Monday, May 4, 2009

Faces of War part II

Vietnam War-Lifehouse, storm
WARNING: This Video contains graphic images..

In this video you can the faces of innocent people trying to safe them self and their family.

Dioxin Victims


The Dioxin Victimes ( The Vietnam War)
In this video you can see the side effects that the dioxin cause to these children, they were not in direct contact with the herbicide but their parents were.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

THE FACES OF WAR


This picture its the most shocking of all the pictures and videos I have seen of the Vietnam War. this children running for their lives, some naked like this girl in the center of the picture, they are just trying to find some place safe to hide. I can feel the pain in this children with just looking their faces and crying, wondering where their parents are if they are alive. I wonder how many of this kids survive the war. I hope that all of them had survive.

In Vietnam, Old Foes Take Aim at War's Toxic Legacy - washingtonpost.com

In Vietnam, Old Foes Take Aim at War's Toxic Legacy - washingtonpost.com: "Push for Compensation

This is the legacy that the Vietnam war leave behind, children with discapacities and disform. In 1991, Congress authorized assistance for American veterans believed to be suffering from dioxin (Agent Orange) side effects. The legislation noted that conclusive links between illness and the agent remained unknown, that allowed the United States to effectively sidestep a de facto admission of guilt in Vietnam and avoid offering compensation to Vietnamese Victims.

One group of victims has already made a push for compensation, filing a lawsuit in New York against the chemical companies that produce Agent Orange. The Vietnamese case was dismissed last year, but an appeal hearing is expected next month. I think that the best thing United States should do is give this innocent people the help they need, almost all the ones that are suffering this side effect are children who were not in the war, but they got contaminated because of their parents exposure to the dioxin.

The Veterans of the Vietnam War Resistance - Pt. II: Film

In reference to my previous post, I will post video segments of film documentaries based upon the events of VVAW and various Vietnam War resistance.

This is in regard to the event titled Winter Soldier Investigation, as I touched upon in the post just prior. The documentary was filmed on 16mm, and goes by the same name as the event. The documentary describes the events which took place in Detroit, Michigan, from January 31st to February 2nd, 1971. The film documents the accounts of United States soldiers returned from Vietnam, and participated in the war crimes hearing. (Here is the Wikipedia article on the documentary: Winter Soldier (Documentary)

The trailer for the documentary is hosted on the web. Here is the video I found of Winter Soldier, from 1972:




In addition, the film titled The Quiet Mutiny, by journalist John Pilger, was filmed throughout Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and highlights "disillusioned" soldiers' accounts and perspectives on the trials of the war. It was compiled and produced in 1970-71.
It is hosted in 3, ten-minute segments on the web. Below are those 3 segments.

The Quiet Mutiny:

Part 1 -



Part 2 -



Part 3 -





If the resistance to war harbors any importance to you, if the truth of what the U.S. Military does, and the accuracy of its war crimes interests you in the slightest, these films are exceptionally significant. While many films resisting and protesting the Vietnam War were censored or removed from public reach, they are here in essence. They are not to be neglected.


Michael

The Veterans of the Vietnam War: Truth And Resistance to War Crimes

Recently, I have uncovered a number of organizations formed and operated by Vietnam veterans, which are for the abolishing of war. They are not pacifistic, however, they are anti-war. The most significant in my studies has been that of VVAW, or Vietnam Veterans Against the War. This is a non-profit, tax exempt organization and corporation. It was originally organized in order to protest progressively the Vietnam War, and essentially, all war which conflicts with American public through discourse in the media. This group of Vietnam veterans desires campaigning for peace, justice, and the rights of U.S. military veterans of all wars. The VVAW publishes a biannual newsletter, The Veteran. VVAW is considered one of the most influential anti-war organizations of the Vietnam era, and led many significant protest movements and actions during the 60's and 70's.

Among their organized events, the Operation RAW detailed:

"During the Labor Day weekend of September 4-7, 1970, Operation RAW ("Rapid American Withdrawal") took place. It was a three day protest march from Morristown, NJ, to Valley Forge State Park by over 200 veterans. They were joined by members of "Nurses for Peace" and other peace groups. Dressed in combat fatigues and carrying toy weapons, the march was designed to dramatize a Vietnam-type search and destroy mission to the Middle America they passed through. Upon entering each town along the march, sweeps were made, prisoners taken and interrogated, property seized and homes cleared with the assistance of previously planted "guerrilla theater" actors portraying civilians. The 86 mile long march culminated in a four hour rally at Valley Forge that over 1,500 people attended. The honorary commander during this event was retired Army Brigadier General Hugh B. Hester. Sponsors included Senators George McGovern and Edmund Muskie, Rep. John Conyers, Paul O'Dwyer, Mark Lane, and Donald Sutherland. Scheduled speakers were John Kerry, Joe Kennedy, Rev. James Bevel, Mark Lane, Jane Fonda, and Sutherland. Congressman Allard Lowenstein, Mike Lerner, and Army First Lt. Louis Font also spoke."

and one of exceptional, historical importance, the VVAW organized event titled, Winter Soldier. The VVAW's Winter Soldier was intended to highlight the morality of Vietnam War American soldiers, and challenge the conduct of American military policy, and those positions when compaired with crimes of war in Vietnam. The event took place over the course of three days, with some 109 Vietnam veterans, and 16 civilizians congregating in Detroit, MI. Discharged servicemen from each branch of military service, including; civilian contractors, medical personnel and academics; all gave testimony about war crimes they had committed or witnessed during the years of 1963-1970 in Vietnam and surrounding Asian territories.

Through organizations and corporations aimed at the removal of all war, mankind is one step closer to its renouncment of all forms of violent warfare. The Vietnam War era was significantly affected by the VVAW, and their brother and sister organizations of similar intent.

Below is a picture of veterans protesting the Vietnam War at the capital, and a pamphlet of the VVAW from 1970 in opposition to the War:



VVAW Pamphlet (1970)



Michael

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Khe Sahn


The bodies of US Marines lie half buried on Hill 689, west of Khe Sanh, in 1968. The siege at Khe Sanh was one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the war.
Nearly 60,000 US soldiers died in Vietnam with over 300,000 injured.
For the Vietnamese, though, the figure was far higher with estimates of over half a million killed and many millions wounded.
Images like these cannot be easily forgotten by Vietnam veterans. Seeing the men you fought with, friends that kept you sane and safe, half burried in a hill of dirt.