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Why I Joined VVAW

By Kenneth A. Dalton

Since the time I was a little boy, I always wanted to follow in my grandfather's and uncle's footprints and join the Navy. As a boy I was a member of a local Sea Scout unit, and while I was in my senior year of high school I joined a Naval Reserve Unit in my hometown of Clifton, New Jersey. I was so proud to be a member of that unit and wear the uniform of my country that I participated in extra duties like funeral details and parades. One such funeral was in Spring Valley, New York in early 1970 for a young sailor killed in Vietnam.

Upon graduation from high school I couldn't get enough Navy, so I opted to go from the reserves to the regular USN five days after graduation. One thing led to another, and I wound up on the USS Monticello (LSD-35) heading towards Diego Garcia and Vietnam in 1971. Soon after my first deployment, the Pentagon Papers were released, and I can remember the feeling of betrayal I felt back then. All I was ever taught to believe about my country and its leaders turned out to be crap.

After my service experience, I found myself always questioning politicians and flag-wavers alike. I found myself on the outs with my co-workers at the Clifton Fire Department for questioning the first Gulf War.

Now that we're all seeing déjà vu all over again. I just couldn't sit by and let another Bush get away with murder, so I contacted the VVAW and joined the ranks.

I have to say one of the proudest days of my life was when I participated in the August 29 march in New York City against Bush Jr. and the chickenhawks of the Republican Party. Marching with veterans from every war since World War II to the present — not for what's acceptable, but for what is right — was an experience I'll never forget.

Everywhere I go, I always hear people bitching about Bush and his Iraq quagmire; for me, bitching just isn't enough anymore. It's now time to get active.