[picture: Vietnam vet throwing his medals back to the government. The government placed a fence and guards at the steps of the Capitol to keep out protesters]
On Friday morning, the final day of the demonstration, the veterans lined up and marched to the Capitol Building. By now the number had grown to over 1000. Once at the Capitol they placed a sign marked “Trash” on a statue. One by one each vet approached the statue and a microphone. The vets told their names, their units, and many made statements against the war; then, angrily, they threw their war medals over the fence at the statue and at the Capitol Building itself.
One veteran threw away his nine Purple Hearts. Another threw over the fence a can he used as a result of a war injury. And on and on it went. Discharge papers, Silver Stars, Bronze Stars, Purple hearts. In all, literally thousands of medals were thrown back at the government that had sent each of the veterans to fight for the US ruling class. Never before had such a demonstration occurred by war veterans. It was unprecedented in the history of the country that veterans protested in such a unified and dramatic way their opposition to a war that was still raging on the other side of the world.
The sentiments of the vets was expressed best by one veteran who tossed his medals away and stated: “If we have to fight again, it will be to take these steps.”
Operation Dewey Canyon III in April 1971
QueerAnarchism 