By Jerry Lembcke
Probably the most resilient pictures of the Vietnam period is that of the anti-war protester — frequently a lady — spitting at the uniformed veteran simply off the airplane. The lingering efficiency of this icon was once obvious in the course of the Gulf struggle, whilst warfare supporters invoked it to discredit their competition. during this startling booklet, Jerry Lembcke demonstrates that now not a unmarried incident of this type has been convincingly documented. particularly, the anti-war Left observed in veterans a ordinary best friend, and the connection among anti-war forces and such a lot veterans was once outlined through mutual aid. certainly one soldier wrote angrily to vice chairman Spiro Agnew that the one americans who appeared taken with the soldier's welfare have been the anti-war activists. whereas the veterans have been occasionally made to suppose uncomfortable approximately their provider, this feeling of unease used to be, Lembcke argues, extra usually rooted within the political practices of the correct. Tracing a number conflicts within the 20th century, the e-book illustrates how regimes engaged in unpopular conflicts frequently vilify their family competitors for "stabbing the lads within the back." Concluding with an account of the strong function performed by means of Hollywood in cementing the parable of the betrayed veteran via such movies as Coming domestic, Taxi driving force, and Rambo, Jerry Lembcke's publication stands as some of the most very important, unique, and debatable works of cultural background lately.
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The VMC scheduled a news conference for Sunday, November 9, at which a group of GIs read statements about the anti-war activities scheduled to occur at military posts around the country on November 15. The VMC also sent out copies of the Department of Defense directive governing the participation of GIs in anti-war activities with information on how GI’s could get legal aid if they were harassed by officers for legal anti-war activity. , and San Francisco and, with crowds of a half million and a quarter million, respectively, in those cities, the action, coming only one month after the equally massive October mobilizations, was a sign that opposition to the war had reached the proportions of a popular mass movement.
The publication was then handed out to other GIs on and near military 42 Dear Spiro Agnew bases everywhere, including Vietnam. A typical issue of GI Press Service would contain letters from GIs, reports on legal cases being fought by anti-war GIs, announcements of such upcoming anti-war activities as conferences and rallies, information on where to obtain legal counseling, and reports on the latest crackdowns on dissent by military and civilian authorities. In addition, at least thirty-five underground GI newspapers, with names like About Face (Camp Pendleton), Fatigue Press (Fort Hood), Last Harass (Fort Gordon) and Short Times (Fort Jackson), sprung up on major military bases across the country.
7 Additionally, Operation Eagle/Yellow Ribbon carried out a propaganda campaign in the public schools. The program sent Operation Eagle leaders and military personnel into schools and got students involved in writing letters to soldiers in the Gulf. Students who wrote letters were given red, white, and blue Operation Eagle hats. The school campaign gave Operation Eagle enormous visibility and, through the thousands of children directly touched by military personnel who went into the schools, indirect access to the hearts and minds of thousands more adults.