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Editorial

By VVAW

The GI Movement has been a part of the military almost since its inception. During every war of expansion, whether the Mexican Indian or Spanish Wars or others, soldiers and sailors revolted against the imperialist designs of a greedy few.

One of the reasons for the U.S. military disengagement in Indochina was the soldiers and sailors themselves. Whole companies revolted, pilots refused to fly, and even POWs spoke out against the War.

Presently the military is trying to professionalize itself in order to regain what it has lost. This is imperative to insure the ability of the military to engage in future interventions as it has in the past in Guatemala, Lebanon, Dominican Republic, Korea, Cuba, Panama, The Philippines, Indochina or Mexico.

This professionalism is bound to fail, though, because the military has not changed its racist, chauvinist or repressive character. Nor has it granted basic democratic rights of speech assembly or even fair judicial process; although it now tries to camouflage these in "mod" form.

The military has succeeded in getting a lot of poor and unemployed people to enlist. But obviously military service is seen as a way out with unemployment as high as it is. The basic reason for enlisting, though, is usually economic rather than patriotic.

We see the need, therefore, to strengthen the GI Movement; to build alliances; and to support all acts of resistance by our brothers and sisters in the military. It is our purpose in doing this to stop future U.S. military adventures before they happen.

BUILD THE GI MOVEMENT!

UNITY-STRUGGLE-VICTORY!!