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Ashby Leach Campaign: Lessons Learned For The Future

By VVAW

In January 1977, VVAW made the campaign to Free Ashby Leach its major area of work. The case was seen as a dramatic example of vets being used once by the rich as their cannon fodder, and upon returning to the states, being tossed aside. More than just another hard luck case, it also pointed to the need to break through the rules set down by the ownership class in this country to keep us in place. VVAW was determined to bring the case to the American people, not in isolation, but tied in to the struggle of vets as a whole. We were determined to wage struggle to Free Ashby Leach, not because he was some hero with all the answers, but because we would not allow the state to railroad him without a fight, and to force the giant corporation, the Chessie System, to Honor the GI Bill for its Veterans.

The campaign was highly successful. Vets from across the country joined in the campaign; a chapter of VVAW was established in Cleveland, the site of Leach's trial. Veterans and non-vets began to learn and see more clearly the nature of the system we live under, and we won a tremendous victory when the jury found Ashby not guilty of 13 counts of kidnapping and the judge released Ashby pending appeal.

At the same time there has been a loss; not seeing that it's the people in struggle who make changes, Ashby decided to go on a hunger strike until Chessie honored the GI Bill. As time went on, he began to see less and less clearly from the lack of food which affected his reason. He demanded that his wife have their baby at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, and when that failed and the baby was born in a hospital, he attempted suicide. The press picked this up and used it say that Ashby was crazy all along. But Ashby was not crazy when he took the Terminal Tower last August, and VVAW was correct in taking up and waging the campaign. This latest episode does not change the facts, the successes, or our determination to wage more battles in the future.

WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE IT

Ashby was a Navy medic who served with the Marines in Vietnam and was wounded. Upon release from the service he got a job with the Chessie Railroad System as an apprentice mechanic. Hi, like many other Vietnam vets, requested the GI Bill, and like other vets was turned down. He began to write letters; with his wife he picketed a meeting attended by the president of the railroad. After 5 years of going through the system, he not only did not get the GI Bill but was fired, blacklisted by the railroad, and slandered as a malcontent who was dirtying the railroad's "image."

Frustrated, he learned like millions of us that "redress of grievances" through the system works only for the rich. But he did not give up; instead, he went to Cleveland to the international headquarters of the Chessie System. He went to the 36th floor of the Terminal Tower, to the offices of Chessie's president, and with a shotgun demanded that Chessie honor the GI Bill for Vietnam veterans. The president was gone, but some of his flunkies were in--a vice president, his male personal secretary, and executive secretary to the president, among others. Ashby detained them for 9 hours until Chessie agreed to honor the GI Bill. Ashby was then arrested, charged with extortion (demanding the Bill), felonious assault (bumping a man on the head, not even drawing blood), possession of a dangerous weapon (an unloaded awed-off shotgun stuffed with letters) and 13 counts of kidnapping.

STOOD FOR ALL VETS

VVAW saw that the man's demands were just. More important, in Ashby's resistance there was a spark that could be ignited. Vets in particular and the American people as a whole could gain inspiration from his act of resistance and, through the campaign could get a better insight into the true nature of a system that puts profits above people. The case also brought up the question of war and how vets are sent around the world to defend markets, resources and profits for the rich, only to return to unemployment, broken promises about benefits, and butchershop VA hospitals. Ashby was not a lone hero and we did not take this case out that way. To the contrary, we pointed out how he represented millions not only in his problems but in his refusal to succumb. The slogan "Fight, Don't Starve" became a reality as did "use once and throw Away."

THE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

As part of getting out the word about the case and to build for a national demonstration in Cleveland, VVAW sponsored a national speaking out for Ashby. He spoke on radio show, on TV, held interviews with newspapers. Demonstrations were held in a number of cities as part of the tour. The Chessie System became so unnerved that they sent spies out to follow the tour, put hills in the audiences to spread lies, and even pretended to be newsmen in order to get information on VVAW members building the campaign. As one of their internal memo's said, the case could be "the kiss of death for Chessie."

Large gatherings of veterans, workers and students were held. Ashby spoke about his case; representatives of VVAW spoke to the broader issues of Vietnam, war, and the situation of veterans overall. Some of these meetings were extremely successful as the one in Boston can attest. About 200 people attended a fund-raising dinner which was built broadly. Vets from the audience testified to their own anger. An unemployed World War II vet spoke of the problems he had had with disability payments, about how his wife was in the hospital, but that they had decided it was important for him to show solidarity with Ashby and come to the dinner, and how he was going to Cleveland to let the system know where he stood. This was repeated in city after city with Ashby's case unleashing anger against the way we have to live.

While these events were highly successful, there were still errors made. The campaign could have been taken out further and more broadly. The tour became a kind of end in itself rather than part of an overall campaign. Activities to continue the campaign and build for a national demonstration in Cleveland were not planned. Many chapter members thought that people would come to the demonstration on their own--that it was not necessary to continue to build the struggle and make the campaign come alive. This meant that the anger and interest of some new vets began to subside.

In Cleveland a Defense committee (the ALDC) took shape, made up mostly of veterans. The Committee took the case up with a vengeance, leafleting, hanging banners over freeways during rush hours to proclaim Free Ashby Leach, spraypainting, postering, and creating an atmosphere where the case could not be ignored. Deep-seated support for the case was discovered, but at the same time people kept question "breaking the law," and "taking hostages." This was met head on. We responded that the question was not what Ashby had done but what the system had done to him and millions of veterans. We brought out that, in American," justice" was spelled "just-us rich," and that for us there was no alternative but to fight. Fight we must or we will end up like the old man in Mansfield Ohio who froze because his gas was turned off for a late bill of $18. At the same time, the ALDC decided that bold action was necessary. Mobilizing our forces we swooped down on a Chessie train track and held it for two hours in an attempt to stop a train. Although none came by, we let the system know we would not be bound by their rules.

Committee members began to gain confidence as we waged the battle fighting toe to toe at every turn, whether it was picketing a newspaper for a slanderous article about the case or leafleting where it was "not allowed." People began to see themselves as organizers and fighters, and to see the rich and their state apparatus in relation to themselves.

The demonstration at the beginning of the trial was a success. Spirited and militant, it pointed at the enemy--not one corporation, one judge, or one policy, but at the whole damn system. Exposing the fact that the courts serve the rich, the demonstration pointed out it was necessary to fight, not as an individual but by organizing, not to beg but to demand. Coming off the demonstration the vets on the Committee formed a VVAW chapter in Cleveland.

THE TRIAL

Going into the trial we knew that the system served only the rich; seeing it for oneself brings the lesson home vividly. The jury was chosen in two days. Police lied, the judge denied admissibility of evidence (for instance, Ashby's union representative who came to testify about Chessie's treatment of vets). The State's sum-up posed the alternative, Anarchy or convict Leach. As the DA laid it out, the case had nothing to do with Chessie's treatment of vets, only with the law; without law we have nothing (as if we have anything with their law). Vets came away from the trail day after day saying, "I didn't believe you when you said that the court served only the rich, but man, today was something I won't forget."

We didn't allow ourselves to be merely court watchers, helpless bystanders to the wheels of injustice. We took to the streets even more. Printing a weekly trial bulletin we got out the truth about the case promptly to the people, as well as calling people to action. Seeing the case being shuffled under the rug by the media, we took the train tracks again this time stopping a train.

Waiting until the train was in sight members of Cleveland VVAW jumped aboard a 100-car coal train. Covering it with banners, stickers and vets, VVAW held the train for two hours, making it clear there would be "No Business As Usual; You Interfere With Our Lives and We'll Interfere With Your Train." VVAW then left with no arrests but with the promise to continue to fight. Chessie got the message. The jury got the message despite the efforts of the judge, DA, police and Chessie. They found Ashby admitted doing it, but because they said it was not a crime to fight back. One juror said, "I'd like to see some Chessie official on trial."

It wasn't all victory since Ashby was found guilty on 3 counts--but guilty of what? Extortion--trying to get the GI Bill! Assault--a bump on the head! Possession of a dangerous weapon--an unloaded shotgun!

We saw that we could have an effect and that we could win victories. And a victory party was held not only in Cleveland but in other cities as well.

A LOSS

At the end of the trial Ashby vowed not to eat until Chessie honored the GI Bill. Members of the Defense Committee and supporters, VVAW among them, struggled with him. We pointed out that people had supported him because he had fought back, not because of his suffering, that what the struggle needed was strong organizers and fighters, not starving martyrs. The rulers of the country would be perfectly willing to see people starve, we said; in fact, time after time they have proved it in a thousand ways. While the struggle with Ashby has continued to the time of this article being written, Ashby did not see that it is not individuals but united masses of people that change things. As his hunger strike continued, he saw things less and less clearly, until recently when he attempted suicide.

This is a loss. The system was not able to kill him in Vietnam, it wasn't able to stop him from struggling for a better life in the past, but at the present it has been able to crush Ashby by driving him to desperation. We feel this loss. But, it does not change the nature of the struggle we waged. During this campaign we won many victories, and learned many lessons. We are better armed to fight in the future because of things we learned in this just fight. We intend to use what we learned to continue to build and to direct the anger of vets against this profit system, not against themselves or their brothers.