recent history.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Thawing the Winter Soldier: GI and Veteran Resistance from Vietnam To
    1 Thawing the Winter Soldier: GI and Veteran Resistance from Vietnam to Iraq and the Dwindling of Chemistry by Stacey Livingstone B.A., Sociology, Boston College M.A., Sociology, San Diego State University A Dissertation Prospectus Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Sociology Department of Sociology University of California, San Diego March 18, 2014 2 GI and Veteran Contributions to the Vietnam and Iraq Antiwar Movements When the similarities between the Vietnam War and Operation Iraqi Freedom are enumerated, the resulting list is quite staggering. To begin, three parallels may be drawn regarding the instigation of both wars. In each case there was an initial abstract and long- term perception of danger that led to preliminary martial discussions. Then there were the specific and immediate threats that transformed discussion into action. Finally, in each instance a clearly delineated enemy was cited. While the perception of danger that led to debates over the necessity of U.S. involvement in Vietnam was the encroachment of Communism, it was trepidation over terrorism in 2003 that sparked the initial discussions concerning the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Furthermore, while the specific and immediate threat posed by the Gulf of Tonkin controversy led President Lyndon B. Johnson to escalate the export of ground troops to Vietnam, the concrete and urgent peril of the purported existence of weapons of mass destruction led to the decision to invade Iraq. Finally, while the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations had Ho Chi Minh and his communist followers to tout as the enemies in their securing-the-free-world narrative, the Bush administration had Saddam Hussein and Iraqi terrorists as the evildoers in their America-under-attack storyline (Bromley 1966; Heibert 2003; Laufer 2006).
    [Show full text]
  • Vietnam: a Soldier's Story
    University of Northern Iowa UNI ScholarWorks Dissertations and Theses @ UNI Student Work 5-2020 Vietnam: A soldier's story Ryan Charles Villarreal University of Northern Iowa Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy Copyright ©2020 Ryan Charles Villarreal Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Villarreal, Ryan Charles, "Vietnam: A soldier's story" (2020). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1029. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1029 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses @ UNI by an authorized administrator of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Copyright by Ryan Villarreal 2020 All Rights Reserved VIETNAM: A SOLDIER’S STORY An Abstract of a Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Ryan Charles Villarreal University of Northern Iowa May 2020 ABSTRACT The Vietnam era was highly turbulent. Both in the United States and around the world. It was called the turbulent 60s for a reason. This is a story not about politics, military tactics, or the history of American involvement in Southeast Asia. This is a narrative that talks about the American soldier who went to Vietnam. It is important to understand who they were, why they went there, and what happened to them in Vietnam. It is duly important to comprehend their returns home. Therefore, this is a blend of social and cultural history that tells a story about Vietnam, from the American soldier’s perspective.
    [Show full text]