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Veterans DayBy VVAW(The following article is from The Norse Star from Stoughton High School in Madison, WI, and was written by Sandy Angell, Megan Moriarty, and Terri Shager.) LIGHTING OF A SINGLE CANDLE "War is Hell." That common statement has been pushed to the back of our minds along with the millions that dies in foreign wars. On Tuesday, Nov. 11 (Veterans Day) approximately 100 people gathers in the Capitol Rotunda to pay tribute to veterans— in particular Vietnam veterans. As we walked into the capitol and found our way to where the ceremony was to take place, what we saw was not the expected band of middle-aged hippies, but a group of people ranging from young kids to very old people: teenagers, toddlers, families, and other veterans— very few middle-aged hippies. Each one of them was there for their own personal reasons, yet for the same topic— war. "The Vietnam War was one of the most unpopular wars this country ever fought, but today hardly a word is said about it in our country's classrooms, and kids today are growing up seeing Vietnam through John Rambo's eyes which means they are seeing an illusion and not reality." This statement comes from Dennis Kroll, a man who has faced the overpowering "reality" of pain suffering and death. A Vietnam veteran himself, he started his speech with some statistics about World War II and others wars that shocked us. He continued talking about the "wrongness" of war. "We are told World War II was a 'good' war. How the word 'good' can be used to modify the word 'war' I something that I shall never understand." The mood was anything but bright and cheery. It was solemn, sober, and sad. The people weren't here to celebrate, but rather to grieve in remembrance of the time a friend, a father, a daughter— someone loved. They were here to pray and work for an end to all war. "It has always been the veterans of our wars who have had to remind our government and the American people of their responsibility to their veterans— that veteran benefits are a cost of war which continues to accrue long after each war ends." Kroll told us, "Years ago in my youth and my innocence my father gave to me the Purple Heart and only told me it was from World War II... When I was a 20 year old I went to Vietnam with my youth and innocence and my thoughts of John Wayne and glory. I came back with a purple heart of my own. I later gave my purple heart to my two sons and simply told them I got it in Vietnam..... When I finally understood my anger about Vietnam and war, I talked to my sons. Now they know it takes more than courage and it truly more patriotic to ask "Why?" than to blindly say "Yes" when one is asked to support a war or to participate in a war." Kroll ended his speech with the lighting of a single candle. "And as we remember and reflect and honor tonight, I light this candle to symbolize the hopes which I have shared with you tonight will come to be for our sake and the sake of our children." We saw many faces staring blankly at the candle. As "Taps" became heard, the people went silent. Looking down we could see in the sea of faces, a woman seated in a wheelchair. She pulled from her lap a white handkerchief and wiped the tears from her face, tears we all felt but could not express. As "Taps" ended we began to bring up our flowers to place upon a casket where the flag laid, covering it. Watching people's faces we saw tears in their eyes as they joined in the song "Where Have All The Flowers Gone." "Where have all the Flowers gone, to young girls everyone... A song is the most popular way to express these opinions, hopes and sorrows. Singers past, present, and future have and will continue to write songs about them until the horrors end. "I want to know who the men in the shadows are, I want to hear somebody asking them why they can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are, but they are never the ones to fight or to die." —Jackson Browne, "Lives in the Balance." "We came in spastic, like tameless horses, we left in plastic, as numbered corpses... who was wrong, who was right, it didn't matter in the thick of the fight." —Billy Joel, "Goodbye Saigon" "How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer's deadly toy? There is no monopoly of common sense on either side of the political fence—We share the same biology, regardless of the ideology. What might save us, me and you, is if the Russians love their children too." —Sting, "Russians" "Daddy's flown across the ocean, —Pink Floyd, "Another Brick in the Wall, Part I" The ceremony was over, and as we slowly made our way back out of the capitol, there was certain felling that stayed with us for the rest of the night. For we knew that the ceremony would never completely be over. Years ago in my youth and my innocence my father gave to me this purple heart and only told me it was from World War II when he was a prisoner of war. He didn't tell me any more than that and to this day he has never talked to me about war in general and I was raised on John Wayne, the way so many young people today are being raised on Sylvester Stallone and Rambo. I would late find out from my grandmother that my father went to was as a teenager in his youth and his innocence and was a private barely out of his teens when he was captured by the Germans. He was one 16,353,659 Americans who served in the Armed Forces during World War II. Four hundred seven thousand, three hundred sixteen of those Americans died and another 670,846 were wounded. Tens of millions of soldiers and civilians of other nations were killed or wounded during that war.We are told World War II was a "good" war. How the word "good" can be used to modify war is something I shall never understand. Years later as a 20-year old I went to Vietnam with my youth and my innocence and my thoughts of John Wayne and glory. I came back to the U.S. with a purple heart of my own. I later gave my purple heart to my two sons and simply told them nothing more than I got it in Vietnam. What I did not tell them then and would not tell them for years was that I was one of 8,744,000 Americans who served during the Vietnam War and one of the over 2.8 million who put their time in Vietnam itself. That of those who went to Vietnam, 58,132 died during the war and 303,678 were wounded and I was one of the wounded.As a 20-year-old airborne sergeant, a mortar shattered my hands and my shoulder. Between 1972 and 1981 I went through over a dozen operations to rebuild my hands. Millions of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians were also killed and wounded during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was the most unpopular war this country ever fought, but today hardly a word is said about it in our country's classrooms and kids today are growing up seeing Vietnam through John Rambo's eyes which means they are seeing an illusion not a reality. Those who sent to Vietnam— my generation's war—came back to a country which could not separate an unpopular war from those who served our country asked them to serve. In rejecting the war, the veterans of the war were also rejected and left with adequate health care to deal with their wounds, post-traumatic stress disorders and the ravages of Agent Orange which affects not only them, but their children as well. They were left without inadequate educational benefits and employment opportunities. History was repeating itself.Veterans of World War I, a war the American public supported, came back suffering from shell shock and mustard gas poisoning and found limited benefits awaiting them. They marched on Washington, D.C. in 1932 to demand what they had earned through their sacrifices and they were driven from the nation's capital by U.S. Army troops. It has always been the veterans to our wars who have to be remind our government and the American people of their responsibility to their veterans—that veteran benefits are a cost of war—a cost which continues to accrue long after each war ends. Our government and the American public don't like to be reminded of that, regardless of how popular or unpopular a war happens to be. And when I thought about that, I got in touch with some of my anger about Vietnam and about war and I finally understood why my Father didn't and couldn't talk to me about World War II and being a prisoner of war, and why I didn't and couldn't talk to my sons about Vietnam and what it did to my body and my mind. And once I gained that insight, I talked to my sons with the hope they could learn from me what I had not learned about war from my father. Because of that, my sons in their youth and their innocence see no glory in war and they see no glory in war and they see the obscenity of those who attempt to glorify war. So tonight we come together het to remember—to honor—and to hope. To remember our sons and daughters and to hope they will never have purple hearts to give to their children. To remember Charles Liteky—who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in Vietnam—George Mizo, Brian Willson and Duncan Murphy: three Vietnam veterans and World War II veteran who completed 47-day water-only fast last month to bring attention to U.S. military policy in Central America and its parallels to our country's failed military policy in Vietnam and to hope that those who make this nation's military policy listened to what these four veterans said and what roughly two-thirds of the American public are saying: put an end to the evolving tragic and immoral U.S. intervention in Central America before the tragedy and immorality escalate even further. To remember Javier Carazo, a one and half year old Nicaraguan who was adopted by Madison VVAW Chapter after he was wounded in both legs in Contra attack which left him an orphan, and to hop that as his legs heal, he will be able to walk through his country in peace. To remember the 37 Wisconsin men who are still MIA's or POW's of the Vietnam War and to hope that not another family will ever have to suffer through the ordeal of knowing a loved one is missing in action or a prisoner of war. To remember all of our nation's veterans and especially those while serving lost their lives or pieces of their bodies and minds forever and to hope the day may come when no one from any country will die in war and to hope the day may come when there may be no more veterans because there are no more wars forever. And as we remember and reflect and honor tonight, I light this candle to symbolize the hope that the hopes which I have shared with you tonight will come to be for our sake and the sake of our children. (This talk was a part of the Madison, Wisconsin, Veterans Day commemoration.) —Dennis Kroll TALLAHASSEE Veterans Day, 1986, was the fourth day of a high eighties heat wave; a small but spirited contingent of Vietnam-era and World War II veterans marched behind the slogan. "Be All You Can Be—Work For Peace" through the streets of Tallahassee, Florida. The marchers were well received by the 5000 spectators. An information table was set up at the Florida Vietnam Memorial. Materials were handed out and lively discussions followed. Also in the parade were tanks, helicopter flyovers, ROTC cadets, Reservists, National Guard Units and innumerable Cub Scouts and Brownies.
—Tom Baxter, VVAW Tallahassee SAN ANTONIO VVAW in San Antonio participated in the traditional Veterans Day events which this year included a dedication of a Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Setting up a table, chapter members camped out prior to the day, getting new members and making ties to some of the traditional groups. On Vets Day, one of the VVAW members approached exgeneral William Westmoreland, but when "Westy" saw the VVAW button, his eyes widened and he ran even quicker that ne did from his CBS suit or from the truth in Vietnam. MILWAUKEE On November 7th VVAW in Milwaukee made some long-a-waited connections with the rest of the peace movement in the area. The chapter gave up trying to have input into traditional Vets Day ceremonies several years ago. Now the chapter participates, but has begun its own tradition: a Vets Day concert. This year it was co-sponsored by CASC and CARC (Central American Resource Center). Country Joe McDonald, Jim Wachtendonk and Rick Duvall presented VVAW's perspectives through music. They are all vets as well as excellent musicians so they were ready with some superbly presented music. The concert was well attended (about 350 people) and the crowd was from many organizations in town. Except for a few glitches, the concert was smooth and the sponsors made $. But most important the music made some real connections with people and VVAW is looking forward to working with coalition with these groups again. On Veteran's Day, November 11th, Milwaukee VVAW did our annual pilgrimage to the Capitol rotunda in Madison where VVAW holds its ceremony. Madison VVAW does an excellent job hosting the event. —Ann Bailey VVAW Milwaukee CHICAGO On a cold, sunny Veterans Day, 70 VVAW members and friends gathered at 11 am at the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Fountain in Chicago to honor the dead and reaffirm our flight for the living. Mayor Washington of Chicago praised VVAW for its almost 20 years of work for veterans, peace and justice saying, "You've never received the recognition and praise you've deserved." Among our speakers were Tim Andruss (a Grenada vet) and Manuel Martinez, a Navy vet during the Iranian crisis. Prior to the mayor's address, Chicago aldermanic candidate Ron Sable, Vietnam veteran and longtime VVAW member, spoke of people's right to self-determination. Following the mayor's address, Barry Romo, VVAW National Officer, spoke against the oppressive regime in South Africa, and while Manuel and Tony Wright held the South American flag, Ray Parrish and a young man who rushed forward form the audience ignited the flag. As the flag lay in flames, the young man, expressing the emotions of all of us, stomped it into the pavement. Zippo the Botha regime. As usual our closing gave all the participants—World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and post-Vietnam veterans— an opportunity to honor their dead comrades and loved ones by casting a flower into waters of the fountain. Many thanks to our speakers, to Dave Curry who coordinated the program, to Annie who got the flowers, to Tony, Manuel and Ray and the unknown young man for their assistance.
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