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Vets and Congress

By VVAW

Our Strength Lies In Our Unity And Struggle

Veterans are beginning to move, demanding an end to cuts and at the very least an increase in benefits to keep up with the rising inflation. With this we can see the move, often spontaneous, to go to Washington, DC to lobby Congress. But even more often this motion is not just an upsurge of angry vets, but the result of some budding bureaucrat, future political "leader," or a vet rep making sure that this funding isn't cut off.

In the 1930's this kind of "leader" was all around the Bonus March. 25,000 vets and their families went to Washington to petition "their" representatives. But, as the days dragged on, their anger rose. Throughout the months, leaders arose. Some were rank-and-file vets trying to provide the leadership needed, to honestly provide some direction. But at the same time others came to the forefront, men who saw a chance to capitalize on the anger of the vets and saw a real chance to further their own careers. These men could see that in order to promote their careers, they had to lead vets down a blind alley; they couldn't very well tell the truth by saying, "Look at these turkeys in Congress--they and the whole system could care less about you because you aren't making any profit for them." Had they told these truths, how would they be able to organize vets in the future to promote their own political careers. And they would have had a hard time getting safe little jobs in the bureaucracy.

In the early days of VVAW it was no different. The first major campaign, Dewey Canyon in 1971, was lobbying effort. Certain leaders wanted it that way, enjoyed hobnobbing with Kennedy or some other Senator, making "important" contacts and getting coverage from some future Congressional run. Others saw the chance for really ending the war and thought that by getting Vietnam veterans together we could surely reason with the reasonable men in Congress about a war we had fought in, bled in, and won medals in. But reason wasn't what Congress wanted. And the answers from Congress showed the majority of vets there that Congress was not operating in their interests. This understanding and anger burst forth on the last day of the demonstration when thousands of vets threw their medals back with the pledge to fight against the turkeys in Congress and the rich system they represent so well.

Today, the war in Indochina is over, most of the Bonus marchers are dead, but the system hasn't changed and neither has the determination of vets to fight. The attack on the GI Bill is bringing vets forward struggling to survive and that system which is trying to crush us is also producing more politicians in and out of office, vet "pimps" and petty bureaucrats to mislead the struggle and sell out the veterans movement.

The vet "pimps" aren't all out on the streets--some of them are right in the halls of Congress. It takes very little for a Congressman or Senator to introduce a bill which will benefit vets--the taxpayers even buy him the paper to print it on. The fact that he knows the bill stands no chance, and that he has no intention of doing anything to improve the chances for it to pass doesn't matter to him. What's important to him is that he can go home to the local American Legion of VFW and win loud applause for his "stand" in favor of veterans. Or, when angry vets come to his office, he can point to someone else, loudly proclaim his deep devotion to the cause of the "gallant veteran."

Lobbying efforts are on the rise; some of these are honest, but the con-men are also out there calling for lobby-in's. A good example was the arrival of 400 vets from the East Coast in DC last May. Most the vets were honest and angry. But the leadership paraded Congressman after union hack after pimp, all saying this is the way to struggle--talk to your senator and if he doesn't do what you want, then elect me. Or, they would say "Accept a compromise, let the GI Bill expire, and we will see about a loan program." VVAW was there too. There were just three of us with newspapers, buttons, and answers about how to fight. The people who called the lobbying effort trembled at the thought of three VVAW members and, as a result, called off the only mass rally which was planned, just in case it might "get out of hand." What they meant, of course, was out of their hands and into the hands of the vets themselves.

The lobbying was not a loss. VVAW talked to many vets. And when one Senator told an unemployed vet with 6 children to stop looking at the bad side of things, that he should "look at the 90 million working, not the 10 million unemployed, and be happy that you're free and an American," the room almost exploded in his face.

There is no doubt that lobbying will continue in the future and that people will try to direct the vets struggle into some dead end. Just as surely VVAW will be there taking on this while rotten system and the petty pimps who try to make a career or fast buck off the misery of veterans.