Download PDF of this full issue: v7n6.pdf (8.5 MB)

GIs Beat Back Navy

By VVAW

Today more and more effort is being expended by the rich and their cronies to bury remnants of the Vietnam war, to try to make people forget the blood and destruction of their wars, and to try to hide the struggles of GIs who openly revolted against them. They try to pass of military life as a job, an education, and a chance to travel, trying to attract more cannon-fodder into their military. The U.S. rulers desperately need to beef up their armies to protect their business interest in other countries particularly under increased pressure from the other superpower, the Soviet Union. These scum will take anyone who is warm and can bleed so they can trade lives for pockets lined with dollars.

Billboards, magazines and TV show the grandeur of "action army," an "adventure navy" plus added attractions of veterans benefits. Once you sign the dotted line, however, the real military life begins. An action army really means to be stationed on field maneuvers and trying to avoid getting your legs mauled by the tracks of a tank. Floating deathtraps and unsafe working conditions are an adventure, if you survive them, while doing time in the Navy. If you can get out of Marine bootcamp without getting beat to death with pugil sticks or lighted by your DI, you'll live to see your buddies die or get maimed, and realize why the Marines are always looking for a few good men. The Air Force offers you a chance to be part of a crew that can launch cruise missiles, napalm women and children, and deliver nuclear bombs provided your B-52 doesn't die of old age in mid-flight.

Other good deals include harassment by the brass, a lopsided justice system called the UCMJ, discrimination, lousy living conditions shoved down your throat. The louder they crow about their promises, more and more GIs get angered about these lies.

GIs United in Hawaii is one group of active duty military struggling against the system that wants to use us once and then throw us away. They are united to battle the brass and the ruling bosses of the U.S., fighting for enlisted people's rights. Through the fights they wage, they are exposing the system for what it is.

One recent battle was waged around a brother, concerned for the safety of his men and the crew, who refused an order to work under unsafe conditions. The USS Hassayampa's boilers had been in sad shape for a long time. The leading petty officer (a 1st class boiler technician with 18 years in the Navy) knew they were too dangerous to light off and that extensive repairs were needed before any attempt could be made to light them off. But the commanding officer (who was trying for the luxury life of carrier duty) ordered them lit off anyway. The refusal led to a bust, a fine and a transfer via the brass's own uniform code of military "justice."

GIs united and backed their brother--his fight for safe working conditions was their fight too. They knew that if the brass got away with it this time, in the future they would not hesitate to limp out of port and offer up the lives of the crew so U.S. capitalists could reap the profits of war. Through leaflets and petitions they began drawing more support as GIs realized the brass care only about honors, promotions and rubbing elbows with the rich--not safety. Weakly, the brass tried to retaliate by spreading lies and scaring people with their UCMJ. The brass tried to tell GIs they had not rights and showed how they can bend the UCMJ at their whim to beat down "trouble-makers."

As more and more people supported the struggle, and more enlisted people saw how the "navy takes care of its own," the command had to back down before things really got out of control. Enlisteds won a victory over the brass! They forced the derelicts in command to repair the boilers (a $400,000 job) before going to sea and to reinstate the Boiler Technician as a first class with back pay, and to pull the letter of reprimand from his record! Only one battle in the war for decent working conditions--but this one was won! For sure, more attacks will come down the chain of command, but groups of enlisted joined tighter fighting these attacks--like GIs United--will bring the brass to their knees and give them and their capitalist bosses a taste of their own dirt.