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VVAW Memories

By Mike Woloshin

As I consider the brothers and sisters of VVAW as family, I mourn the passing of Joan Davis and Mitch Kuhn, whom I first met over 45 years ago. I first met Joan and her husband Bill in 1980 on Memorial Day at the "Bathtub (Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne's Vietnam Veterans Memorial)," when Bill invited me to a barbecue at his place. Bill made the mistake of grilling stewing chickens (tough as GI issue boots) for which I razzed him for years. But, Bill also had a sense of humor; when a guy Bill's size later claimed to have been a "tunnel rat," Bill retorted: "which tunnel, the Holland, or the Lincoln!" Bill invited me to join him for my first Milwaukee Chapter Campout, which was precisely 10 years after I returned to the world. Joan drove Bill's pickup. Becky was in her child seat in front, while Bill and I rode in the back of his truck.

The Campouts had their cast of characters, with John Lindquist working the grill, Annie Bailey eating the pig's eyes at the pig roast to gross out the kids, Mitch Kuhn selling buttons, frequent beer runs, the "Winnebago Wars," nightly blues concerts by "Leroy Airmaster," and Barry Romo leading political discussions. Chris Molloy and Lee Channing were also frequent participants. Lee characterized my tent as evil-looking and called it the "Darth Vader Special."

Between Campouts, the Chicago Chapter held "Standdowns" at the Humboldt Park National Guard Armory, providing meals for homeless vets, where I usually worked in the scullery with Bill Branson, Bill Davis, Barry Romo, and others scrubbing out pots and cooking utensils. We also held Memorial Day and Veterans' Day Ceremonies at "the bathtub" in downtown Chicago.

In mid-May 1982, we held "Dewey Canyon IV," sleeping on the Mall in DC for three nights and in a church on 14th St for the fourth. I still remember standing fire watch in that church, then going down to the basement to light fires under the kettles of eggs to be boiled and served for breakfast. That basement smelled, as some Maoists would put it, like "pre-revolutionary China," and the cockroaches marched across the floor in battalion strength. We rode around DC in the back of a "deuce and a half" and often yelled out "lock and load and face the rear." We were denied access to Arlington Cemetery and left out orange colored wreaths at the entrance. It was only years later that the VA acknowledged that "Agent Orange" was a real threat to veterans' health and lives. On Veterans' Day weekend 1982, we returned for the dedication of "the wall," a memorial for the 58,281 KIA and MIA Despite the provision of security at the site where we were to have an exhibit, thousands of copies of our newspaper, The Veteran, were stolen.

On Memorial Day 1992, VVAW celebrated our 25th Anniversary in New York City, staying at the Vista Hotel, meeting H. Bruce Franklin, author of Myth-Making in America, which exposed the abuse of the POW-MIA issue to block recognition and reconciliation with Vietnam, met Vietnamese combatants, and connected with our brothers and sisters from around the US.

That was the largest turnout of VVAW members from around the country.

Our 35th Anniversary was held in Milwaukee, with authors and members from the Midwest. The VVAW 30th Anniversary was held in Chicago, while the 40th, which drew a large turnout, was held at Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago in 2007. It was the last for Bill Davis and Dave Cline, both of whom passed on shortly after. I recall writing about the loss of leadership in the organization.

We wonder what our legacy will be in the years to come. The last veteran of "the war to end all wars (World War I) died in 2011; the "Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, "many of whom later served in World War II, are all gone. VA statistics: of the 16.4 million who served in World War II, including my late father (Combat Engineers, European Theater), only 66,000 remain. Of the 2.7 million of us who served "in country," or in the coastal waters of Vietnam, only about 850,000 remain. Our primary health problems remain linked to Agent Orange, PTSD, and hearing loss.

Two years ago, I lost my wife of 28 years, Leslee, to cancer and hypertension; I don't know how much time I have left, but what I have so far is due to my quitting drinking and smoking.

I dedicate this RECOLLECTION to those I know well and are now gone: Barry Romo, Dave Cline, Bill Davis, Joan Davis, Mitch Kuhn, Lee Channing, Chris Molloy, Mike Sutton, Mike Gold, and to the many others whose names I've forgotten.

Mike Woloshin, AMH-2, USN, ATKRON 86, onbd USS Coral Sea (CVA-43), Vietnam (Yankee Station) 1969-1970. Mike is the grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, a retired Assistant Cook County Public Defender, and active in VVAW since joining in 1971.

Mike Woloshin at Chicago Veterans Day event, November 11, 2001.