why were vietnam veterans against the war

Get your answers by asking now. Did Neanderthals bury their dead or just let them lay around . And forgetting that while this was their contribution, others were there fighting and dying to preserve their country and lifestyle. In the mid-1970s the shrinking VVAW was riven by a struggle between radical and liberal members. No Sir! Invasions of other countries are not always slam bam blitzkriegs. Why is America now averaging over 3,000 deaths per day from covid? Film. The war that the U.S. fought in Vietnam was a war against a people who had been trying to free their country from foreign domination for many decades. 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). 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. Teaching Activity. The families of those who returned were both happy and proud, but not the community(s). The war in Vietnam was America’s longest war at the time, and its first defeat. The Fort Hood Three issued a public statement about their refusal to be sent to Vietnam. 2013. They didn't know who the enemy was. The group was organized to give voice to the growing opposition to the escalating war in Vietnam among people in the military. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. That's why America hasn't seen the 60's-style protests anymore. To the contrary, one of the hallmarks of the period's anti-war movement was its support for the troops in the … After a contested election in 1978 and a lawsuit between feuding parties, the energies of both sides were diminished. 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. By David Zeiger. 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. 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. Still, that is separate from how the soldiers were treated. 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. As a result, some American soldiers took their anger on the civilians who allowed (forceful or not) the enemy to plant booby traps. The VVAW, through open discussion of soldiers’ first-hand experiences, revealed the truth about the nature of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. 84 min. Government records reflecting initial fears about the United States government's true motivations for involvement were made public in the early 1970s, … Phone: 202-588-7205 | Email: [email protected], Web design and development by new target, inc. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! They didn't want to be there, they just had to be or stepped up and did what was needed by their country. 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. 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 … Picture book. Like you, I served in Germany during the Vietnam era and I've always called myself a Vietnam era veteran. The Vietnam Veterans of America group recognize, welcome and label anyone who served during the Vietnam era as a Vietnam veteran. Now, fifty-three years later, VVAW is still going strong-- continuing its fight for peace, justice, and the rights of all veterans. We’d been lied to and used. 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. 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. Kerry, a 27 year-old Army veteran with three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star, appeared before the Committee in 1971 as a representative of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Everyone has a different view on the topic. I had teachers in the late 70's/early 80's who were Vietnam vets and hated the Vietnamese. 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. 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. The sight of uniforms, medals, and missing limbs caused a greater stir along all sectors of the ideological spectrum of opinion about the Vietnam War. By Walter Dean Myers. While new U.S. history textbooks mention the Pentagon Papers, none grapples with the actual import of the Pentagon Papers. Before the invention of the TV, you have to pay money to see the newsreels so it was not widely accommodate to the public. So there was a lot of killing going on. Wikimedia Commons At home, veterans formed a national organization, Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). People back then blamed the military even though MANY really did NOT want to be there. 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 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. There was a generational gap that translated into “dawning of the age of Aquarius”. During the fall 1969 Moratorium mobilizations, combat troops on patrol near Da Nang wore black armbands in solidarity with the protests. 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. It was almost impossible for them to find jobs. Treatment of Returning VeteransWW2 veterans were respected by the public, Vietnam veterans and were looked down upon by the public, mostly because the media was where it shouldn't have been. People reacted as though it was UNAmerican to have served there & took it out on those returning home!!! 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. Our troops were barely adults in unfamiliar territory being shot at...most of whom never wanted to be there. People who maligned those soldiers should be ashamed, still now, 50 years later. 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. 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. reasons that some americans opposed the vietnam war. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, years after the war in Vietnam ended, the proliferation of these spitting stories increased greatly. Our way of life was under a slow, creeping threat by Communism. Kerry then turned to the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Americans thought it was none of their business to interfere in a matter in Vietnam. By Bill Bigelow. It all started in 1967, with six Vietnam veterans marching together in a peace demonstration. Right or wrong be damned; it was about getting elected. We grew rapidly to a membership of over 30,000 throughout the … Soldiers during that era were NOT proud to even admit that they had served over there. Sophisticated picture book on one soldier’s patrol in Vietnam, for upper elementary. Draft cards burned in solidarity with David Miller. NOBODY said thank you for serving. Article. October 22, 1972, San Francisco Veterans Day Parade. By the Zinn Education Project. PTSD was NEVER considered as a REAL problem. The event lasted three days, while bringing together over 100 veterans in Detroit, Michigan. 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. Vietnam War (1954–75), conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The following spring, in 1972, with the assistance of many Vietnam Veterans Against the War colleagues, Larry Rottmann, Basil T. Paquet and I published, as the editors of … A collaboration between Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change The American and allied forces were portrayed (by the media) as drugged-up blood thirty baby killers. Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. For many of the American Veterans of the war, the wounds of Vietnam will never heal. 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