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My View

By John Zutz

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) have recently gotten themselves into a frenzy. They discovered that a small town in British Columbia is proposing to erect a monument to war resisters — particularly those who dodged the draft and deserted to Canada.

Nelson, a small town nestled among the Canadian Rockies, boasts on its webpage that visitors feel they are "coming home." The proposed monument, which would be the centerpiece of a celebration called Our Way Home, would feature a bronze statue showing Canadians helping U.S. war resisters.

The monument and the celebration would be privately funded. As you might imagine, when the VFW learned of this proposed tribute the reaction rocked the Richter Scale. They immediately circled the wagons and began firing. They declared the monument was a slap in the face to the 42 million Americans who served in the military over the years, and termed it a "tribute to cowards."

They urged their members to write to the Nelson city government and the chamber of commerce threatening to cancel vacation trips and boycott the area. They even urged President Bush to pressure the prime minister of Canada to use his influence to stop the project.

The Nelson city government (perhaps feeling the pressure) has passed a resolution denying public money or public space to the endeavor.

The organizers of Our Way Home contend they will not back down. Their 2006 gathering is planned to include a concert and speeches by members of the anti-war movement. The Bush administration denies the president has mentioned this to the Canadian government.

So this is just another red herring. It's meant to divide people — a fake issue like gay marriage, or flag desecration. Here's an institution from the United States trying to impose its morality on independent people, in this case from another country.

In early November 1969 I was home on leave, on my way to Vietnam. My Lai was on the top of every news broadcast. The photos were in Life magazine. I had only been in the army for five months, but I began questioning what we were doing, and whether I had been told the truth in basic training.

I was AWOL for six days in Seattle and Tacoma.

I was wrestling my own mind to determine whether I would go to 'Nam or to Canada. I discovered that it required more courage to go slip into Canada than to go along and get along with the Army.

I say: go, Nelson. Don't let the bullies shut you down; you didn't during the war. If I had made the other decision, I might have passed through, and we may need you again in the future.