Download PDF of this full issue: v13n4.pdf (6.5 MB)

Local Veteran Actions Displays National Strength - VVAW Chapter Reports

By VVAW

MONTANA

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

.... I came up with an idea to name a park and a street in downtown Kalispell (Montana) in honor of all veterans of the U.S. I found it unbelievable that the major veterans organizations had not proposed something similar, but after meeting with these people I realized that their major worry was how to increase their ranks with Vietnam veterans. In fact, I was offered an officer's position in all of the organization order to get more Viet vets to join but I refused, as these were the same people who did not want me in their organizations when I came home in '69. They wanted to work with me on the idea of setting aside a park until they found out what VVAW meant...At any rate I scored a partial victory as a part of the park is going to be set aside.

While I was doing this I was holding rap sessions with approximately 20 vets and found that they had problems that I as a layman could not give them the best help possible and they told me that the local mental health clinic would not help them with post traumatic stress disorder unless they admitted to a drug and/or alcohol dependency and then it would still cost them $50 per session. I approached this problem with no real knowledge of what to do but with a sense of outrage. Twice they refused to attempt to contact the VA and get funding for an outreach program which tended to infuriate me so that at the third time I dialed the phone for these jerks and told the VA that we were 250 miles from the hospital and that we should have an outreach program. They agreed and expedited all of the bullshit paperwork and set up the program within one week of the phone call and at no charge to the Vietnam veteran for the counseling...

Jim Brodniak
Montana VVAW

VVAW SALUTED BY NY YANKEES

Last June the New York City Chapter bought a block of tickets to the Yankees-Milwaukee Brewers game. While the Yankees trounced last year's American League champions, the Yankees flashed on their scoreboard "New York Yankees welcome the Vietnam Veterans Against the War." Not only did the home team win, but the unexpected salute was enjoyed by all ?probably even by the VVAW members from Milwaukee.

ATHENS GEORGIA

"We're getting ready to crank up in the fall. Got the news that the local VVA group was doing away with their rap group and spoke with a few of those guys about the possibility of us picking up the ball... We have endorsed and will participate in planned blockade of the SRP nuclear weapons plant in South Carolina around October 22nd and are getting our counter recruitment program off the ground.

On June 26 during the demonstration at Ft. Benning, about 6 chapter members and 15 supporters were among 300 or so who showed up at the protest. We got lost of interest from the local TV folks, and the 30-second spot they aired on the news featured two of us and the well-known VVAW chapter banner. The brass at the base would not, of course, let the group deliver their letter of protest to the base commander. Two folks, Father Roy Bourgeouis and somebody else have been arrested twice for sneaking on the base and holding rap sessions with the Salvadorean soldiers.

Elton Manzione
Athens VVAW

CHICAGO MAYOR WASHINGTON-LAYS WREATH FOR ATOMIC-VETS

On July 16, 1983 anti-nuke forces, WWII vets, Vietnam vets, and others across the nation participated in Atomic Veterans Day (Trinity plus 38 years), a day recognizing the struggles, accomplishments, and goals of the Atomic Veterans.

In one such ceremony in Chicago, participants ranged from WWII vets who witnessed the bombing of Hiroshima to members of Citizens Against Nuclear Power who had been arrested recently protesting projected openings of the new Chicago are nuke plants.

The program began with an interfaith service at the Chicago Temple First United Methodist Church. A more knowledgeable or impressive list of speakers could hardly have been assembled. Dr. Leo Seren, Physicists, Argonne National Labs, participant to the fist manmade atomic reaction witness to the first atomic detonations with the Manhattan project, 1943 to 1947, spoke solemnly of the dedication and work of the atomic pioneers and their horror and chagrin with the use and suffering brought about by their work.

Speaking for the Chicago branch of the National Association of Atomic Veterans, St. Clair Alexander, steelworker and physical witness to thermonuclear test shot "Annie" at Camp Desert Rock, Nevada in 1953. St. Clair spoke of the many frustrating years of his and other vets health problems and their continued appeals to the deaf ears of the Veterans Administration on behalf of Atomic vets.

Patrick Ralph, symbolizing the continuity of struggle from generation to next, spoke for his father, Harold Ralph, who was with the US Marines in the occupation of Nagasaki, Japan immediately following the atomic detonation there. Harold died of Multiple Myeloma in 1979. His widow, Patrick's mother, Jean is active with NAAV in Streator, Illinois.

The final speaker, Bill Davis of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, spoke of the need for solidarity between Vietnam vets and the Atomic vets and of their common experience with the VA. Davis compared the battle for testing treatment and compensation for Agent Orange victims and their survivors. He pointed out the tactics of the VA haven't changed for vets, let as many as possible die off before making minimum payments to the remaining vets and their families.

The service was followed by a short march to the Eternal Flame for Vets at the Daley Civic Center where Mayor Harold Washington of Chicago dedicated a wreath to Atomic vets of the Chicago area and the nation.

HIROSHIMA DAY MILWAUKEE

On Saturday, August 6th, more than 200 people gathered in Milwaukee to remember the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with a march and rally calling for an end to nuclear weapons and a halt to U.S. Intervention around the work, especially in Central America.

VVAW's dirty dozen had a chance to shine as the people took to the street, marching from our assembly point in the square outside the police station, down the westbound lanes of Wisconsin Avenue, around the new Federal Building, arriving at a park beside the Milwaukee River, where the rally was held. We proudly carried our guidon and a wide banner with the VVAW shield and the slogans:

U.S. Out of El Salvador!
No More Vietnams!

As any video tape will show, the word "march" is not sufficient to describe that purposeful VVAW stride, going down the street looking "b-a-d." Even at the cadence calls, "Your left, your left," unless by accident, no two left feet strike the pavement simultaneously. But when it comes to shouting out cadence responses, we were right on time with these:

Reagan, Reagan, he's no good,
Send him back to Hollywood!

If he'd been in "Nam back then,
He'd never made it home again!

Sound off! (one, two)
Sound off! (three, four)
Bring it on Down (one, two, three, four, one two- Three Four)!
All the general want a war
Send them to El Salvador
Drop them on the jungle floor,
They won't bother us no more!

At the rally speaker Erwin Knoll, Editor of the Progressive, noted that attendance had fallen from previous years, perhaps due to the Milwaukee Brewers' baseball game. Local Mobilization for Survival people announced later in the program the formation of "Fans for Peace," a plan to take up the questions of peace, nuclear weapons, and human survival at the ballpark; they intend to rent a bus, throw a tailgate party, and display banners in their section of seating in the stands.

OKLAHOMA

NORMAN, OK: "An Oklahoma Agent Orange Foundation was formed here in Oklahoma... Yesterday they gave us $3000. We are incorporated as Oklahoma Center for Veterans Rights...."

Bob Wilson
Norman VVAW

NEW YORK CITY

NEW YORK CITY, NY: "Right now the work that interests our membership the most is our planned work around speaking to high school students. Soon we will send a packet to every public and Catholic school principal requesting that we be allowed to present programs to the students to offer the view not put forth by military recruiters...Another successful activity we is socializing. Ballgames, parties, beach clambakes, picnics. We think this is vital to the group and we intend to not only keep this up but increase the frequency. We really believe that doing political work is greatly enhanced when the vets get to know each other socially as well. It also allows families of vets to see other members and families and and get to know them....

One point we would like to stress. We believe that VVAW should be larger than it appears to be. This means we see the real need to advertise our events via such media s The VETERAN and our newsletters. If we do something we want our membership to know how it turned out and we want to spread that information to other chapters too. We all learn from each other. We really think that other chapters should use THE VETERAN and the mails to popularize their activities..."

Ed Damato
New York