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VVAW-WSO Demo Builds Unity!

By VVAW

The Vietnam Veterans Against the War/Winter Soldier Organization demonstrated in Washington, DC from July 1-4, bringing together veterans and non-veterans; members of VVAW/WSO, the Revolutionary Union, the Revolutionary Student Brigade and the Indochina Solidarity Committee, among others. This anti-imperialist demonstration, focusing on five demands, culminated on July 4th when over 3,500 people marched an rallied in front of the White House facing a stage bedecked with the flags of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam, the Pathet Lao and the Royal Government of Cambodia.

On the first day of the demo veterans and non-veterans marched to the VA demanding decent benefits for all veterans. At one point about 20 people stormed into the national VA building to demand to see its head. Fearful of the militant protesters, the head of the VA appeared, and three members of the group talked to him. Afterwards they realized that talk is a useless waste of time: the VA wasn't listening. From that point on it became clear that in dealing with this system, (which the VA is part of), it is important to expose the system for what it is--incapable of dealing with the needs of this country's people, including veterans. This realization set the tone for the spirit of the next days' actions.

Over the next two days, the demonstrators talked not to the representatives of the system, but rather to the American people- by united, militant, marching and demonstrating. Actions occurred at the VA again; at the White House, demanding that Nixon be kicked out of office; at the Court of Military Appeals, focusing on a single-type discharge for all veterans; at the Justice Department, demonstrating for universal and unconditional amnesty for all war resisters; and at the Capital Building demanding an implementation of the peace agreements and ending all aid to Thieu and Lon Nol.

As each action occurred, the demonstrations became more and more militant and spirited. Chants were heard at the White House saying, "Kick Nixon in the ass, for the crimes of his class." Peoples standing on street corners and construction workers waved and cheered the demonstrators on. A sense of unity swept over everyone realizing that there was a strength that people had that could not be denied...or stopped.

This was attested to by the fact that on several occasions the police tried to intimidate the people and prevent the demonstrations from happening. Each evening as people camped on the mall in front of the Capitol Building, police and government officials threatened to arrest all of them and stop the next day's actions. Time and again, through unified action, the demonstrators tactically responded, resulting in no arrests. By Wednesday morning it was clear where the lines were drawn. As people returned from a middle-of-the-night march after getting some rest, a police car drove onto the sidewalk into the crowd and smashed into several people; one being badly hurt. Angry demonstrators responded by surrounding the car and beating on it, forcing the driver away.

That afternoon, in what became the clearest example of how the government feared the sight of veterans and others returning to the Capitol Building, (the site of vets throwing medals away in 1971), to demand an end to the war in Indochina, the police tried to stop the march by blocking the streets. Marchers insisted on walking in the streets, and events quickly flared into an all-out skirmish. Several demonstrators were hurt, five were arrested and yet when the dust cleared, it was obvious that at least seven of the police and their vehicles were battered down by angry protesters. Several of the cops were seen being carried off into police vans. What the cops tried to do was stop the march...and they failed! The marc continued to the Capitol where speakers such as John Young and Alphonso Riate, two ex-POWs, spoke about the nature of the war of imperialism in Indochina.

The demonstration ended on July 4th with a rousing march in the streets of Washington to the ellipse where several thousand people gathered to listen to speakers and entertainers focus on the demands and the over-all anti-imperialist nature of the four days of actions. In spite of the intense heat, and many sleepless nights, most of the people at the rally marched back to the encampment in a militant and spirited way. At the campsite, people quickly summed up the four days of demonstrations and it was obvious that the determination would be carried back to all parts of the country in a continuing effort to build both the veterans's movement, and its larger anti-imperialist movement, by exposing the government and its corporate big daddies.

The most important point of the demonstration was the lesson learned that the government wanted to not only stop the demonstration from occurring, but that it also wants to smash the veterans and the anti-imperialist movement in this country. All of the government's maneuvers in DC were consciously designed to do that...they utterly failed. The actions did occur, they were militant, effective and built the movement. The key to the success in this people's victory was unified, militant mass actions. This is our strength and it should be understood by all. It must be applied to building the veterans movement, the amnesty movement and the overall anti-imperialist movement. The political focus of our work is prime; any barriers that stand in our way are secondary. In learning this and applying it, the people can and will be victorious!

One chant that was heard again and again during the four days and that sums up this lesson is, "THE PEOPLE UNITED CAN NEVER BE DEFEATED."