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New Unknown Soldier: We Can Tell Carter Who Vietnam Vets Are

By VVAW

On November 11th when VVAW was demonstrating in several cities to show anger and disgust with the way Vietnam vets are being treated, President Carter choose to "honor" Vietnam veterans in a way that only added insult to injury.

The headlines read, "Vietnam Vets New 'Unknown Soldiers." In essence, he was saying that since Viet vets got the short end of the stick, a 375 pound bronze plaque at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery makes it O.K. now. Right, guys? Not "No," but "Hell No!"

As a result of our modern technology, none of our buddies or brothers who were killed in Vietnam remained unidentified. This is the same technology that can't seem to identify Agent Orange poisoning in vets or clear up the red-tape foul-ups in the V.A.'s rotten system.

At any rate, left with no unidentified bodies of us, Jimmy Carter decided to make us all "unknown soldiers." Big Deal! We've known this crap all along.

We were all "unknown" to the rich. Like Jimmy and his cronies who sent us off to die in Southeast Asia, "unknown" to these same bastards who managed to keep many of us in unemployment lines, and "unknown" in the waiting rooms and lobbies of badly understaffed V.A. facilities across the nation.

While Jimmy and his crew have tried to make us "unknown," Vietnam vets continue to make ourselves the "known" soldiers. Carter and the others who went before him tried to pretend we didn't exist when we stormed the Capitol time and again—to throw back the useless medals they handed us, to demand an end to the war, to demand amnesty for our brothers, or when we seized the Statue of Liberty twice, the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington, and practically every major V.A. facility in the country. Now with the potential of a couple of million vets being infected by defoliants sprays used during the war in Indochina, Carter and the rich backers of his system would prefer we remained "unknown." But vets don't intent to sit by and take this new attack any more than we have in the past.

Throughout his speech, Carter constantly referred to Vietnam vets in the past tense as if the system which runs this country had succeeded in driving us into the ground. Quite the Contrary: "Spit in our face, sucker, and we'll hit back." One Chicago vet's reaction was, "We don't want no bronze bullshit—we'll take it in cash."

Capping off his disgusting tribute, Carter, like the Legion and VFW, used Vets Day to plug the next war, saying: "I pledge a military force so strong that no enemy will ever dare attack us."

Well Jimmy, your last war for profits didn't go all that well for you and your kind, and the "unknown soldiers" you hope to bury on Vets Day won't stand by and watch you send our brothers and kids off in another war.

Carter—Take your plaque and sit on it!