(This commentary piece also appears in THE VETERAN, Fall 2018 (Volume 48, Number 2).) The River Keeps Flowing
By VVAW
[Printer-Friendly Version] From the VVAW National Office
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.—Heraclitus
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Demo at the VA, Chicago, September 1974.
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Perhaps it is time to contemplate how VVAW has understood and acted in the struggle for change, our particular river.
Many, if not most of us, actually enlisted in the military, many specifically for Vietnam. The world we saw, having experienced the 1940s and 1950s, was black and white, good versus evil, communism against democracy. We, the USA, were the good guys; we wore the white hats. We were going to save the world from evil.
Then, through direct experience inside the military, the world seemed to change around us, as we came to face the reality of the lies we had been taught. We were ready to junk the old black and white way of thinking and replace it with a new black and white way of thinking. The former "bad guys" were now the good guys to us. Unthinkingly, we were still trapped in a two-dimensional worldview while the "river" flowed on. We were not the "same," but we had not yet figured out what that meant.
The world became more complex to us, and a struggle for peace and social justice was not going to be that easy - or simple. The material reality required deep analysis and flexibility in tactics and strategy, not knee-jerk responses. We owned up to the atrocities committed in Vietnam through our Winter Soldier Investigation as a way of fighting against our war. These were hard lessons for most of us; "good guys" might not be totally "good," and "bad guys" often did "good" things.
For example, we could point to LBJ's "Great Society" in contrast to his knowingly deepening US involvement in an unjust and immoral war. Or, we might look at John McCain who used his POW "heroic" status to attain political power and push for more military conflict—Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran—as against his willingness to work with John Kerry in opening up diplomatic relations with Vietnam after a twenty-year embargo.
Over the years many peace groups welcomed our involvement in their efforts. Some attempted to manipulate us and pushed us to the front of the struggle, to legitimize their movements. We eventually learned that we in VVAW should determine our own level of involvement in any struggle. "Smiling faces" were not going to trap us for their own purposes. Unity of purpose, not unity for the sake of unity.
In our anti-militarism activities, we engage in counter-recruitment to expose young people to the lies of recruiters, to only join up with their eyes wide open. We use our own experiences to show what the military can be. We do not take a moralistic stance on whether or not someone should join the armed forces; That is their decision and they should make that decision only after serious thought and investigation.
In our struggles for peace and self-determination for all peoples, we sometimes found ourselves in opposition to pacifists and others on the "Left." Here is how we tried to explain our position some years ago:
"We have never cared about the so-called 'legality' of any war. If a war is just we support it, and if a war is unjust we oppose it, no matter the Constitution or the UN resolution. Korea and the Gulf War were both 'legal' by US and UN legalities, and yet no one in VVAW would have supported those unjust struggles....VVAW has stood for a reality not tied to abstract legalisms and excuses. We have supported black people's rights even when the law denied them. We supported Native American rights at Wounded Knee even when US law denied them. Human rights, REAL rights, REAL people suffering and dying are the basis of our political reality and our social justice activism, not the abstractions of a third year law student or some pompous academic." (The Veteran, Vol 29, no 2, Fall/Winter 1999)
Today, in the context of a racist and sexist pro-billionaire regime and its attack on many positive social programs, we in VVAW have linked up with a broad range of veterans' organizations to save the VA from privatization, whereas, in 1974, in a different set of real circumstances, we were engaged in a fight against the VA due to cuts in medical and educational benefits.
The river keeps flowing, and we in VVAW will stay true to the uncompromising struggle for peace and social justice. But we must always be aware of changing circumstances. Dogmatism and political purity will only isolate us.
Thanks to Jeff Danziger and Billy Curmano for their cartoons. Thanks to Joe Miller, Mike Hastie, Bill Perry, Judy Randall, Ken Dalton, Marc Levy,
Brian Matarrese, Michael Orange, Rick Danzl, Al Meece, Harry Wagner, and others for contributing photos.
VETERAN STAFF Jeff Machota Ellie Shunas Bill Branson Jen Tayabji
Commentary on VVAW.org:
- Stand Up, Vote, Fight Back by Bill Branson
- Media Advisory: On Memorial Day, Veterans, Peace Activist and Friends Will Honor Long-Time Vietnam Veterans Against War Leader Barry Romo by Uplifting the Past and Future of the Anti-war Veterans Movement by VVAW
- Vietnam Veterans Against the War Mourns the Passing of Long-Time Member and National Leader Barry Romo by VVAW
- On the Necessity of Struggle by Bill Branson
- Serving the Children of Vietnam by Bill Branson
- While Comrades Fade, Hard Lessons Remain by Bill Branson
- Stand Up For Your Rights by Bill Branson
- Putin's War on Ukraine Must Stop by Bill Branson and Joe Miller
- Putin's War on Ukraine Must Stop by Vietnam Veterans Against the War
- VVAW Statement on the Ukraine by Vietnam Veterans Against the War
- Afghanistan: Another Rich Man's War Ends by Bill Branson and Joe Miller
- We Have To Be Winter Soldiers by Bill Branson
- Fascism is Not an Option by Vietnam Veterans Against the War National Office
- Is This Who We Are? by W. D. Ehrhart
- Why We Struggle by Bill Branson
- We Must Continue the Fight for a Better World! by Bill Branson
- Into Another Rich Man's War (VVAW Statement on Potential War with Iran) by VVAW
- Forever Wars Demand Forever Opposition by Bill Branson
- From the National Office by Joe Miller
- The River Keeps Flowing by VVAW
- The Struggle Continues by Joe Miller
- VVAW Still Teaching the American War in Vietnam: On Burns/Novick "The Vietnam War" by Joe Miller
- 50 Years of VVAW by Joe Miller
- For Peace, Justice, and Veterans Rights by Bill Branson
- The Importance of Vietnam and VVAW: Then and Now by Bill Branson
- Veterans Fight Back by Bill Branson
- From the National Office by Bill Branson
- No New War in the Middle East by Bill Branson
- From the National Office by Bill Branson
- Our War, Our Legacy by Bill Branson
- From the National Office by Bill Branson
- Get Out and Vote: Demonstrate Our People Power by Bill Branson
- What We Know and When We Know It by Meg Miner
- From The National Office by Bill Branson
- Blood on the Tracks - A Review by Horace Coleman (reviewer)
- From The National Office by Joe Miller
- Ken and Bill's Excellent Adventure by W. D. Ehrhart
- From the National Office by Barry Romo
- From the National Office by Barry Romo
- Soldier Jailed For Rap Lyrics Is Discharged by Dahr Jamail, truthout.org Reporter
- US Military Plans To Extradite Stop-Lossed Iraq War Vet to Iraq For Court Martial Over Protest Rap Song by Iraq Veterans Against The War
- A Letter to America: No Medal Jacket by Marc Levy
- The Worst Question You Can Ask a Combat Vet: Talking Dirty to the Kids by Marc Levy
- From Vietnam to Afghanistan: The Bling They Curse and Carry by Marc Levy
- The "Obama Drama" by Horace Coleman
- Matthew Hoh Resignation Letter by Matthew Hoh
- Just Like Hanoi Jane by Marc Levy
- Winter Soldier Iraq and Afghanistan (the book) by Horace Coleman
- How What Happened in the Bush Administration Shaped What Happened in Iraq by Horace Coleman
- A Father traumatized by a son's wounds goes into action by Horace Coleman
- All Bets Are Off For Today's Vets by Horace Coleman
- Election Night Musing by Horace Coleman
- War Jokes Wanted: No Laughing Matter by Marc Levy and Susan Erony
- The Leftie Nation Throws a Rightie by Jerry Lembcke
- Thuy's Dream of Peace: Winter in America by Marc Levy
- Retraction of Article in the Veteran, Volume 38, Number 1, Spring 2008 by VVAW National Office
- Support PFC James Burmeister by Carol Rawert Trainer
- Support IVAW's Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
- Fake Vets Chasing Fame by Marc Levy
- William Hugh Davis: 1948 - 2007 - Anti-war, union activist by Patricia Trebe
- President of Vietnam Vets Against the War - Year-long tour convinced him it was wrong by Larry Finley
- You Tube videos of Bill Davis
- Iraq Dead Ahead: A Brief Military History and Civilian Guide to Arlington National Cemetery Iraq Dead Ahead by Marc Levy
- The Horror of War Can be Catnip for Young Men by Jerry Lembcke
- Iraq War Resister Kyle Snyder Arrested in Canada, then Released: U.S. Army Requested the Illegal Apprehension by Gerry Condon
- Vietnam Veterans Against The War Endorses HR 508:Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2007 by VVAW National Office
- VVAW Supports All the Troops
- A Primer on the Whys and Wherefores of PTSD: Whatever You Did in War Will Always Be With You by Marc Levy
- What the Fuss Is All About by W. D. Ehrhart
- Winter Soldier DVD Now Available at VVAW Store
- From Vietnam to Iraq: Ignoring the Veteran Healthcare Crisis by VVAW & IVAW
- Vietnam Veterans and Iraq Veterans Release Memorial Day Report on Veterans' Healthcare Crisis by VVAW National Office
- VVAW Statement to the People of Vietnam by VVAW National Office
- Vietnam Veterans Against the War Denounce Bush Proposal to Cut Vets' Benefits by VVAW National Office
- The Struggle Continues by VVAW
- Stolen Honor - A Dishonor: Vietnam Veterans oppose Sinclair Broadcast smear even in reduced format by VVAW National Office
- A Troubling Tribute by Jan Barry
- Defending VVAW Against Swift Boat Vets Lies by Keith Nolan
- 40th Anniversary of Gulf of Tonkin shows history repeating itself with Iraqi War by VVAW National Office
- Anybody But Bush by VVAW National Staff and Coordinators
- Vietnam Veterans Say Torture Policy Not an Aberration - Dates Back To Vietnam War by VVAW National Office
- Chicago Vietnam Veterans Against the War and supporters honor fallen servicemen on Memorial Day by Chicago VVAW
- Vietnam Veterans Against the War Statement on John Kerry
- John Kerry and War Crimes in Vietnam by Jan Barry
- Living with Lies by Dave Curry, Joe Miller and Barry Romo
- On the Oil-Slicked Road to Empire: Are We Really Safer Now? by Barry Romo, Dave Curry & Joe Miller
- No War with Iraq No Blood for Oil or Ego by Barry Romo, Dave Curry & Joe Miller
- Vietnam Veterans Against the War Statement on the "War Against Terrorism" by VVAW National Office
- Vietnam Veterans Against the War Statement on September 11 Attacks by VVAW
- VETERANOS DE VIETNAM CONTRA LA GUERRA DECLARACION SOBRE LOS ATAQUES DEL 11 DE SEPTIEMBRE
- VVAW Statement on Robert Kerrey by Clarence Fitch Chapter of VVAW
- Remembering the Tonkin Gulf and After by Joe Miller
- Indian Wars & the Vietnam Experience by Ben Chitty
- Recollections:Brainwashing Busts Out at Cecil Field by Mike Woloshin
- "Peace with Honor" by Ben Chitty
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