Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Talk the Talk; Walk the Walk

(Continued from Saturday . . . )
My friends Jeanne and Jim became peaceful protesters of the Vietnam War in the mid-sixties. I didn’t become involved until attending the University of Minnesota in 1969-1971. There I met a returning vet whose story of rejection by fellow students angered me.
            I got involved then, hoping to convince others that we needed to end the war and welcome home the returning veterans with the recognition they deserved. The truth is that while I joined the peace movement, I never found a way to truly honor those who fought in that Southeast Asian war.
            By the spring of 1970, a group of concerned citizens in Minneapolis had produced informative leaflets on the war. I joined this group. After my last class at the university each day, I’d pick up a handful of leaflets at the central office and be given a route to walk. Then I’d ride a city bus to my assigned area and begin. The people I met had varied views of the war—for and against. Year by year, the Gallup polls revealed the public’s growing disillusionment with it.
         From a Wikipedia article, I’ve gleaned the following statistics about the waning support for the war:

·      The 1966 Gallup poll showed that 59% Americans believed that sending troops to Vietnam was not a mistake. Among the age group of 21–29, 71% believed it was not a mistake compared to 48% of those over 50.
·      In June 1966, the poll respondents supporting the U.S. handling of the war slipped to 41%; 37% expressed disapproval; the rest, no opinion.
·      By July 30, 1967, the poll reported 52% of Americans disapproved of Johnson's handling of the war; 41% thought the U.S. made a mistake in sending troops; over 56% thought the U.S. was losing the war or at an impasse.
·      In March 1968, the poll reported that 49% of respondents felt involvement in the war was an error.
·      By July 1969, the poll indicated that 53% of the respondents approved of Nixon's handling of the war; 30% disapproved; the balance had no opinion.
·      By end of 1969, 69% of students identified themselves as doves.
·      In May 1970, the poll showed that 56% of the public believed that sending troops to Vietnam was a mistake, 61% of those over 50 expressed that belief compared to 49% of those between the ages of 21–29.

            Thus, a number of people who answered the doors on which I knocked already wanted the war to end. However, others strongly supported its continuance. For example, one man said, “We need a war to have full employment. Without it, what would we do to keep the economy going?”
            The leaflets I held provided information about future jobs. Unfortunately, the leaflet’s author couldn’t foresee the technological revolution of the 1980s and ‘90s. The jobs mentioned—mostly environmental—didn’t convince anyone that the economy would grow if we weren’t at war.
            For several weeks, I distributed leaflets. At one house, an angry man sicked his German shepherd on me. The dog chased me down a whole city block. Only at its master’s whistled command did the dog stop snapping at my heels.
            A second irate homeowner aimed a twelve-gauge shotgun at me. “If you’re not out of my yard by the time I count three,” he shouted, “you’ve have holes peppering your lungs!” He paused a nanosecond, then muttered, “One!”
            Frightened, I rushed toward his picket fence, flung open the gate, and stumbled onto the sidewalk, just as he bellowed, “Three!” Racing toward the corner, I heard him laughing. Having dogs sicked on me and guns drawn happened more than once.
            Much of this changed on May 4, 1970, when the Ohio National Guard fired into a protesting group at Kent State University. Four students were killed and nine wounded, one suffering permanent paralysis. This caused an uproar on every campus in the United States. Quickly, students organized peaceful marches in many cities throughout the United States.


            On the designated day, I joined tens of thousands of students. We marched from Minneapolis to the Capitol in St. Paul. A sense of purpose and camaraderie united us. The shooting at Kent State, which some were already calling a “massacre,” kept us marching mile after mile, determined to end the war.
                                                                        (Continued on Saturday . . . )
Both photographs from Wikipedia.

42 comments:

  1. With the cold war, nuclear bomb drills in grade school, the assassinations (starting with JFK), the '68 Democratic Convention, the Race Riots, the bra burnings, and the War Protests...I remember Kent State (shooting unarmed students!) made me feel like our country was literally disintegrating! And all these years later I find out that you were in that march across the Twin Cities!

    May of 1970 I believe I was still living with four other girls in Anoka, working at Target Headquarters in the file room, feeding the street kids and letting them crash on the floor in the evenings. Before June I was laid off and ended up living on the streets myself that whole summer.

    What a time that was! We were filled with frustration and fear over what was happening in the world and yet so filled with hope and love and belief that we could change the world. I was a flower child to my bones.

    I'm enjoying your memories and, of course, they trigger mine--LOL! Sorry. ;)

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    1. Dear Rita,
      Once again, a comment you've left here makes me want to know more about your life--before you moved to Fargo. Did you march in the same march I did in May 1970? I love thinking of you as a flower child. I think you still are one--more focused,more directed, but still caring for the beauty of peace.

      And so I say, "Peace to you."

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    2. No, I have a deep, innate fear of crowd mentality...even if I agree with that particular mass of people. I was in a more narrowly focused survival mode at that time. First, just trying to keep my job...and take some care of those homeless kids...and then there were the strangers dropped off freaking out on acid bummers--and soon, quite literally, my own survival penniless on the streets. I suppose I could write more of my chaotic life stories--LOL!

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  2. I was a young housewife in a terrible marriage, working every day during these times. I never even thought about becoming political like you did, Dee. And now, all these years later, I feel ashamed that although I believed exactly as you did, I never lifted a finger to help those unfortunate men who came home from the war to be spat upon and denigrated, when they were drafted into the war. I remember seeing that Kent State picture and the horrible feeling of sickness it engendered in me.

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    1. Dear DJan,
      Please don't be ashamed of what you did or didn't do during those years. When would you have had time to do anymore than you did? Along the journey you've taken through life, I'm sure you've reached out to many--fed, clothed, visited, comforted. Remember your kindness to others.

      Peace.

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  3. I was 5 in 1970. I do remember Jimi Hendrix & the Beatles from then, but I am certain I had no comprehension of any of this. Talk about people being able to achieve sustainable progress. Amazing. ~Mary

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    1. Dear Mary,
      You were too young to comprehend any of this. And those of us who were older--like myself--found ourselves befuddled much of the time. Change is never easy.

      Peace.

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  4. When I look back now it feels as if the country was living through a nightmare. There was so much anger, frustration and hate laced through the flowers and the guns and the protests. When Martin Luther King was murdered I thought my heart would break; when Bobby died I think it did ... My personal life was in as much turmoil as the country. And now it would seem that though we got that war to end, we still didn't learn anything from it...

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    1. Dear Inger,
      Human nature being what it is, I think change of attitude is a slow process. Sometimes decades, maybe even centuries pass before thought becomes action and habit.

      I know when we invaded Iraq, a number of people in Washington and the media compared that to Vietnam. Then some commentators began to point out the differences. Now I seldom read anything comparing the two.

      And yet, I think that we could learn so much from a real study of how we got involved in both wars. But would the politicians remember the learning when the next war threatens? I wonder.

      Peace.

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  5. What I appreciated the most about this post was that unlike many your purpose was to end the was but welcome home the veterans. That speaks of your character my friend more than anything else.. I'm proud to know you.

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  6. Wow: ti be there at such a key moment of history: this is such a compelling account, Dee: thanks.

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    1. Dear Kate,
      The time was compelling. The students I met--and Jeanne and JIm, my friends--all felt that if we didn't do something, things could get and would get much worse.

      Peace.

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  7. It's got to be almost impossible to maintain the courage of your convictions with a 12 gauge shotgun pointed at you! Like Melynda, I'm proud to know you, my friend!!!

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    1. Dear Fran,
      That shotgun scared me and I was out of that yard lickety-split! Two other things that I'll post about happened in those graduate-school years and all of that left me close to a nervous breakdown.

      Peace.

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  8. It's horrible that some people were so mean to you. My parents disagreed with people protesting the war, but they never would have behaved that way. My dad didn't allow guns in our house. You are very brave.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Dear Janie,
      They thought they viewed the war correctly; I thought I did. And so we clashed.
      Some people seem to feel fear when their opinions aren't accepted. And so they lash out.

      It wasn't bravery. Really it wasn't. I just felt so strongly about all this that I didn't even think about getting hurt.

      Peace.

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  9. In reading your story through these posts, I am amazed at how many times you were in harm's way, and kept on with your activism, Dee. From the guns in the classroom to the dogs at your heals, I admire your strength of character and determination to right wrongs.

    I was a college student when Kent State occurred. There was some protesting on our state university campus. My dad had died the year before and I was at that time just trying to make it through. I do remember my mom and aunt calling through to make sure I was okay. I can only imagine the apprehension they must have had with me being so far away.

    Kent State, I think, began to turn the tide of public opinion in the opposition to the war in Viet Nam. It was such a senseless thing to happen. Who from that era can forget that picture and others you post here.

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    1. Dear Penny,
      I agree with you that Kent State "began to turn the tide of public opinion in the opposition to the war." Mothers and fathers sitting by the television, seeing what was happening to young men and women like their sons and daughters simply couldn't ignore the situation any longer.

      Peace.

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  10. A shotgun?! I bet you were fast on your feet that day.

    I was a freshman in college when Kent State happened. It was a shock that rocked the campus. Some students formed a protest to walk around the Dean's office, but to what end. I guess we all wanted to do something, but what? I cried and prayed, and went to work.

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    1. Dear Susan,
      Yes, a lot of colleges experiences student strikes after Kent State. What you did--crying, praying, going to work--is what we all did. I went to class. The U of M didn't close down. I was there to learn, so I went to class. But the campus was rife with reports of what was happening throughout the country as well as in Vietnam.

      Peace.

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  11. I can't imagine how terrifying! You've been through so much.

    I've never heard about Kent State--that must have been devastating . . . for everyone!

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    1. Dear Elisa,
      Kent State rocked the country at the time. It horrified parents and students.

      Peace.

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  12. I agree with the previous comments about your perseverance despite the threats to personal safety. I really admire that, Dee, and I doubt I would have done the same! You really act on the strength of your convictions! I also agree with others that Kent State made such an impact that I still think of that often. Not sure why I think of it now, but I do. I am really looking forward to Saturday! Debra

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    1. Dear Debra,
      Don't sell yourself short. I have no doubt that you, too, act on the strength of your convictions.

      Peace.

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  13. Oh Dee, I am so sorry that people felt so threatened by your gentle presentation of a different point of view that they could only resort to guns/dogs/offensive language. I am in awe that you kept on keeping on.
    I remember the shock that the Kent State murders caused here in Australia. The tide had largely turned here before that, but our Vietnam veterans like yours were treated badly both by the Government and the community on their return, with of course some personal exceptions.
    Thank you so much for taking us on this journey with you. I have learned so much and am grateful for the experience.

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    1. Dear EC,
      Thank you for telling me that you are grateful for what I've shared. It's all so long ago and I haven't protested anything in ages. And so I find myself somewhat in awe of that younger Dee Ready who wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believe.

      Peace.

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  14. What I have learned by living through these countless wars is that as much as we know, we never seem to learn.

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    1. Dear Arleen,
      I think the problem is that humans have such short memories. We live for the day and forget the lessons of the past. But as a Canadian philosopher George Santayana said years ago, "Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it."
      And we do seem to be such slow learners. Centuries pass and we keep making the same old mistakes.

      Peace.

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  15. This is wonderful, the times seen through the eyes of a contemporary witness. Better than the history books.

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    1. Dear Friko,
      Thank you for your response to these memories of over forty years ago. They are vivid within me. And I agree with you that listening to someone speak of a personal experience is more interesting than reading a history book.

      Some museums here in the United States have rooms of tapes on which survivors share their experiences during the Holocaust, World War II, and 9/11. When we hear those voices speak of their lives and what happened to them, we are with them in the past. We bear witness then, I think.

      Peace.

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  16. Reading your posts I am back in San Francisco marching down Market Street. I was not an American citizen then, just a French one so I could not vote. This is why I took part in all the marches, so I could show solidarity with the movement. I was lucky to live in San Francisco then where there were so many young people supporting peace. I think that if I had lived in the South as I do now I would have certainly gone back home, to Paris. My father, an immigrant to France, fought in WWII and was badly injured, became handicapped and terribly scarred by the war. I was a wee child in Paris during the war but still remember the sirens and going into the cellar for protection – I am against wars.

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    1. Dear Vagabond,
      I can see why you would be afraid of war. I've never lived in the midst of bombs exploding as you have, and I fear war too. I so sorry to learn about your father. Perhaps one day you can blog about that. But perhaps his story is too personal and too sad.

      Peace.

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  17. kent state is still alive today. they will open fire if the establishment feels threatened enough, and in the late 60s and early 70s, as we now know, the cia was afraid there was going to be a revolution in the country. god bless your marching for peace. if a million people marched in the streets today, we might be able to accomplish some things.

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    1. Dear Ed,
      Yes, the CIA was afraid of a revolution. I think citizens everywhere in the USA were afraid.What happened to the Occupy Wall Street protest? I don't hear anything about it any more. I could have joined it, but find that I'm just too lazy anymore to do much. I feel somewhat chagrined at myself for that. A little ashamed.

      Peace.

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  18. I was a young married woman with a small child when Kent State happened, Dee, and we didn't have TV. But I heard it on the BBC radio news and saw the pictures in the newspapers and was shocked and sickened by what had happened. I've done my share of protesting since then, but have never been threatened by guns or even dogs in the process. You are a very strong and determined woman, Dee.

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  19. Dear Perpetua,
    Thank you for your kind words. I read a blog by a grandmother who stands in silence each week to witness to the possibilities of peace. She inspires me and yet I don't seem as determined as I used to be. Here's her blog if you'd like to look at it:

    http://buildingordinary.blogspot.com

    Peace.

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  20. Being younger than you by 10 years I was still very immature at that time. Further more my dad died suddenly in '62 leaving me, eldest, to prop up my mom from her dark places and give support to my siblings and newly immigrated paternal grandpa and aunt who also had a huge loss. By 1973 Buddy came along and that pointed me in a whole new direction, help for those with cognitive disabilities. He became a first in many public places where a Down syndrome person was considered a mongolian devil thing to be hidden away.
    As elders now we are able to share and reflect. Looking back now with what we've learned can point us to a good place if we accept our actions.
    Your posts are taking us on a well traveled life your journey and it's a fascinating one..

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  21. As always, I am amazed by your experiences, Dee. You have managed to live in the thick of things, and you were so incredibly brave. I remember Kent state, and was a passive resister of the the war. I had friends from high school who didn't come home from Viet Nam, and friends who came home in wheel chairs. But, I wasn't as brave as you. I only protested with candle vigils, and marches, lost in the crowd.

    I admire your bravery and commitment to your beliefs.

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  22. And there were demonstrations in every city in Canada. I joined the one in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This 'event' at Kent State changer everything.
    You know Dee, I feel things in our 'western world' are beginning to show very similar signs as were shown back in the 60's. I really believe that there is going to be another 'revolution' of thinking and perspective and hopefully not violence. People are angry again.

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  23. Hi Dee, What happened at Kent State is a sad day in American history. I pray it is never repeated.

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  24. How wonderful it is that older people of that time believed, even more than their children, that the war was a mistake. I remember talking with one father of a soldier at that time. He believed, like the man you mention here, that we needed the war to help the economy. Without the war, he said, people would stop buying refrigerators.

    I wondered then, and still wonder, what the world would be like if we spent all that war-making money on making peace.

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