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Memorial Day '81By VVAWWASHINGTON, DC Memorial Day in Washington DC, had a hard act to follow, namely, the meeting of the National Association of Concerned Veterans in nearby Baltimore, followed by a week of activity by the National Veterans Task Force on Agent Orange which culminated in a demonstration and march to Arlington National Cemetery, initiated by VVAW and other vets groups. With these two weeks of activity by Vietnam and Vietnam-era vets groups, the National Memorial Day activities rang very hollow. Of the two DC programs that day, the Memorial service near the Lincoln Memorial was the larger. Called to honor the seven GI's killed in Jimmy Carter's aborted attempt to free the U.S. Embassy personnel in Iran, the principal speaker was Ellsworth Bunker, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam toward the end of U.S. involvement. The program was a festival of the absurd from the beginning. The commander of the ill-fated mission, popularly known as "The Turkey has landed," had already resigned in shame for botching the fiasco. He didn't make it. The former hostages, rocketed to superstar status by the U.S. media, and whose treatment by the nation infuriated already sullen Vietnam vets across the country, were also conspicuously absent. So what did the crowd get? A retread Nixon and Ford man, Ellsworth Bunker, who failed to mention his successor daring rescue of his dog, left behind at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon as South Vietnam toppled like the pile of horse manure it was. A little-known footnote to the whole affair, and one that Bunker did not mention in his speech, was the abandonment of the bodies of U.S. Marines at Bien Hoa. They had died at their posts while the ambassador beat feet and then pulled off the rescue of his dog. The tragic death of the 7 GIs in the Iranian rescue attempt, and the attempt to give them fallen hero status became even more tragic in the face of this Memorial Day circus. The other program in DC on Memorial Day was a bigger flop. Trying to capitalize on the week of Vietnam vets activities that had caught national media attention, the Reagan Administration tried to grab a piece of the action. Calling for a national Memorial Day to "honor" Vietnam veterans, the Reagan Administration trotted out George Bush, the vice president himself, as featured speaker among the generals and admirals on the stage. Someone forgot to tell the Vietnam veterans about the program. In fact, they forgot to invite anyone. The national media panned the sea of empty folding chairs at Arlington Cemetery, commenting that Vietnam vets seemed to be missing with the exception of a handful of vets leftover from the previous weeks activities; these vets seemed less than comfortable with all the cameras in their faces and two-bit speeches coming from the stage. First, who wants to hear George Bush talk about anything? Second, the Reagan Administration's dealing and intentions with veterans of all eras has been absolutely cutthroat and isn't likely to improve. So far Reagan has earned the hatred of almost every vets groups, traditional and Vietnam-era alike, with the exception of an occasional ass-kissing "vets leader" here and there. To draw a crowd the government would have done better with David Stockman as their main speaker; there would have been a crowd if only to throw things. CHICAGO The story of Memorial Day in Chicago started a week earlier than expected during the city-sponsored Armed Forces Week. After a large demonstration only a month before by Vietnam vets against Reagan's budget cuts, Mayor Byrne and Alderman Farina, himself a vet, decided to make some political hay while attention was focused on Vietnam vets. What occurred was another political joke—on the city. Alderman Farina assembled a group of Chicago businessmen to plan what was to be a "tribute" to Vietnam and Korean vets. When contacted by a representative of VVAW, Farina said, "We would welcome you to participate as members of the crowd. You see, this isn't a political event, for or against the war." The speakers turned out to be former General Healy of the Green Berets, Mayor Jane Byrne and Cardinal Cody, a diehard Vietnam war supporter—-a real non-political bunch. On Armed Forces Day the Mayor dedicated a bronze plague to Vietnam and Korean vets. A large crowd was on hand, including enough Vietnam vets to count on one hand. Vietnam vets present included a member of Vietnam Vets of America and Joan Maiman of the Vets Leadership Conference who spent the time being patronized as "there, there now little lady," and being stepped on by a senile Cardinal Cody. The few other vets were looking through the crowd for fellow vets in order to pass out leaflets about Reagan's budget cuts. The plague wasn't even paid for by the city; the only publicity the media received about the event was a press release by BBAW stating that, "Neither we nor any other Vietnam vets would attend because of the poor employment record of the City of Chicago and the businessmen included for Vietnam vets." The media was then calling VVAW for information as to when and where this ceremony was to occur: another well-planned event for the Vietnam veteran! On the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, VVAW sponsored its annual observance to the theme of "Honor the Dead—Fight Like Hell For the Living" and to help focus local attention on the Agent Orange activities going on in Washington. Attending what turned out to be the only Memorial service Chicago, 30 members of VVAW and supporters, including members of Vets for Peace, the Veterans Leadership Conference and Near West Suburban Coalition Against Registration and the Draft, heard speakers from VVAW address Reagan's budget attacks on veterans, the still unresolved issue of Agent Orange to include testing, treatment and compensation for those affected and the demand of decent healthcare for all vets. Even though it was a small event, it spoke to the real needs of veterans, which the official programs in Washington and Chicago missed—and it outdrew both combined in numbers of Vietnam veterans. Bill Davis
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