Download PDF of this full issue: v11n3.pdf (8.2 MB)

Telegram to the Strikers: Veterans Leadership Conference

By VVAW

The following letter was sent to the Los Angeles hunger strikers by Joan Maiman, Chairman of the Veterans Leadership Conference:

"Dear Veterans,

Many of us who were in Vietnam are deeply concerned to hear of the continuing hunger strike in which you are involved.

"We who have seen so much of death, have found that one of the lasting legacies of our time in Vietnam is a profound reaffirmation of the value of life. In a sense, we were held hostage to the future in that war and came home, granted in some cases to an untenable situation, but we did come home.

"It would be, indeed, the supreme irony if the loss of life were the only avenue open to the achievement of a better quality of life for your fellow veterans. We reject this notion; there are other options. This is not to be simplistic in our belief that such solutions are easy or will, in the end, achieve all tat we desire, but we do have hope. In death there is no hope, only the end of any options.

"While we cannot, in conscience, endorse any act which may cause suffering or loss of life to any human being, this is not a condemnation of the issues raised or of your courage and commitment as individuals taking a stand. Rather, it is a statement of hope that your devotion will be channeled into avenues of life, not death.

Joan Maiman
Vets Leadership Conference

VVAW

After seeing a copy of the Bobby Muller telegram, VVAW's National Office sent the following telegram to the vet hunger strikers in Los Angeles:

"Bobby Muller's mailgram...is revolting! To attack fellow Vietnam vets because you disagree with their tactics is inexcusable. Vietnam Vets Against the War supports all actions in the L.A. area that are putting pressure on the VA and the Reagan administration for decent benefits for all veterans."