Few people today even know that there was a robust GI Movement, or that it had grown so large by 1971 that the Pentagon felt it was necessary to begin pulling ground troops out. The book and the exhibit, both called Waging Peace in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans who Opposed the War, is much more than a tribute to those who expressed their patriotism as Americans by saying NO.
Today, a new generation of conservative historians is trying to revive the discredited premise that the U.S. could have won if only the military was allowed to bomb Vietnam back to the Stone Age. We need to let scholars, students, and the general public know that thousands of our soldiers, sailors, and pilots were refusing to fight, sail, and fly more bombing missions. People need to know that active-duty soldiers and veterans had a profound effect on the antiwar movement, and on the war itself.
Young activists, in particular, can draw inspiration from this nearly-hidden story. If GIs and veterans could organize successfully in the middle of that war, today’s young activists can use their skills, passion, and numbers to effect change.
The Waging Peace exhibit and book tell this story through essays, oral histories, photographs, documents, and the pages of the underground press, written by and for active-duty GIs.
See these two great reviews of the exhibit from the Guardian and USA Today.
Pre-order the Waging Peace book through this link: https://nyupress.org/9781613321065/waging-peace-in-vietnam/
Fall 2019 Schedule of Exhibit Venues and Book Launch Events
Boston, Mass. September 3 – 20, 2019, UMass Boston. Reception and book launch: Thurs., Sept. 12, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m., Grossman Gallery, 5th Floor Healey Library. (Parking available in West Garage.) Intergenerational Veterans Panel Discussion: Wed., Sept. 18, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m., Campus Center, 2nd Floor. Boston events sponsored by the William Joiner Institute; UMass Boston; and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Contact Mitch.Manning@umb.edu for more information.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. War Remnants Museum, September 2019 – March 2020. Reception and Book launch September 20, 2019
Amherst, Mass. September 23 – October 11, 2019, UMass Amherst. Reception and Book Launch: Friday, Sept. 27. Symposium: Friday, October 11. Amherst events sponsored by UMass-Amherst History Department, the Program in Public History, the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, the Program in Comparative Literature, the Writing Program, the Massachusetts Review, and well as the School of Humanities and Fine Arts.
New York City. October 13 – 25, 2019. Book Launch October 15. Check back for more details.
Washington, D.C. November 11 – December 12, 2019. George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs. Reception and book launch: Monday, Nov. 11, 5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Second Floor Atrium, Elliott School, 1957 E Street, N.W.
Spring 2020: Exhibit travels to Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles
For more information or to schedule an event, contact RonCarver100@gmail.com