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G.I.s Hit Bonus Rip-Off

By VVAW

Since June 1st of this year a growing movement of sailors and their families has been fighting the Navy for refusing to pay re-enlistment bonuses promised to them. When they enlisted in the Navy, sailors who chose to go into certain skilled programs were promised a "variable re-enlistment bonus" (VRB) of $4000 if they signed up for six years, with payment coming at the end of four years, the normal enlistment period. Now, the Navy says it won't pay up. Since June 1, 1974, when it ended the program, the Navy has refused to pay the bonus.

With over 28,000 Navy men and women affected by this action, militant struggle has brought the formation of groups fighting for the VRB in cities across the country. Lawsuits and demonstration against the Navy have occurred in San Diego, Long Beach, San Francisco, Sacramento, Bremerton, Norfolk, Idaho Falls, Charlestown, Groton, Hawaii and Italy, with the movement still growing.

In Hawaii, sailors, with the support VVAW/WSO have held several actions and brought four lawsuits involving 300 men against the Navy. The first lawsuit, won by the VRB Or Out group on April 29, 1975, is bring appealed by the Navy.

Not content with letting the courts decide the outcome of the struggle, members of VRB Or Out and VVAW/WSO took the struggle out to sailors at the Pearl Harbor Naval Installation. Leafletting and petitioning in front of the Main Exchange, the demonstrators gathered many signatures and support from sailors at the exchange in spite of continual police harassment. Finally, 10 of the 15 leafletters were arrested by the base police on orders from the Commander of the 14th Naval District, Admiral Wentworth.

Six active-duty people were released almost immediately to their commands. Next released was a Navy wife who had joined the VRB fight. All of these people were charged with the "crime" of "solicitation." The only people remaining were three civilian members of VVAW/WSO who had refused to cooperate with the base police by giving identification or submitting to fingerprinting. For four hours, the police tried to find someone to turn them over to, realizing that the base police had no jurisdiction over them. After trying the FBI and the US District Attorney's office, the Navy was forced to release all three without charges, a clear victory for all involved in the local VRB struggle.

As a result of the struggle for overdue payment on the re-enlistment bonus, people involved have come to realize that the issue of military repression is as important as the fight for the VRB. Just as the police and courts are used against workers striking for a decent living so are they used against sailors and other GIs when they demand their rights.

The activities of the Hawaii VRB Or Out continued on August 2nd with picketing and leafleting at Ft. Derussy, followed by a short rally and picnic. In all, some 40 sailors and supporters attended to support the growing VRB struggle.

The VRB Or Out group has pledged to continue the struggle against the Navy with militant actions to bring more sailors into the struggle. As one of the Hawaii VRB Or Out Leaflets said, "The Navy has abused the rights of sailors for too long! IT is time we all stand together to put a stop to this situation! When we fight for these rights we are fighting for all of us! When they attack any one of us, it is an attack upon all of us."