Vietnam protests crucial
Regarding “Are war protesters proud (Nov. 22):”
I am proud to be one of the hundreds of thousands of protesters who helped stop the American war against Vietnmam I never spat on anybody. My beef was never against the GIs, who heard the call to defend our freedoms against red armies and who followed their Korean War veteran brothers and uncles when they said: “It’s your turn. You go now. You are high school graduates.”
Draft deferments gave us college students time to learn more about history than they taught in high school. We studied colonial history and Vietnam’s civil war. Over 20 years, Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon promised to end that war, even as they escalated, dropping more bombs and killing over a million Vietnamese.
The politicians were too cowardly to admit defeat and bring the troops home. We did it. My GI friends were so glad to be home. No parade needed, thanks.
We stopped the war, just as the military was getting out of control, and the horror stories were being revealed. We used the freedoms of speech and assembly that the soldiers were told they were protecting.
History proved us right: Vietnam is now an ally.
Terrence Sawyer
Spokane