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Vermont Parade

By Chuck Winant

The 4th of July Vietnam veteran's parade in Warren, VT (near Burlington) drew about 8000 people to this small town in the Green Mountains. The VVAW banner showed up a little late, and as the Vietnam vets marched first, the VT chapter was dispirited. However, the back copies of THE VETERAN went like hot cakes, as did the latest leaflet from MACV—Material Aid Committee, VT, a group organized by Viet vets in Nicaragua Libre to send material aid to the Sandinista Army. As the vets talked and watched the various floats and bands wind various floats and bands wind their way through the narrow streets of the village, talk turned to Central America, the Contra aid vote, and the feeling of deja vu. We were taken to task for not coming sooner with the VVAW and black and red MACV banners.

The Burlington Free Press, Vermont's paper of record, in yet another pat-the-vets-on-the-back editorial dated July 2nd expressed the snide hope that "the peace crowd... have enough sense to either stay away or yap silently" at the parade.

The "peace crowd" showed up: at least 50 people, clad in black, marching quite silently to the cadence beat on a single drum. They held white crosses, each bearing the name of one of the 15,000 Nicaraguans murdered by our sleazebag terrorists. With absolutely no discussion, we unfurled the VVAW banner and all of us fell in behind them. The effect on the onlookers was intense—either absolute silence or thunderous applause. Needless to say, there was no mention of this in any newspaper, radio, or TV broadcast.

Chuck Winant
VVAW VT