Chat from Films about GI Resistance

 

20:26:51             From  Shawn Driscoll   to   Hosts and panelists : Beyond Vietnam speech

20:26:59             From  paul edward gingras : 1967

20:27:30             From  Terry Murray   to   Hosts and panelists : Re MLK adoption of anti-war stance was 1967. His famous speech at NYC’s Riverside church was exactly a year before he was murdered.

20:28:05             From  Doug Rawlings : exactly one year later to the day he was assasinated

20:28:06             From  John McAuliff   to   Hosts and panelists : Paul, you should bring in David

20:28:28             From  James M Branum : I wanted to say thank you, thank you, to all who had a role in the FTA! show and later the Sir, No Sir! documentary. These two films played a huge, huge role in inspiring the short-lived GI coffee house movement of the more recent Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The service members and veterans at Fort Hood, Fort Lewis, Fort Drum and Norfolk Naval station, as well as their civilian supporters, took to heart the idea that the war itself could be ended if enough service members pushed back.

 

My only criticism of these films is that they didn't tell us enough about the behind-the-scenes issues that were necessary to keep the movement afloat. Eventually all of the more recent coffee houses closed down, mostly due to the lack of support, particularly from outside of the military communities.

20:29:24             From  Doug Bradley : To underscore Holly’s point, Jonathan Eig’s new biography of King points out how King lost lots of support for protesting the war in Vietnam and the FBI amped up their campaign against him because he was anti-war.

20:29:33             From  Doug Rawlings : I was just in Vietnam -- "we forgive but we don't forget"

20:30:04             From  Shawn Driscoll   to   Hosts and panelists : James…Much support came from organizations such as USSF

20:32:08             From  Kate Harris : I was able to borrow a DVD copy of FTA from my library (there are two copies available here in the statewide Maine library system)

20:32:45             From  Joe Volk   to   Hosts and panelists : I recommend David Cortright’s book, Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War, for details on the coffee house movement and the GI anti-war movement. Get the 2005 edition.

20:32:57             From  Jay Wilber : Hi Jane! Whatever happened to Marty Kenner? (who helped with, among other things, the Panthers Constitutional Convention in D.C....)

20:33:28             From  Steve Talbot   to   Hosts and panelists : Hi, to Jane Fonda and Paul Lauter in particular. The FTA! Show was a very important, effective part of the anti-Vietnam war movement.  It certainly encouraged development of Vietnam Veterans Against the War and that famous demonstration at the Capitol in Washington, DC in April 1971, which I was fortunate to film.

20:33:43             From  ARNY Stieber   to   Hosts and panelists : Hopefully you’ll mention the book “The Spitting Image” by Jerry Lembcke.

20:35:02             From  John McAuliff : Sandra Schulberg   Indie Collect  https://mailchi.mp/indiecollect/please-support-indiecollect-this-giving-tuesday?e=8097ef30bb

20:35:05             From  Doug Bradley : Jerry Lembecke’s The Spitting Image documents the reality that this never happened!

20:35:07             From  Shawn Driscoll : James…Much support came from organizations such as USSF =)

20:35:48             From  Shawn Driscoll : Excellent work, John. Thank you

20:36:40             From  James M Branum : Shawn, I think it did make the difference. I still think there is a need for ongoing physical presence in military communities by antiwar folks, but to make it work there does need to be a broader network of support. I think that made the difference in the Vietnam era.

20:36:43             From  Michael Turek : Is it possible to get Sir! No Sir! on PBS?

20:38:17             From  Shawn Driscoll : James..Completely agree. Support and education for all.

20:38:58             From  Mike Burton : Thank  you for your insights. As you know, for many the war hasn't ended for many reasons. I was stationed in Thailand, but all of our missions were flown against Laos. The war there still goes on, with 1000s still being killed or injured from the tons of bombs that remain from this "Secret War". I chair Legacies of War a group that advocates for the removal of unexploded ordinances the US left ; the US was there in clear voilotion of the Genva Accords of 1962. Can you extend your efforts to tell the truth about US involvement in the war in Indochina and join us in our advocacy?

20:39:01             From  Jay Wilber : Lembecke's work great and important. Those who did things like that were probably drunks in bars who weren't even against the war at all to begin with.

20:39:42             From  Steve Talbot   to   Hosts and panelists : David Zeiger is absolutely correct about the "spitting myth". There have been endless efforts to disparage, stereotype, and marginalize the anti-Vietnam war movement. It's one reason that I made the film "The Movement and the "Madman" with Robert Levering for the PBS series American Experience this year. We show what the mass movement was really like in 1969 and what it accomplished in preventing a major Nixon-Kissinger escalation of the war.

20:39:54             From  Jaime Veve : in 2018 had the honor to visit Vietnam. was incredibly humbling to be thanked for refusing the military draft.

20:41:10             From  Doug Bradley : The past is never dead. It’s not even past. - Faulkner

20:41:55             From  stefen STEFEN : Please acknowledge and promote the film "The Boys Who Said NO !"  to the draft

20:42:00             From  Doug Rawlings : I was just n Hue this past August at a conference on the Heritage of Vietnam.  We used Ron Carver's book on the GI Resistance to the war, which had just been translated into Vietnamese.  Most of the conference attendees were Vietnamese, who knew almost nothing about the GI resistance.

20:42:03             From  Sandy Polishuk : I went to my first VW teach in in 1965 and was active all along from then, which is why I was shocked by learning what really happened and why Nixon pulled us out from Sir! No Sir! Amazing history, so glad the story is finally available for all of us, even long-time activists to learn the truth

20:42:06             From  Jaime Veve : while fighting the draft worked with the American Serviceman's Union. which viewed the importance of workers being used to fight imperial wars.

20:42:33             From  stefen STEFEN : Resisters of the 60's.  Needs to be on PBS also.

20:43:07             From  Shawn Driscoll : Amazing film, as is F.T.A. Both are a big part of my in-process dissertation work. Thank you

20:43:50             From  Mike Burton : I returned to the US in 1969 through Travis AFB and we were told there were protestors there and so we were taxied around to a secluded spot and put on buses. I never saw nor experienced any spitting or harassment. I was in rehab at Wright-Patterson AFB and we were not allowed to leave the base in uniform. I only felt uncomfortable when I went to a concert at a near- by college and was obviously noticed because of my short hair ; but the time I was offered a drag on some weed I was only told "I’m sorry for you man."

20:44:02             From  paul edward gingras   to   Hosts and panelists : I have an original 16mm film from a Baltimore TV station  that filmed the May 17, 1968 Catonsville Nine. Tom Lewis  Dan and Phil Berrigan   I am working  with Jerry Lembcke.  Please contact me Paul Edward Gingras Executive Producer The Subversive Art of Artist Activist Tom Lewis   Thanks   gingras.paul@gmail.com 774-696-8909 978-350-6924 tomlewisartistactivist.org

20:45:08             From  Terry Murray   to   Hosts and panelists : Movement and the Madman was excellent. I finally saw it here in Canada, but I don’t remember what streaming service. We don’t always get what’s available on U.S. streaming services - eg, films on Netflix in the U.S. isn’t necessarily available on Netflix in Canada.

20:45:18             From  Mike Burton   to   Hosts and panelists : Madman  and the Movement should be required viewing for all Americans, Thank you for making it!

20:45:19             From  ARNY Stieber   to   Hosts and panelists : Viet Nam is historically two words.  It was changed to one word by the NYT.  Back then the only way to get news back to the U.S. was by cable.  Cable charged per word.

20:45:38             From  Doug Bradley : Steve’s film is terrific. Don’t forget The War At Home by Glenn Silber and Barry Brown about the anti-war movement in Madison, WI.

20:46:26             From  James M Branum : Speaking of music from the FTA show, Barbara Dane's FTA album is on Spotify. Very moving and still very relevant.

20:46:53             From  Doug Rawlings : I got out of the army and Nam in August of 1970 at Ft. Lewis.  Then my wife and I hitchhiked across the country from LA to Cleveland, Ohio. We were on the road for three weeks.  Not once was I accosted for being in that war.

20:47:24             From  Robert Levering : The Movement and the "Madman" can be streamed on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Kanopy, and PBS Passport

20:47:27             From  STEPHEN Morse : The weekend of November 15, 1969, all GIs at Ft Ord were confined to the base, even though it was more than 100 miles south of San Francisco.

20:51:00             From  Doug Rawlings : Hugh Thompson  (Whistleblower of My Lai)

20:51:00             From  Michael Turek : I got out of the Air Force in 1972 and although no one ever made negative remarks to me about the War what I got and still get is a lack of interest in what I experienced.

20:51:05             From  Chris Brandt : What's the title of Talbot's film?  I checked his name on Kanopy and didn't get a hit.

20:51:58             From  Steve Talbot : The name of my film is The Movement and the "Madman".

20:52:35             From  Chris Brandt : Thank you

20:52:42             From  Nate Goldshlag   to   Hosts and panelists : what is the name of this Kronos thing?

The Whistleblower of My Lai 

20:52:43             From  Sandy Polishuk : Whistleblower is an amazing film in so many ways, his story, the music, the artiists' per

20:52:54             From  Steve Talbot : Hugh Thompson, a true hero.

20:53:03             From  Mike Burton   to   Hosts and panelists : This short film explains my role in and concern about Laos https://vimeo.com/jimmyhuttonfilms

20:53:45             From  Doug Bradley : I second Steve’s emotion. Hugh Thompson was a brave man

20:54:54             From  Jay Wilber : Though false and a factor, "spitting"  is not the main reason people may get quiet once they launch a war. "Support the Troops," is probably a broader "meme" deployed to silence opposition and dissent.

20:55:34             From  Sandy Polishuk : support the troops/bring them home

20:56:16             From  Michael Turek : MUSIC! was so important to me and many GIs during the Vietnam War.

20:57:59             From  ARNY Stieber : Another thing that Bush2 crew started was “Thank You for Your Service”.

20:58:12             From  Robert Levering : Chris Appy's book, "American Reckoning" goes into great detail about how the Pentagon and rightwingers like Ronald Reagan (who called the VN war "a noble cause") have successfully rewrote the history of the war.

20:59:21             From  Mike Burton   to   Hosts and panelists : Remember we stopped drafting people in 1975, the attitude toward deployment --and we have over 1800,00 deployed currently, has changed

20:59:25             From  James M Branum : We had the cover of Barbara Dane's FTA record hanging on the wall at the Under the Hood cafe. That's how I first heard about it.

21:00:38             From  ARNY Stieber : Viet Nam  is historically two words.  It was made one word by the NYT because cable transmission was priced per word.

21:00:56             From  James M Branum : It is still that way. The most idealistic recruits are more likely to resist than those who come in already cynical.

21:00:59             From  Steve Talbot : Yes, as Holly Near says, the music was so vital to the movement, and let's remember it was John Lennon and Yoko Ono who wrote and performed with friends in 1969, Give Peace a Chance, which actually immediately became a Top Ten song and then was sung (led by Pete Seeger) by some half a million people on Nov. 15, 1969 within earshot of the White House.

21:02:13             From  James M Branum : Another factor is that servicemembers get moved around from unit to unit much more than used to be common. This makes it harder to do any real organizing.

21:02:24             From  Bill Galvin : It's  a mostly recruited (coerced) army, not a volunteer army.

21:02:36             From  STEPHEN Morse : Enlistees signed up for an extra year (3 years, rather than 2 years for draftees).  In many (but not all ) cases, they got the school they signed up for, but were not used in what they were trained for, but rather as cannon fodder.  That was part of the betrayal of enlistees.

21:02:55             From  Anita Holmes : These three films have had a tremendous impact upon me. I've only watched them since hearing about this webinar. Still had a lot of shame and grief to deal with... these are helping immensely.   I'm another enlistee (WAC), lied to, eventually got my discharge on the basis of conscientious objection.

21:02:56             From  Michael Koncewicz : The antiwar GI movement is certainly smaller than the Vietnam era, but the folks at About Face (formerly Iraq Veterans Against the War) have done great work

21:03:17             From  James M Branum : The circumstances are different, but the struggle continues. I'm sure many you are aware of the organizations doing work on behalf of war resisters today, but if not here are some links worth sharing:

 

CourageToResist.org

AboutFaceVeterans.org

VeteransForPeace.org

NLGMLTF.org

GIRights.org

CenterOnConscience.org

21:03:22             From  Mike Burton   to   Hosts and panelists : Enlistment today are often motivated by the need for money, not patriotism

21:03:24             From  Robert Levering : Don't forget that it was because of the draft that LBJ and Nixon were able to launch such a huge war. Without the draft, it would have been really difficult for the US to have conducted the war.

21:03:57             From  Shawn Driscoll : I am honored to be writing my dissertation on USSF and its history and impact.

21:04:00             From  Doug Bradley : Mini-commercial here - I co-authored We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War which emphasizes the power of music to soldiers and veterans.

21:04:32             From  Doug Bradley : Rolling Stone named it the best music book of 2015!

21:05:46             From  Steve Talbot : That's a great book, Doug. With a perfect title. The Animals!

21:04:53             From  James M Branum : Shawn - very excited to hear about this! I hope you get it published too.

21:04:53             From  Jay Wilber : What about opium, heroin and other drug use? And, of course, the supply "facilitated" by the CIA in supporting mountaintop bases in Laos, in particular.

21:06:06             From  Shawn Driscoll : James…Thank you. Working on that post-dissertation defense for sure.

21:06:10             From  Terry Murray   to   Hosts and panelists : Just got the news that Henry Kissinger died.

21:06:39             From  Lee Trampleasure : I was involved in the 'counter-recruitment' movement in the last 70s (after the Vietnam war ended) and there were many Vietnam vets involved in that movement. They realized the impact of the 'poverty draft' and recruiters full of lies to encourage young people to enlist.

21:07:01             From  Dana Moss : Resistance in the military is always happening -- the question is to what extent! Thank you all for this amazing panel, wow. What a privilege!!

21:07:03             From  Terry Murray   to   Hosts and panelists : I get alerts from the New York Times.

21:07:26             From  Sandy Polishuk : thank you Jane. another criminal gone!

21:07:46             From  Michael Turek : The Vietnam Anti War Movement grew out of the Civil Rights and the Anti-Nuclear "Ban the Bomb" Movement. There was at least a decade of organizing that laid the ground work for the Vietnam Anti War Movement. That disappeared in the 1980s.

21:08:58             From  Nicole Fall   to   Hosts and panelists : Thank you for a great panel ! Dorothy Fall (Bernard Fall’s spouse)

21:09:02             From  Shawn Driscoll : Thank you all. I am so happy to have attended this. Much appreciation to all here.

21:09:03             From  DeAnne Butterfield   to   Hosts and panelists : can we save the chat?

21:09:26             From  Wesley Brown   to   Hosts and panelists : Henry Kissinger was a prime neocon architect of US global imperialism and hegemony. Comments panel?

21:09:31             From  STEPHEN Morse : Look for the work of Combatants for Peace - started by former Palestinian fighters and Israeli soldiers working together to peace and justice

21:09:46             From  Lee Trampleasure : Thank you Jane.

21:09:46             From  Bev Henkel   to   Hosts and panelists : Thank you. Only on short time but wonderful.  I was in Quang Ngai 1969-1971 with American Service Committee.  I saw first hand US policy and how this negatively affected the civilians.  Thank you  Bev Henkel

21:09:49             From  Norman Stockwell : Thanks everyone for a great, and very informative program. This is such an important history we need to honor, remember, and replicate. Sincerely,  Norman Stockwell and The Progressive magazine in Madison, Wisconsin.

21:09:49             From  Douglas Murray : Wonderful session. Thank you all.

21:09:50             From  Elizabeth Gaines   to   Hosts and panelists : Thank you, Jane

21:10:02             From  Sandy Polishuk : great discussion plus thanking you for suggesting I see these 3 wonderful films

21:10:07             From  Sherrie Rosenberg : THANK YOU, JANE for everything and especially for stopping the conversation about Israel and Palestine.

21:10:10             From  Anita Holmes : Thank you so very much.

21:10:22             From  Julie Herrada : 🥰

21:10:32             From  Doug Gerash : Thanks for your longtime courage, Jane.  And to all the AntiWar warriors here.

21:10:39             From  Elizabeth Gaines   to   Hosts and panelists : Jews were the victims of Genocide!!!

21:10:40             From  Jay Wilber : Viva Palestina! (Don't be silly...)

21:10:41             From  Kathy Stricklin   to   Hosts and panelists : Thank you all. Peace.

21:10:44             From  James M Branum : Thank you everyone! Deeply inspiring.  And Jane, thank you for being you. You've been an inspiration to me for many, many years.

21:10:47             From  Kate Harris : ☮️

21:10:53             From  John Kim : Thank you for all your work for peace!

21:10:54             From  Dana Moss : BRAVO!!!!

21:11:34             From  Doug Hostetter : Thanks, everyone, this has been amazing

21:11:35             From  Ann Froines : Wonderful session from another antiwar old-timer,

21:11:38             From  Norman Stockwell   to   Hosts and panelists : Thanks Holly, Jane, and Dave - Great to see you all!

21:11:39             From  Dale Herman : Thank you so much.

21:11:39             From  Sherrie Rosenberg : Thank you for all of your dedicated work and I appreciate that you will send the chat.

21:11:56             From  Donald Kollisch : Thank you, Holly.  Could not have made it through without you. Especially “it could have been me”

21:12:09             From  Marianne Schneller : Thank you all.  Peace

21:12:15             From  Sean Douglas   to   Hosts and panelists : Thanks for revealing the truth all. VietNam vet

21:12:32             From  Steve Talbot : Jane -- Fog of War is a brilliant film. I once interviewed Kissinger who almost walked out. I lured him back by saying I’d just interviewed McNamara. And to my shock Kissinger started to do a fake cry, saying "oh, boo hoo," mocking McNamara for saying he regretted the war. It was a display I'll never forget. Kissinger never apologized for his war crimes.

21:12:38             From  Elizabeth Gaines   to   Hosts and panelists : No equivalency between what happens to Jews and any

No comments:

Post a Comment