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As We See It: Vietnam Veterans Week

By VVAW

'RESPECTABILITY VS RESPONSIBILITY'

In the past year, VVAW has participated in numerous coalitions around everything from the struggle for the effects of Agent Orange on vets and coverage by the VA for these problems, to anti-draft and anti-nuclear demonstrations. One of the newest has been the work by VVAW around Vietnam Veterans week, with city and VA officials concerning Memorial Day activities.

In the past, VVAW has always been kept out; forced by the powers that be to stand in opposition to official events sponsored by the American Legion of VFW, putting forward the desperate situation of vets and the true reasons for war, as opposed to the sugar-coated words about a thankful nation's debt to the vets and their great patriotism. At times, we were arrested for daring to speak, even attacked by police to shut us up. At every turn, some aging official would speak about how 60 year old WWII vets represented Vietnam vets, while we stood there with as many Vietnam vets as their whole ceremony, including the cops!

This year was different. VVAW, throughout the Midwest was part of the Memorial Day activities—officially. We gave speeches at VA cemeteries, and official activities. We even marched in their parades. What happened? Had VVAW changed its position on the war? Had we discovered that vets had a decent life after all? Or, had the system changed, seen the error of Vietnam and future wars, and given in to the just demands of the vets movement? To be frank, hell NO, to all of the above! So, what happened? Why the change?

To begin with, Vietnam vets are beginning to move; be they local groups fighting around the issue of Agent Orange, or one-shot coalitions, brining out the plight of Vietnam vets on Vietnam Veterans Week. No longer can a WWI or II vet get out there and claim to represent Vietnam vets; people want to hear from Vietnam vets themselves. This was especially true this year with the proclamation of Vietnam Vets Week. How could the VA or city hold events without Vietnam vets, or excluding Vietnam vets organizations? That would be too much for the public to stomach, let alone vets themselves. The officialdom that welcomed VVAW did not do so because they had changed, but because the necessity of the situation forced them to do so. Neither did VVAW change its line, or trade (or rather sell out) the interests of vets for a chance at respectability, a three-minute speech as officialdom.

Some quarters thought we should do this. In fact, some vets decided that it was more important to get a key to the city given to them than to shout out that vets were getting a raw deal! Some decided that a chance at standing on stage with general and admirals was more important than standing with the memory of our dead brothers who gave their lives for the profits of the corporations in Vietnam. It seems that some of these vets were willing to forget a whole, proud history of Vietnam veterans in struggle, who sacrificed and eventually gained the respect of the American people by opposing the carnage of the imperialist war in southeast Asia. We suppose that responsibility gave way to "respectability."

There was also a small tendency to see participating in any activity with city or VA officials or "official" vets groups as incorrect. These people were afraid that we would be swallowed up by the system or co-opted. But, again, the proof was in the pudding, and we intend to use every vehicle to speak out about vets problems, war, and the system that they stem from.

VVAW worked in coalitions, official and otherwise, participated in events, official and otherwise, but, we always remembered that our responsibilities to vets and their families was to put the truth—the whole truth—out there. Although we did participate officially, and hope to do so in the future, we will not forget the past; and you can be damn sure we won't let the VA or government forget either! In fact, our putting out the truth enabled us to bring out more Vietnam vets than most all the other vets groups combined—more combat vets, more black vets (the ones hit the hardest) and more vets from all eras who have joined us since then to become active for a better life.