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American War Veterans To Pay Their Respects To Ho Chi Minh

By VVAW

The following article appeared in the Viet Nam News, a Vietnamese daily paper:

Ha Noi, May 19, 1997- Three former leading members of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) will pay their respects at the tomb of Ho Chi Minh in Ha Noi this morning to commemorate the 30th founding anniversary of the American organization.

The three men, Chuck Searcy, Eric Herter and Joe Bangert, have called on their fellow Americans in Viet Nam to ponder the significance of the date, and to reflect on the fruits of restoration of peace and normalization of ties between Viet Nam and the United States.

Yesterday they were in telephone contact with Barry Romo and the American celebration of the anniversary in Chicago, Illinois. Bangert pointed out that the significance of the founding date of the VVAW (May 19, 1967) coinciding with the birthdate of the late Vietnamese President, and that the 30th anniversary was in the same month that the two countries for the first time have appointed ambassadors to each other's capital cities.

The VVAW, which was founded by only six war veterans in the USA in 1967, became a major national political force in the antiwar movement although its members were continually hounded and persecuted by the Nixon administration.

Bangert said one of its most famous moments came with the publishing of a stark black and white photograph of a coffin draped in an American flag in Playboy magazine in 1970, a publication popular amongst American troops, with the words "Bring our brothers home now" as a caption. He said it saw over 30,000 Americans, both veterans and troops apply to join the organization.

In April 1971, VVAW led a march in Washington which culminated in more than 1,000 veterans from the war in Viet Nam return their medals.

Bangert said his organization continued to ponder why many American foreigners in Viet Nam were still in doubt over whether the American war was a just or an unjust war, when there was never an organization of Viet Nam War Veterans who ever marched in favour of the war.

- Vietnam News Service

In addition to the above printed article an ad also ran in this edition of the Viet Nam News which read as follows:

30 YEARS - Vietnam Veterans Against the War

 

Doing the right thing!

We honor President Ho Chi Minh on the 107th anniversary of His Birthday!

"After sorrow comes happiness!".