Most people learn about war, treason and consequences from the safety of a classroom or through the pages of a glossy textbook. There were however some who were forcibly removed from everything they knew and shot into the most gruesome job of man, war. This war was known as the Vietnam War but now it’s more commonly and maybe more realistically known as the unwinnable war. During this dollop of war time the government was not listening to it’s patrons. The government essentially put a blindfold on the public eye and told them to trust the system. But, maybe the government was the one wearing the blindfold. If they had listened to and read the rage that the angry citizens were spewing from their mouths maybe, just maybe, the war would’ve ended differently. What the citizens of the Vietnam War were going through and how life really was for them was documented through personal accounts, periodicals, art and more. It’s through those channels that we can learn the real people’s history.
As a country we have always had the draft as a backup plan or safety net but when it was put to use in the 1960’s it was all too real. Boys not a day older than 18 were up for grabs via their “patriotic duty” to protect the nation. Through the draft came draft dodgers who had limited means to escape this dreaded fate that was pushed on them before they ever had the chance to live. It was the first adult opportunity they had but was ultimately just another choice that was made for them. Around the nation there were a bunch of “18 -year-olds who had about one chance in ten of eventual exclusion from the draft”(“Escaping Draft” 1960). The rest of them didn’t stand a chance. If they didn’t go to war there were only a few options a young man had, “…like going to Canada, having a good lawyer, or being a moviestar”(Jaekel). Although these methods worked for some, these options weren’t available to “…a poor kid from Watts”(Jaekel). It was estimated that 1,430,000 men would reach draft age which was a huge increase compared to the previous years estimation of 1,290,000 (“Escaping Draft” 1960).
With all of these fresh new faces the army “requested a 3,000 increase in monthly draft calls”(“More Man Power Sought by Army” 1955). 3,000 young men? That doesn’t seem like a big number in the grand scheme of war but when you break it down from person to person the potential loss was extraordinary. Each one of those men had a family and a life to start. There was a time when the Army took “10,000 draftees a month” and if that draft increase was to be accepted the draft call would spike to 23,000 people a month(“More Man Power Sought by Army”1955). At this point in time the government only saw this increased number of men as a new army. They didn’t think about the potential casualties.
Besides the overwhelming dread that most young men felt, throughout the nation there were newspapers and periodicals that were speaking the truth. The papers were the voice of the people. They were filled border to border with political cartoons and opinions. Filled with stats about the opposition of the war they also featured pieces from organized groups that were created with the hope for peace and covered protests and strikes (Lamert). With all of these things going on it is easy to say that America during the time of the Vietnam War was a very chaotic and rebellious time. In 1959, Dr. Claude Bissell, President of the University of Toronto was hopeful that his students would go on and do great things in life with an adventurous spirit and great intellect. But, in the years that followed he drastically changed his opinion. In 1966 he said, “That escalation [in the draft] sparked an increase in anti-war sentiments around the country. Student demonstrations arose on college campuses; draft cards were burned; a few individuals even resorted to self-immolation as their final, dramatic protest”(Caron 28). That doesn’t seem like the same man. What changed were the college students that were no longer apathetic but became critical and committed to their beliefs. In 1964, “the Free Speech Movement was created to battle the administrative policies concerning student political activities”(Caron 2). As a way to gain their political freedom the were “massive rallies, sit-ins, and a strike that closed the University before the FSM’s objectives were won”(Caron 2). There is nothing more frightening than a college student who has been pushed too far.
For the citizens who were not in college but had just as much to say, they had the opportunity to write a letter to their local congressman. In 1964, tension was high in the town of Chico, California where John Jaekel was, assumably, vigorously writing a letter to the current senator of the time, Bizz Johnson. He raised a lot of questions about the chatter that he and the people of the nation had been hearing for years.
With all of these fresh new faces the army “requested a 3,000 increase in monthly draft calls”(“More Man Power Sought by Army” 1955). 3,000 young men? That doesn’t seem like a big number in the grand scheme of war but when you break it down from person to person the potential loss was extraordinary. Each one of those men had a family and a life to start. There was a time when the Army took “10,000 draftees a month” and if that draft increase was to be accepted the draft call would spike to 23,000 people a month(“More Man Power Sought by Army” 1955). At this point in time the government only saw this increased number of men as a new army. They didn’t think about the potential casualties.
Besides the overwhelming dread that most young men felt, throughout the nation there were newspapers and periodicals that were speaking the truth. The papers were the voice of the people. They were filled border to border with political cartoons and opinions. Filled with stats about the opposition of the war they also featured pieces from organized groups that were created with the hope for peace and covered protests and strikes (Lamert). With all of these things going on it is easy to say that America during the time of the Vietnam War was a very chaotic and rebellious time. In 1959, Dr. Claude Bissell, President of the University of Toronto was hopeful that his students would go on and do great things in life with an adventurous spirit and great intellect. But, in the years that followed he drastically changed his opinion. In 1966 he said, “That escalation [in the draft] sparked an increase in anti-war sentiments around the country. Student demonstrations arose on college campuses; draft cards were burned; a few individuals even resorted to self-immolation as their final, dramatic protest”(Caron 28). That doesn’t seem like the same man. What changed were the college students that were no longer apathetic but became critical and committed to their beliefs. In 1964, “the Free Speech Movement was created to battle the administrative policies concerning student political activities”(Caron 2). As a way to gain their political freedom the were “massive rallies, sit-ins, and a strike that closed the University before the FSM’s objectives were won”(Caron 2). There is nothing more frightening than a college student who has been pushed too far.(Jaekel). In his letter he states that,
“…You can always find someone to testify to anything you want testified to if you supply the “proper” motivation. Let’s face it, the military would be sorry indeed if it couldn’t make the draftees believe the “gobbledegook”(Jaekel).
He didn’t seem to have much faith in the government. This was a common opinion at this time because a lot of people didn’t believe in what the government was doing anymore. They didn’t trust them to make the right decisions. Right decisions meaning the decisions that were right for the American people not themselves. Jaekel states that he doesn’t trust the “officialesq gobbledegook” that is coming from Washington.
“This may sound abrasive but when one is the recipient of all the rot that has come out from Washington for the last several years and at the same time see the real facts coming through, one senses the ridiculous…the utter horror of sober men who can put out such mass misinformation. The meanwhile trying to justify their own ignorance or deceit as it may well be”(Jaekel).
Government always says that the people don’t know what they want and I’d have to agree. Most of us nowadays don’t do their homework but as for people in the 1960’s they wanted a voice. They had very real concerns and opinions in the war. So much so, that they took to writing to their local congressman. That is something that you wouldn’t see today. Now you might find a snarky comment on facebook but that’s about it.
The Vietnam War surely took its toll on the American people. I would like to think that during this time the government learned a lesson on listening to it’s people. This country was founded to escape oppression and it is easy to fall into a power trip thinking that one group without its people can know what is best. It is also easy for the government to forget that the only reason they have any power is because it was bestowed upon them by their people. America isn’t perfect and our history shows that. I believe however, that the American people will always see injustices and if necessary fight for real change. If the Unwinnable War gave us anything it gave us a stronger united people, political activists, tortured artists and revolutionists. A country could always use a little revolution every now and again.
Caron, Erin T. “Vietnam War Drama 1966-2008: American Theatrical Responses to the War and its Aftermath”. Diss. University of Southern California, 2010. ProQuest Dissertations &Theses database. Sat. 12 Sep. 2015.
Lambert, Bruce. “Vincent Copeland, 77, Is Dead; Led Anti-War Protests in 1960’s.” New York Times 10June 1993, sec. D: 23. Print.
Jaekel, John Letter to Congressman Harold T. Johnson.. 8 June 1967. Broome Library Harold T. Johnson Collection. Camarillo, CA. 25 August 2015. TS.
“Pentagon Estimates the Chances of 18-Year-Olds Escaping Draft.” New York Times 4 Oct. 1960. Print.
Quarter, Jack. (1970). “The Student Movement of the 1960’s: A Social-Psychological Analysis.”Phd thesis. University of Toronto. Sat. 12 Sep. 2015.
“More Man Power Sought by Army.” New York Times 24 Sept. 1955. Web. 14 Sept. 2015.
John Jaekel Letter to Congressman Harold T. Johnson. Personal photograph by author. 25 August 2015.
