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Vets Protest Cutbacks

By VVAW

During March 1981 Vietnam vets and their supporters demonstrated in cities across the nation, showing their anger and, in many cases, outrage as the Reagan administration's ax fell on vital veteran's programs, specifically on those for younger and Vietnam-era vets.

This groundswell veterans' movement, brewing among Vietnam vets' groups and individual vets for the past decade, exploded with the news that major vets programs—including the Vets Outreach Centers initiated under the Carter Administration—were going on the budget chopping block.

Still smoldering with resentment form the hype and glad-handing received by the returning Iranian hostages, Vietnam vets, using the 91 Vet Outreach Centers across the U.S. as hubs of action, moved into the streets as word of the cuts filtered down.

In California vets jumped into action with initial press conferences followed by large picket lines and demonstrations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Southern California.

In Milwaukee on March 20th, 45-50 vets assembled and picketed the Regional V.A. for an hour. Veterans representing groups of the local Vets Center, the National Association of Black Veterans, and VVAW raised demands to halt the cuts to vets programs over-all, with particular emphasis on the cuts in incarcerated vets programs, and Agent Orange testing, treatment and compensation. The assistant regional director, Jerry Moore, a Vietnam vet, personally accepted the demands of the picketing vets. He then astonished the assembled vets by complementing their demonstration and stating, "Without your demonstrations, the V.A. would not survive as an agency," a statement which underlines the need for vets to continue to pressure the V.A. with demands to get what we need.

Milwaukee vets then drove to the War Memorial where they met with representatives of the State Veterans' Affairs Office who publicly endorsed the demands of the angry vets. The Milwaukee vets plan a follow up demonstration to keep the pressure on the Reagan Administration on May 15, the day before Armed Forces Day.

In Chicago, 150-200 vets marched through the downtown area to bring their demands to the public. Beginning with a morning press conferences at the Blackstone Hotel, Chicago representative of vets groups, including the Vets Centers and other Vietnam vet organizations including VVAW, said the "The cuts are a slap in the face of Vietnam vets and the last straw for many of us who have suffered too long." Moving to Daley Plaza, the largest group of Vietnam vets assembled in the city in recent years began a picket line as speakers talked about the demands; particular targets were programs of the City of Chicago whose record on Vietnam vets has been sorry. A surprise speaker was Alderman Louis Farina, a World War II vet who pledged his support and initiated a city and state resolution in support of the demonstrators. As the speakers continued their remarks, the vets formed up and marched to their next target.

Moving through the crowded Chicago Loop, vets passed out thousands of leaflets detailing their fight and got hundreds of signatures of support on petitions form people on the street. Chanting "We won't take your cuts no more, Reagan, Reagan," the marching vets swung into the Federal Plaza opposite offices of Illinois Senators and Representatives, amid the applause of onlookers and passing motorists. After some introductory remarks it was the turn of individual vets on the march. One after another they stepped forward to detail what the David Stockman/Reagan Administration cuts meant to them personally. Trembling with rage, many of the vets expressed their sense of betrayal by the same people who sent them off to Vietnam, ignored them when they came home, and are now moving to take away what little vets have won from the government and the V.A. in the past ten years.

Emotionally fired-up vets undertook the last leg of the day's activities, a march to the V.A. where Congressional aides to Illinois' Senators and Representatives were receiving a day long briefing on "how the V.A. works." The vets were determined to give them a few opinions on how Congress is dropping the ball and on how well the V.A. often doesn't work!

As the vets pulled up to the V.A. building, security people locked the doors, denying entrance to vets. A team of negotiators went in to secure meeting space inside for all the vets and the Congressional aides. The V.A. pleaded lack of space (obvious nonsense) and arranged for groups of four vets at a time to go inside. After the first group talked with the aides vets' anger increased as their "too busy" to listen to the vets.

During the course of this entire fiasco, vets kept up their picket line outside, and dozens of vets spoke out in anger. One vet remarked, "Who the hell do these people think they're kidding? Don't they think a hundred of us couldn't roll right over a handful of security at the door? This won't happen again. The next time we come back—and there will be a next time—we get in, one way or another." After almost four hours of marching and picket lines, the vets went home, angrier than ever and vowing to return.

Major demonstrations took place across the country in almost every location where Vets Outreach Centers have been set up. For the first time in years Vietnam vets from all sectors of society, all races and nationalities, came together putting aside political differences and personal conflicts to fight this massive economic assault by the Reagan Administration. The fight goes on; plans for actions in Washington, DC at the end of May are described elsewhere in this paper. And vets will be in the streets until we can get what we need.