From The Living Archives Of Boston Veterans For Peace-They Ain't
Your Grandfather's Veterans-The Threat Posed By The Alt-Right Trying To Bust Up
May Day 2017 In Boston-This Is Our Day-Learn The Lessons Of History
[Ralph Morris who has lived in Troy, New York most of his life,
been raised there and raised his own family there, went to war, the bloody,
horrendous Vietnam War which he has made plain many times he will never live
down, never get over what he did, what he saw others do, and most importantly
for the long haul, what his evil government did with no remorse to people in
that benighted country with whom he had no quarrel never was much for
organizations, joining organizations when he was young until he came up a group
formed in the fire of the Vietnam War protests -Vietnam Veteran Against the War
(VVAW) which he joined after watching a contingent of them pass by in silent
march protesting the war in downtown Albany one fall afternoon. Somebody in
that contingent with a microphone called out to any veterans observing the
march who had had enough of war, had felt like that did to “fall in” (an old
army term well if bitterly remembered). He did and has never looked back
although for the past many years his affiliation has been with a subsequent anti-war
veterans’ group Veterans for Peace.
Sam Eaton, who has lived in Carver, Massachusetts, most of his
life, been raised there and raised his own family there, and did not go to war.
Did not go for the simple reason that due to a severe childhood accident which
left him limping severely thereafter he was declared no fit for military duty,
4-F the term the local draft board used. He too had not been much for
organizations, joining organizations when he was young. That is until his best
friend from high school, Jeff Mullins, died in hell-hole Vietnam and before he
had died asked Sam that if anything happened to him to let the world that he
had done things, had seen others do things, and most importantly for the long
haul, what his evil government did with no remorse to people in that benighted
country with whom he had no quarrel. As part of honoring Jeff’s request after
Sam found out about his death he was like a whirling dervish joining one
anti-war action after another, joining one ad hoc group, each more radical than
the previous one as the war ground away, ground all rational approach vapid,
let nothing left but to go left, until the fateful day when he met Ralph down
in Washington, D.C.
That was when both in their respective collectives, Ralph in VVAW
and Sam in Cambridge Red Front, were collectively attempting one last desperate
effort to end the war by closing down the government if it would not shut down
the war. All they got for their efforts were tear gas, police batons, and
arrest bracelets and a trip to the bastinado which was the floor of Robert F.
Kennedy stadium which is where they would meet after Sam noticed Ralph’s VVAW
pin and told him about Jeff and his request. That experience would form a
lasting friendship including several years ago Sam joining Ralph’s Veterans for
Peace as a supporter, an active supporter still trying to honor his long- gone
friend’s request and memory.
No one least of all either of them would claim they were
organizing geniuses, far from it but over the years they participated, maybe
even helped organize many anti-war events. One day their friend, Josh Breslin,
who writes a by-line at this publication, and who is also a veteran asked them
to send some of events they had participated in here to form a sort of living
archives of the few remaining activist groupings in this country, in America
who are still waging the struggle for peace.
Periodically, since we are something of a clearing house and
historic memory for leftist activities, we will put their archival experiences
into our archives. As mentioned above Sam and Ralph “met” each other down in
Washington, D.C. during the May Day anti-war demonstrations of 1971 when out of
desperation clots of anti-war radicals, veterans and civilians alike, tried
unsuccessfully to shut down the government if it would not shut down the war.
They “met,” their in forever quotation marks not mine, on the floor of Robert F.
Kennedy football stadium after they had been arrested along with members of
their respective collectives, Ralph’s VVAW and Sam’s Red Front Brigade after
getting nothing but tear gas, police batons and a ride in the paddy wagon for
their efforts. What they were doing, what for each of the them, according to
Josh Breslin who met them shortly after they got “sprung,” also then a member
of VVAW and also arrested by had been held in a D.C. city jail, were their
first acts of civil disobedience. The first of a long time of such actions
which is the lead in to the archival material presented in this piece.
Josh, who introduced the pair to me several years ago when I
first came on board to manage the day to day operations of this publication
after Allan Jackson, aging and ready to retire, brought me on board for that
purpose so he could work on where the publication was heading. He mentioned the
Washington action as their calling card although then, in 1971, I was about a
decade too young to have realized what they were doing and how important it was
for their future political trajectories, their political commitments to “fight
the monster,” their term, on the questions of war and peace and other social
issues. Not have realized, not having done any such actions how important civil
disobedience, or the threat of such actions was, is to their political
perspectives.
[By the way, as Josh was at pains under pressure from Ralph and
Sam, to report to me that May Day action was not the first attempt by either
man to “get arrested,” to “put their bodies on the line” as Sam articulated it
to me one night when we were putting this piece together. May Day was just the
first time when the cops, National Guard, Regular Army was willing, with a
vengeance, to take them up on the offer. Both men had tried repeatedly to get
arrested “sitting down” at their respective local draft boards in Carver and
Troy in order to warn off young men on signing up for the draft. Maybe it was
the nature of the times but the local police would not arrest them.]
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Hello John Hollis and all-I read the BMDC evaluation minutes of
the event on May Day and note the alt-right problem. We in VFP have some
experience with what we call peacekeeping so we should be in contact any time
we have events these days. If the alt-right thinks it can disrupt us on our day
May Day (taking a page from the Nazis in the late 1920s when all hell was
breaking loose in Germany and street fighting was the norm on May Day) then we
had better assume they will show in whatever force at any public events. Dan Lane
and I were in attendance but had prior commitments so would could not stay but
it sounds like the alt-right kept up their harassment and disruption after we
left until the Copley Square rally . We need to be better prepared no question.
VFP and others are doing the Safety team for the Poor Peoples
Campaign next Monday May 14th and will hold a training session at
noon at the Church on the Hill if anybody is available or interested. Contact
VFP coordinator Dan Lane at danlane@yahoo.com if interested.
I note that there was some question about the keynote speaker and whatever
connection the PPC has with Unilever but that should not extend to defending
our own, the PPC supporters when the alt-right shows up.
If not the 14th then we should keep in contact around
this issue since the alt-right with the wind in its sails is not going away and
we have to right now not give them a “victory” by letting their provocations
ruin our events with an unwanted confrontation. At some point that might be the
case but for now we have to contain them and not let them have a recruiting
tool. Later Allan Jackson
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