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Trial Ends: Iwakuni FiveBy VVAWThe trial of the Iwakuni Five, members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War/Winter Soldier Organization, ended in September. The Five had been charged with distributing "unauthorized literature" that called for an end to US support of the South Korea dictator Pak Chung Kee. One of the Five was acquitted during a jury trial and charges against two others were dropped. However, stiff sentences were handed down to Frank Huff and Hugh Dalton. Huff will spend two months at hard labor and pay a $400 fine. Dalton will be given a Bad Conduct Discharge. Frank Huff talks about his reasons for handing out literature about the Korean situation: "The primary reason for my interest in the Korean situation is obvious-wherever people are oppressed, it cannot help by appall anyone dedicated to freedom and democracy. But in my case, there is a further reason for taking direct action in support of the Korean people. I am in the position of being a world cop. In the Korean situation, I am Pak's enforcer, and I don't like what I'm enforcing." "The US Military Industrial Complex knows that Pak is a fascist dictator. They further know that the people will put up with Pak only so long and then they'll throw him out on his ear. But the capitalist class in America has financial interests in South Korea. It is also a strategic point to control the Asian economy. If there ever became the 'danger' of the Korean people nationalizing industries and controlling their own destinies, we will be called in to suppress the people and their righteous movement. The same thing is happening all over the world." "The only way to insure that the US military represents the interests of the people of American is for the common people of the military (me and other low ranking personnel) to understand the issues and decide for them what causes are just. If only the power elite in the military (high ranking officers) make all the decisions and keep us in the dark, then we will be used only for the interest of the privileged class in America." Italian Soldiers Join Mass Demos Several hundred thousand people demonstrated and marched in the streets of cities all over Italy during four days of activity, Sept. 11-14, to support the resistance movement in Chile and calling for Italy to drop out of NATO. September 14th was the highpoint when 80,000 people turned out in Rome and 50,000 in Milan to march from one end of the city to the other. Three hundred soldiers in uniform marched in Rome, despite the threat of reprisals from their officers. During the march the soldiers chanted slogans which said "Soldiers organized for the right to struggle, the workers will know who they can count on." and "Soldiers and workers united, and there will never be a coup in Italy." The soldiers were received by great warm applause and by another slogan, "Soldiers and comrades, you are no longer isolated." In Rome as well as in Milan, tow soldiers in uniform spoke on the podium. They were both members of the soldier?s organization Proletariat in Uniform. (See the July GI NEWS for more on Proletariat In Uniform.) Also speaking in Rome were representatives of Chilean resistance organizations, including MAPU, Chilean Socialist Party, and MIR (Revolutionary Left Movement). The demonstrations were organized by Italian revolutionary organizations, including Lotta Continua, Avanguardia Operaia and the new Partito di Unita proletaria per il comunismo. Format Change: G.I. News Beginning with this issue, WINTER SOLDIER will only be carrying one page of news about the struggles in the military. At the same time, however, we have changed the format of our monthly newsletter GI NEWS. GI NEWS is now an 8-page newspaper which is printed 2 weeks after WINTER SOLDIER each month. We encourage readers of WINTER SOLDIER who are interested in the struggles taking place in the military to subscribe to GI NEWS ($3.00 yearly). The next issue of GI NEWS will have coverage of the recent conference of GIs GI organizers held in Chicago.
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