At the antiwar march in Minneapolis, the Vietnam veterans were to march in the front. There were hundreds of us. I couldn't believe it. I was able to talk to a number of VVAW members from across the state. Finally I realized that I was not alone in my thinking. I found what I was looking for. It was here that we organized for Dewey Canyon III, a limited incursion into the foreign land of Washington, DC and the halls of Congress, in April of 1971. It was here that I joined VVAW.
Headlines of the nation's papers reported the marches of the vets on Congress, the Pentagon, and the White House, and the occupation of the Supreme Court steps. The nation cried with the vets locked out of Arlington National Cemetery and held its breath as over 1,500 Vietnam veterans returned their medals from that war, an event unparalleled in history. These powerful events, led by VVAW, served as a catalyst that propelled the events of that spring of 1971 into the most massive protests yet seen against the war in Southeast Asia.
The irony of the week's activities was the U.S. government's fencing off of the Capitol from its veterans. This demonstrated that the government did not know or care what they had created by sending its boys off to an undeclared and undefined war. All the government knew was that the contingent of veterans camped on the mall was the first time in history returning servicemen had voiced opposition to a war that was still raging.
Upon returning to MSC, our campus VVAW organized and was recognized as a "legal" student organization, membership grew and a number of us ran for and won seats in the Student Senate. We were gaining local political clout and were getting our message out about the "real" war in Vietnam. We were invited to address high school and college classes all over southern Minnesota, and students and teachers alike were listening.
I believe I came of age at Mankato State after that fateful week in April, 1971. As mentioned previously a number of the VVAW contingent won seats on the student senate and expressed our views on not only the war but students having control of their institutions. A peace office was established and appropriated funds. A Student Bookstore was established during this same timeline and eventually was chosen a "National Model" by the College and University Press Newsletter. Moreover, I was fortunate enough to be elected to the Student Union Board of Directors and continued the fight to keep military recruiting off campus and question why students did not have more input into Student Union decisions.
"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can,
only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower--
It was September of 1970. I had just been discharged from the Army and was leaving Fort Dix, NJ. Uncle Sam had just let me out early to go to college in Minnesota. As I got to the post gate, something came over me. I had just spent almost three years of my life in Uncle's army and I felt confused, used, pissed off and, at the same time, relieved.
I knew when I was drafted that my life after high school was going nowhere, yet I did not want to be in the military. I was young, naive, and impressionable. Even the word "Vietnam" scared the hell out of me. But now it was over. Or was it? The Army had gotten what it wanted out of me. I'd served my country, yet I had this hollow feeling inside.
Both my parents were WWII veterans and were proud of that fact. Shouldn't I be proud too? After all I had served my country, but to what end? Why were we in Vietnam? Why were boys my age dying in droves? Why was the Vietnamese population being killed in a genocidal fashion? Why were people in the streets protesting my government's actions? Why were students being slaughtered on their college campuses? What had happened to this great country I grew up in? Well, maybe that's the way life was, or maybe I should not trust a government that had lied to me. And now that I was a "veteran" I saw no honor in having served my country, with no one seeming to care about veterans. Not the government and certainly not government agencies like the Veterans Administration. I was alienated not only from the government but also, it appeared, from society in general. So, I took my sorry ass off to Mankato, Minnesota to attend Mankato State College. While a pittance, the VA would provide a slight subsidy to attend college.
I had been in Mankato prior to my military service. I had attended Bethany Lutheran College for a short period, as a failed means to avoid the draft. However, after weighing a number of factors I chose to go back to Mankato, this time to attend the "big" college…Mankato State. While I knew I had no choice but to grow up quickly in the Army, little did I realize, on my way to Minnesota, that I would grow differently at MSC. I would grow emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, and politically. What's more, I would learn empathy and compassion.
By the time I got to Minnesota to attend Mankato State, I was really anxious. Here I was a 22-year-old freshman. I don't think I'd ever felt this alone. At least in Uncle's army I had buddies I could count on. Now what do I do? I thought. When classes started I felt even more alone. What was I doing here with all these kids who didn't have a clue about what was going on beyond their academic borders? So, for the first few quarters, I became a loner, went to classes, and got high every chance I could. But no matter what I did, I could not get away from the Vietnam War. It was all around me; on the news, in the movies, on campus, in the music; especially in the music.
In the spring of 1971, I felt that there had to be other vets who had the same values I had. After all there were a lot of vets on campus. In the student union one day I ran into a Vietnam vet who invited me to a Vets Club "smoker." I got to the meeting and I could have sworn I was at a fraternity meeting. Guys talking about what they were going to do at the fraternity charity festival. No talk about the war or its effects outside of ridiculing the students who were protesting it. Come on, throw me a bone, what is this: VFW, the younger? Just then I spotted another vet who looked just as bewildered as I must have appeared. He told me about a "Teach-In" that would be happening later in the week. The focus was on the campus antiwar movement and it was being sponsored by the Student Mobilization Committee (SMC).
It was at the SMC Teach-In that I first heard of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). There was an open mike in the lobby of the MSC Student Union, and as I listened to fellow veterans, I realized I was not alone in my thoughts and beliefs. I got up and talked about the mangled bodies that we came across daily in medical air-evacuation duties and how fellow GIs went literally crazy as part and parcel of their role in the war.
I was approached by a few veterans who had spoken earlier about their roles in the war and how they had become antiwar vets. They had just started a local chapter of VVAW. Always the hesitant one, I hemmed and hawed about getting involved. I did agree to go to an antiwar march in the Twin Cities that weekend.
VVAW ~ Washington, D.C. ~ April, 1971
Dewey Canyon III, as it came to be known, was named after Dewey Canyon I and II, which were two separate invasions of Laos. The first was in January and February of 1969 by elements of the 3rd Marine Division and the subsequent invasion during the first seven days of the 1970 South Vietnamese invasion of Laos.
Dewey Canyon III was amazing. Organized by the national office of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, the actions of over 1,000 Vietnam vets from across the country would capture the imagination of the American people as the VVAW emblem became a mighty fixture on national network news.
VVAW Minnesota Contingent ~ April, 1971
Things did settle down in the fall of 1971, but this was a temporary lull. In the spring of 1972, Nixon did it again. This time with the bombing of North Vietnam and mining of Haiphong Harbor. This unleashed pent up student emotions. There were antiwar rallies, parades and protesting in front of the only federal building in town - the Post Office. Of course, the events that still are burned into my memory include the rally and march to downtown, when the crowd then diverted to Highway 169 to close off traffic north and south as a means to get the message out. Traffic was completely closed down and not until the Nicollet County Sheriff came at us with night sticks and pepper fog did we disburse.
Looking back, this was not the smartest anti-war tactic but it was non-violent until the authorities turned it into a police riot, so to speak. Once back on campus though it was like being in a protected land. There were food and beverages served and we were able to bandage up the "wounded." Later that evening (probably to keep us off the streets) there was a live band provided outside Centennial Student Union (CSU).
Also during this same month there was another take-over of Old Main. This time, rather than a police action, the college administration, through Dean Scott I believe, negotiated terms in which students would leave peaceably. This is where my recollection gets a bit fuzzy, but I believe the trade-off for leaving Old Main after a tense weekend was that a student peace office would be established and appropriated funds and a certain amount of students would be bussed to Washington D.C. for a nationwide anti-war rally and to lobby the Minnesota congressional delegation about ending the war.
Between 1972 and 1975 our local VVAW organization became the leader of the antiwar movement on campus. We encountered some victories and some failures, learned about "pepper fog," found out the Nicollet County Sheriff liked to swing his night stick, and had R.A. Dash visit our homes. However, through it all the message did get through to the student community and the local community as well.
The Mankato VVAW office also focused on other issues of concern to veterans, such as bad discharges, SPN codes, jobs, amnesty and military recruiting on campus. The Mankato VVAW office organized a regional VVAW meeting that was accompanied by a peace conference sponsored by VVAW and the Mankato State Student Union Board. Members of the VVAW national office attended and both John Kerry and Al Hubbard of the national office addressed the conference, as well as US Senator Vance Hartke from Indiana.
Mankato State College ~ April, 1972
While I was considered an "activist" student at MSC, I did allow time for classes and eventually earned a bachelor of science degree in 1974 and a master of arts degree in 1976. And as I turned my attention to family and career potential, I withdrew from my participation in student activities and VVAW, outside of the occasional political or arts and entertainment column for The Reporter. After all, I had to finish graduate school, Nixon was gone, the war was finally winding down and with a family to care for, I had to move on. Of course this didn't mean that values embedded in me from MSC were gone. I was just in hiatus, probably for longer than I will openly admit. Nor did this mean I no longer had the occasional unannounced visit from the FBI. VVAW was still considered a threat to J. Edgar and labeled a subversive organization, and of course I needed watching.
It is now over thirty-five years since I first enrolled in school at Mankato State College and also learned about Vietnam veteran's Against the War (VVAW). Do I still consider myself a member of VVAW? Yes, I am a card carrying member of VVAW. I have considered myself a member since that fateful day in 1971. There are a still a number of VVAW members from our college years that get together to discuss the most recent war and its impact on our lives, families, and the world.
The impact of Vietnam and my anti-war days at MSC will be with me for the rest of my life. I believe I can be proud of the fact that VVAW played a large role in ending U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Unfortunately, this same military madness still hovers over Washington, D.C., and apparently politicians and power brokers in that city have learned nothing from the past. Again, the government has found the need to lie about its military exploits. I have not and will not buy what the current administration is selling and as an anti-war veteran, I look upon this and any war as Dwight D. Eisenhower when he stated "I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."
So what values do I still carry from my days at MSC? Simply put, I do believe that I grew emotionally and intellectually as well as learning compassion and empathy for those less fortunate than myself and hopefully, over the years, I did something about it. Moreover, I still have the values acquired 35 years ago when I first joined VVAW and that VVAW means a voice for veterans who are not enamored of war and military achievements. It means striving to redirect government resources so that the 30-plus percent of homeless Vietnam veterans can find homes, jobs, and health care. It means a world without war for our children and grandchildren. And it means peace, and unfortunately given the current Pax Americana policy of corporate exploitation and military power, there is still plenty of work to do.
As Graham Nash so aptly wrote in 1988:
"Men who were fighting for all of our lives
Are now fighting for children, for homes and for wives
Fighting for the memory of all who fell before
But the soldiers of peace just can't kill anymore"
JW Anderson
April, 1997
Rev. October, 2006
