Taken from Operation Dewey Canyon III: 40 Years Later by Barry Romo:
A Limited Incursion Into The Country of Congress
It's the Memories, Not the Merit
A Medal for Men's Lives
A thousand veterans standing in line. Stepping forward one by one, we hurl medals at the Capitol. It's the final day of Dewey Canyon III, the first time for a demonstration by veterans against the war they fought in. Veterans defied court orders to leave their campsite on the Mall in Washington; newspaper headlines blared, "Vets Overrule Court; Refuse to Leave!"
It was late April, 1971, and in Southeast Asia the war still raged. In Washington, we lobbied Congress, got arrested when we held a sit-in on the steps of the Supreme Court, and challenged Nixon to bring as many Vietnam vets as we had brought to speak for his often cited "silent majority." On this final day we were taking a longer step as we shuffled forward, hurling curses along with the medals won in Vietnam, demanding an end to the war.... Read More