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Conference presentation
Antiwar Activism by Vietnam War Veterans, 1965-1973
Rehtinking War Conference (04/21/2023–04/22/2023)
04/21/2023
Abstract
As American involvement in Vietnam intensified after the introduction of U.S. ground forces in March 1965, so did opposition to the war. Despite the efforts of the United States military to instill its corporate identity on new recruits, they remained representative of changes and opinions in American culture. One of the results was that as opposition to the war increased among other Americans, so did opposition to its prosecution by both active duty servicemembers and veterans of the conflict. As with other segments of American society, opposition to the war by the military community took on varying forms and was based on varying perceptions of the war. This paper argues that the types and venues of protest that servicemembers and veterans adopted reflected both their level of ideological commitment to the military and to their trust in American institutions, peaking with combat refusals, membership in antiwar organizations, and the development of the underground GI Press. One of the key elements to opposition to the war is illustrated in their decision to report war crimes in Vietnam and the venues they selected to express their desire to end the war, with service members who were committed to the American project in Vietnam relying on military or government channels, while those who no longer trusted the government to enact changes in war policy turning to the media and then to public antiwar activism.
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Details
- Title
- Antiwar Activism by Vietnam War Veterans, 1965-1973
- Resource Type
- Conference presentation
- Conference
- Rehtinking War Conference (04/21/2023–04/22/2023)
- Identifiers
- 99380182697306600
- Academic Unit
- Education Research Library; University of West Florida Libraries
- Language
- English