MditB: The Olive-Drab Rebels: Military Organizing During The Vietnam Era
maydayinthebay.dyndns.org

Like, that's what dedicated anti-imperialist organizing looks like. Like, if any of you folks in modern anti-imperialist orgs are doing this right now, my hat's off to you. This kind of bravery is really incredible.

Socialist Workers Party continued to send in members, and at Fort Jackson in 1969 was able to create an organization called GIs United. This group contained a number of very capable organizers, and in March they succeeded in holding a large open meeting on base to rap about the war and racism. Over 100 GIs participated in this free-floating rap session, and the brass moved swiftly to bring the organizers up on charges.

As well, there's evidence of less well documented organizing:

During the summer of 1968 troops were put on alert for possible use at the Democratic convention in Chicago, and 43 Black GIs at Fort Hood held an all-night demonstration declaring their intention to refuse any such orders. This was a harbinger of continued discontent among black soldiers. During the summer of 1969 black GIs in the 3rd Cavalry Division at Fort Lewis walked out of riot control classes en masse, and the brass were so anxious to avoid an incident that they let it pass.

all in all, resistance from within the military during the Vetinam war was incredible:

By 1969 entire units were refusing orders. Company A of the 21st Infantry Division and units of the 1st Air Cavalry Division refused to move into battle. By 1970 there were 35 separate combat refusals in the Air Cavalry Division alone. At the same time, physical attacks on officers, known as "fraggings", became widespread, 126 incidents in 1969 and 271 in 1970. ... From January of '67 to January of '72 a total of 354,112 GIs left their posts without permission, and at the time of the signing of the peace accords 98,324 were still missing.

The Vietnam war wasn't ended by protests, it was ended by organizing and insurrection from within the ranks and fierce resistance by the NLF.

:amerikkka:

  • Nagarjuna [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    There is a common misconception that it was draftees who were the most disaffected elements in the military. In fact, it was often enlistees who were most likely to engage in open rebellion. Draftees were only in for two years, went in expecting the worst, and generally kept their heads down until they got out of uniform. While of course many draftees went AWOL and engaged in group resistance when it developed, it was enlistees who were most angry and most likely to act on that anger. For one thing, enlistees were in for three or four years; even after a tour of duty in Nam they still had a long stretch left in the service. For another thing, they went in with some expectations, generally with a recruiter's promise of training and a good job classification, often with an assurance that they wouldn't be sent to Vietnam. When these promises weren't kept, enlistees were really pissed off. A study commissioned by the Pentagon found that 64% of chronic AWOLs during the war years were enlistees,

    Enlisted men left their post more often than draftees. There are for sure reasons the military moved to an all volunteer force, but resistance was throughout the whole military.

    • SocialistWombat [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      For another thing, they went in with some expectations, generally with a recruiter’s promise of training and a good job classification, often with an assurance that they wouldn’t be sent to Vietnam

      Man, recruiters never change huh

      • Nagarjuna [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Proportionally, draftees left their post more often, but wars aren't ended by proportions, they're ended by total numbers. Both draftees and enlistees were defecting and rebelling in similar numbers.

        Also remember that enlistees were less likely to be sent to Vietnam, and so the proportion may have been fairly similar.