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Peter Newcomer (1939-2000)

By Dave Alper

Along with many others, I mourn the loss of a dear friend, Vietnam vet (USAID, Saigon, 1966-68) and longtime VVAW member, Peter Newcomer, of Woodstock, Connecticut. Peter passed away suddenly in May 2000 at the age of 61 of heart failure.

Peter was born and raised in Storrs, Connecticut. After graduating from school, he traveled around the South Pacific. Peter ended up in Saigon, where he found work dealing cards in an all-night card game. After his tourist visa expired, in order to avoid being deported, he took a job with the USAID. He worked on the "civilian" side of the war, in the "agrarian reform" program, meant to capture the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese. His experiences of the genocidal nature of the war transformed him from a self-described "cynical, naive liberal," to someone who maintained a lifelong commitment to radical social change.

Peter was a rare individual, someone who excelled at both physical and intellectual labor. He held a PhD in Anthropology and was also a master carpenter. He taught in numerous universities, but he was not the staid, academic type. He had boundless energy and was passionate about his politics. His fiery denunciations of the US role in Vietnam, and his challenge to students to fight injustices in their own communities, were a source of inspiration for many, but drew the ire of his bosses, who were loathe to renew his teaching contracts. Peter led a key role in an organizing drive among part-time faculty at Concordia University, Montreal.

Peter was fearless. When living in Edmonton, Alberta, he went to hear Alexander Haig speak at a gala sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce. During the question period, he went up to the microphone and began talking about his experiences in Vietnam. As the crowd quickly became very hostile, Peter likened Haig and US imperialism to a rat on a sinking ship, and asked the general when he was going to jump off.

In the 1980s, Peter traveled to Nicaragua on a solidarity construction brigade and helped build a school. He was a well-known and well-respected community activist in eastern Connecticut. For many years, he hosted a radio show on the University of Connecticut community station, Between Rock and a Hard Place: a rock 'n' roll radio show for revolutionary social change. In the last years of his life, Peter worked in construction and renovated a 19th century farmhouse.

Peter's connection to Vietnam was also very personal. In the late 1980s, he was reunited with his Vietnamese daughter, after a nineteen-year absence, when she came to live in the US. He would frequently visit her in California, and even began learning Vietnamese.

Peter's funeral in Connecticut was attended by over 300 people, friends and foes alike. He is survived by his partner of many years, Ayla Kardestuncer. We will sorely miss him.