By Stephen S. Noetzel, Vietnam Veteran Against the War AGAIN
Their signature banner read: IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR!
The PAST (Sunday Reunion #1, August 29, 2004.)
Funny how most of them haven't changed all that much….in over thirty years "on the barricades". I could already spot them on the subway platform at 23rd Street, as we emerged into the brilliant morning sunshine, of a typical Manhattan Dog-Day of August.
But obviously, they were showing their years; in fact, more than their years. Despite having grown "rotund", most of the Grizzled Vets still managed to squeeze into the remnants of the bestraggled uniform "artifacts" they had saved….for important Protest Events, for many years, even decades. Tattered and faded military shirts, hats & vests…festooned with ironic mixtures of Military and Peace Movement Insignia. The same stuff they wore when they took over the Mall, in Washington DC, in the spring of '71 when they emerged as the heroes of the Anti-War movement. The Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
And I was right there with them. Wearing my wool Green Beret; modified only slightly, to announce my Political Stance while at the same time stopping the beads of sweat trying to roll off my now bald head. Instead of the regulation Special Forces Patch that originally commanded attention directly over the left eye, there was a round Veterans for Peace "Patch", splashed with the red/yellow colors of Vietnam; yet held in place by my original 5th Special Forces Pin….with it's swaggering Logo-Phrase written in Ironic Latin: "De Oppresso Liber". Liberator of the Oppressed, my ass. Like all of the Old Experienced Ones who have been through the fires of the Anti War struggles for decades, I knew better.
So we marshaled on 22nd Street in the heat, for One Last Parade. For 2 hours we waited at the head of the "Line of March", while politicians and celebrities made speeches in front of us, and a half million Protestors against the Bush War Machine gathered behind us. We carried our signs aloft:
IRAQ is ARABIC for VIETNAM.
Vietnam Veterans Against the War - AGAIN!
Vietnam Vets Action Plan: Job 1; Fire BUSH; Job 2: EXIT IRAQ.
And mine: Vietnam Vets for Kerry - LOVED him in '71; Support him in '04
The same No Apology sentiments we've pronounced unabashedly….for over 30 years. As the Line of March "stepped off" at noon, one could read it all in the eyes of the spectators pressed to the far side of the barricades. From the under 40 crowd; "Wow…Cool….Look at Those Guys". From the other side of 40, a somber closed-mouth slight nodding of the head. Déjà vu, all over again.
But there WAS something new…."walking point" at the very head of the parade. Carried by a small squad of clean-cut YOUNG American men, their signature banner read: IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR!
For these guys….a universal cheer….and a Standing Ovation from the sidelines. And they deserve it. Given the heretofore unprecedented and (not very) veiled threat of Governmental Retaliation, the young band of Veterans of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" strode forward with the Military Posture and the serious faces that only hinted at the courage required to make their Statement. But make it they did…."in spades" for all the world to see.
We were proud to march behind them. For us, they represented the very soul of our life-long sentiment; articulated anew. We marched the Parade Route together. Two Generations; One message: Peace. NOW!
By 2pm the Front line of the massive Protest Parade had reached the terminus at Union Square. It was hot; energy flagged, and the Vets, young and old, were looking for "R&R". They pulled the rumpled handbills from their pockets, and re-read their "orders".
VETS REUNION…..at SUMMIT ROCK; 1700 hours in Central Park!
LET'S TAKE THE HIGH GROUND!
This INVITATION goes out primarily to ALL the VVAW troops…but also just as warmly to Vets for Peace, VVA, Citizen Soldiers…COs, Deserters, Just Plain Ole' Vets, Vet Groupies, and most assuredly to members/Potential Members of the (brand New) IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR.
On Sunday afternoon, after the parade, there will be a VETS REUNION at SUMMIT ROCK….Highest point in Central Park. (WEST SIDE of the park…between 81st and 85th Street).
It's quiet & "private", with nice shade trees. Pack in your MREs. Make your Pit Stop before you climb to HIGH GROUND! We will Leave No Trace. We Field-Strip everything we smoke.
No Speeches….no Circus….no Politicians…..no Headliners. A PERFECT PLACE for a GRAND REUNION OF VETERANS, families, friends. A place to hug….in private. A place to tell War Stories….from Day's Gone By.
It's about COMING TOGETHER….ONE MORE TIME! Nothing more than that. Whaddaya say??? Shall we TAKE THE HIGH GROUND together?
The PRESENT (Sunday Reunion #2)
Truth be told, no one knew if anyone would show. It was WAY uptown. A tricky subway ride followed by a search in the park, to find the unmarked Summit Rock. But they are still vets, still self-sufficient, resourceful, and still dependable. By 5:15pm there were 85 of us "falling out…..at ease" under the leafy shade trees at Summit Rock.
A magical mixture of Vets and Their Own. "Where you in from?" Minneapolis, Iowa, Seattle, San Francisco, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Upstate New York, Brooklyn. The Old Guard…comparing notes. "Were you at Dewey Canyon III in D.C. ?" "Sure was, but I had long hair back then". (Duhhhh) "Were you in the Hearing Room with Kerry when he testified before Senator Fulbright?" "Negative…I was still in The Nam. Got back in '72 and joined VVAW as soon as I got back to The World".
And the inevitable "gear talk". "What's that Body Armor like?" "Hot as a mother. Gotta have it. Gave some of our extras to Reserve Unit Joes". "Gave em? Hell our unit was buyin' them from the Cops, before we left home!" And among the young vets of Iraq, a deep, universal distain for the US Contractors and Corporate Mercenary Troops…."gettin rich on our blood".
Also the inevitable Speech. No PA system, but one grizzled ex-Marine climbs a shelf-rock and yells out "Let's hear it for IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR!". Joe goes on to cite the Announcement of the Founding of IVAW…."7/24/04, in Boston Mass!" "Come on up here Mike, and say a few words". This call interrupts a historic moment, taking place just a few yards away. Mike Hoffman, founder of Iraq Veterans Against the war, is engaged in quiet conversation, with the ever understated Jan Barry, founder of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The Passing of the Torch.
Then Mike is up on the natural "stage" of Summit Rock. He's introducing additional members of IVAW, and thanking the Vietnam Vets for their Inspiration and Mentorship. Each of the New Vets takes their turn at "a few words for the brothers". Their confidence and polish is immediately evident. "Just like you guys", says one, "….we are growing like wildfire….because, like yours, our leadership has failed us, and our cause is JUST". "Just like you guys", says another, "….we answered The Bell, and did our job. Now it's time for THEM to do right by US!".
Dave Cline says a few words to define the Moment. Like many old Vietnam Vets, he recognized long ago, that the Invasion of Iraq had DEEP parallels with our sad mis-adventure in Vietnam. For starters, yet another immoral, illegal war. He's been working tirelessly since the very start of the Bombing of Baghdad, to bring the collective experience of VVAW to the grunts in uniform, doing the dirty work of our Government, in the heat, and sand, and chaos, that is Iraq. "The torch is being passed", says Dave. "Right here, Right now, my long-time dream is coming true, and the Torch is being PASSED!". A mighty cheer arises in Central Park. When it's over, Dave has a Post Script for us all.
"That doesn't mean your job is done…." He shouts to the Old Vets within earshot. "….You're not 'Retired' yet! We've still got work to do. We are Still in Service, and we need to continue to support these guys, and ALL the troops still over there, and Bring them back Alive….and Right NOW!"
Dave closed his remarks with a call for a Moment of Silence for the Fallen. The Extended Line of Fallen. From Vietnam to Iraq. The warriors doing their job for Dubious Leaders, cowering in safety. The civilian populations, who couldn't find safe haven. In that moment of silence, the Torch was being passed.
A few more vets said a few more words. A Vietnam Vet from San Francisco told everyone about how the IVAW movement was growing on the West Coast, and how Seasoned Vets were mentoring Iraq vets back there. A few words were spoken by Parents of Troops in Iraq right now. Anxious words that promised to swell the ranks of these new Winter Soldiers….if they can only make it back home, alive.
To close the Reunion, the assembled vets huddled together, young and old, while loved ones and Media snapped photos of history. The Torch won't be visible in those photos, but it sure as hell was there. You had to be there, to FEEL it being passed….from one generation to another.
By 7:30pm the High Ground Reunion was breaking up. The vets were hungry, and looking forward to the Evening Event. The day was already long and hot….and there was still one more Reunion to attend…..tonight.
The FUTURE (Sunday Reunion #3)
The final Vets and Friends contingent re-assembled at 9pm; back again in Lower Manhattan. A young crowd lined the sidewalk outside Joes Pub in the Park….at New York's famous Public Theatre, at Astor Place. It was to be a Concert for Peace, presented by a cooperative of many artists, performing during the week, to raise funds for numerous groups dedicated to Peace, and Regime Change in the US of A.
Tonight, Singer-Songwriter Stephan Smith was performing to raise funds for IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR. Before the venue doors were opened to the ticket holding public, the manager opened the entry gate to escort in our group of perhaps 25 Vets, Friends, and Military Families. We took seats at tables just under the lip of the stage. As we settled into our seats and ordered libations, the venue filled with hip New Yorkers, and visitors from everywhere.
Stephan Smith opened his show with a solo performance of his new anti-war song "THE BELL". Tall and lanky, he was Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dillon combined….at 25 years of age. The song lyrics were moving, but his rap after The Bell touched everyone. Most of the audience (including me) had no idea when he started, that Stephan was "Half Iraqi". He explained that indeed MOST of his family lived in Baghdad. Moreover he was especially worried about them just now because he hasn't been able to get in touch with them for almost two weeks; whereas previous contact was almost every other day. We all felt the tension and anxiety as he sang another song or two about the destruction of the land of his ancestors.
After these introductory songs, Stephan introduced VVAW leader Dave Cline, who in turn introduced THREE of the Founding Members of IVAW. Primary founder Michael Hoffman, took the stage, along with xxxxx, and xxxxxx.
The audience grew stone quiet as Mike told the story of his Introduction to Iraq. "The truest words I've ever heard", he said….were told to him and his Marine platoon, on the night before they embarked for their Mission in Iraq. Hoffman recalled the speech almost verbatim:
"I want you guys to know why we're going over there….and why we're NOT going over there", said his battle seasoned Platoon Sergeant. "….I want you all to get this straight. We are NOT going over there to get Saddam Hussein. We are NOT going over there for Regime Change….or to 'Free' the people of Iraq". "We are NOT going over there to capture Weapons of Mass Destruction. There are none, and we won't find any. Marines, we are going to Iraq for one reason, and one reason only…..and THAT reason is OIL."
But "gunny" wasn't done yet. "….and there are TWO REASONS, and two reasons only….why you are going to go over there and do your duty. The FIRST reason, is that you signed a contract with the US Government. That contract says that you will GO anywhere we send you; that you will DO anything we tell you to do, and
That you will perform your job, as we define it, for as long as we tell you to do it". "That is your Contractual Obligation".
"Second" he continued….."….you will go there to protect the back of your buddy. An HE is going over there to protect yours. THAT'S how a UNIT works. Everyone trains, everyone goes, everyone does their job, and no one shirks. We do our JOB, and we ALL come back together; the living and the dead."
The audience pulled forward to the edge of their seats, as the naked truth of this "most truthful speech" hit home to every listener. We "veteran" Vets nodded our heads in silence. Hard Core….. we've all heard them before. But solid. We veterans respect these Warrior Masters. They are what makes an army work. No justification required. No hyperbole. No Hype. Just the truth….and it works. Men go to die for those words; but they hit like thunder to an audience of protected civilians.
After his introductory "bombshell", Hoffman passed the microphone to another young vet….to continue their Raison D'Etere Message.
"So yes….we went to Iraq and we fulfilled our contractual obligation. Every last piece of it. We did our job, ands with little or no complaint. We endured the heat, the chaos, the lack of clear command strategy, and the lack of adequate equipment".
"We did what was asked of us, and more….and all the while we watched our buddies back. Sometimes, the best we could do was not enough. The casualties we took were not about our commitment to Watching our Buddies Backs….but more about a lack of overall protection by the command structure above us."
The third young vet put the "lock" on the argument. "We want it to be perfectly clear to all. By forming IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR….we are not turning our backs on our Contract, OR our Mission.
Quite the contrary. By telling our story of a War Gone Wrong….we are STILL covering the backs of our buddies. We are STILL protecting them….by calling for an immediate end to the Occupation, and the safe return of each and every precious life. In short, we Continue, in our Mission!"
The presentation could have ended right there. The audience at Joes Pub was sold. These guys were On the Right Track, and courageous young patriots to boot. But there was more to come. There was a live telephone hook-up….primitive as it was, from yet another Veteran of Iraq, who wanted to tell his story, to the 250 people gathered at the Pub. A clumsy old Desk Phone was dragged out from backstage. It was switched on to Speaker Mode. While one vet held the phone aloft, another held the House Mike above the Speaker Phone. It was exquisitely Low Tech to be sure, but everyone could hear XXXXXX loud and clear.
"Let me tell you all about MY Iraq" he began, "….but I want everyone to help me out. I want each and every one of you listening to close your eyes tightly, and come with me on Patrol in Iraq. We are all standing at a bend in a road, just outside Baghdad. A whole Platoon of us; eighty strong, or more. We are the last Checkpoint in Perimeter Security. And it is black as ink. As black as it is when you shut your eyes tight. No moonlight, no shadows, no ambient light from anywhere. And suddenly in the distance, the flickering of headlights. A vehicle is approaching. No one needs to issue an order. We are at the ready in an instant. Fingers silently slide the safety switches off…on dozens of rifles. No light at all is needed to adjust the feed for the machine guns. Fear and anticipation are palpable, but not a word is spoken. The vehicle headlights move ever closer. It crosses and imaginary Yellow Line, and now you can hear it's engine as it moves ever closer. A brave Marine steps out to the edge of the road, and throws up a hand in an unmistakable sign of HALT! Or is it a sign of Greeting. We've been told it's a common sign of greeting out here. Whatever. The Brave Marine steps back into the safety of the formation. He's no longer silhouetted by the left headlight; no longer in the line of fire….from either the vehicle, or from his own platoon. And the damn vehicle just keeps on commin! It crosses an imaginary (but fatal) Red Line. The riflemen hear only one word of the two-word command…..OPEN…."
"….The soft silent night is shredded with the ear splitting clatter of gunfire. The glass of the headlights shatter, the target is dark in an instant. But no light is needed. The range has been found, as a thousand steel jacket bullets are loosed. The target is riddled like a scene out of 'Bonnie & Clyde". Now there are powerful spotlights and flares, and all can see that the vehicle poses no further threat. The barrage of gunfire abates, and our Marines move cautiously toward the carnage; rifles pointed 'at ready'. The search is swift, and frantic, but thorough. Dead bodies are pulled from the car. An old man from the driver's seat. Two women; three children. All killed in an instant. But the frantic search continues. Young soldiers gulp for oxygen in the thick night air…as they pull apart the car seats, the floorboards, the trunk. Looking frantically for a Justification for Murder. A rifle….explosives….a bomb…..For Christ's sake….Please God….ANYTHING! But there is nothing. Only blood, shattered glass, and shattered bodies".
There was dead silence in Joe's Pub….perhaps a faint "no". The vets holding the phone in the spotlight let their heads droop to their chest. The audience gasped and swallowed hard….trying to hold back tears while simultaneously trying to swallow a lump in the throat. The telephone voice returned:
"…..That was MY Iraq." "But not only mine. It's happened many times over. It's what's known as Collateral Damage". Then: "Thank you for listening to my story. Help us bring our troops home NOW".
The evening went on….the concert continued. Stephan sang "Slash and Burn", and more. But the Phone Call kept burning deeper into the consciousness of every person in the room. For each and every person who witnessed the Passing of the Torch, in Joe's Pub…on the evening of that historic day; that Phone Call became and Endless Loop in our Constant Awareness. It cannot be escaped.
We must help these brave young men carry the torch of truth We must help them complete their Mission. We must stop the carnage, and bring their comrades home to safety.
Yours for an America to Love Again
Stephen S. Noetzel, Vietnam Veteran Against the War AGAIN,
(back in) San Francisco, California