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BRAGG BRIEFS
VOL.4 nog! DECEMBER 71 DONATIONS
THIS IS YOUR PERSONAL PROPERTY (AR 210-10).
ANYONE WHO TRIES TO TAKE IT FROM YOU IS COMMITTING A CRIME.
~ro UNITE
RACISM IN
es toe
GI's and civilians pass Fayettville' s Slave Market in march of solidarity
with the McClellan 138, The'Slave Warket is a (racist) civil way mon-
ument of this community.
Fort Bragg GI Union
Marches Against Racism
Scores of chanting GIs and«their
supporters ~marched through downtown
Fayetteville, becember llth, in a
spirited anti-racism demonstation.
(3) End to the army's unconstitu-
tional practice of pre-trial confine-
In solidarity with the 138 black ment, which puts countless GIs into
GIs and WACs arrested at Ft. McClellan stockades long before courts martial
last month, the GIs tried to bring are held or even proper charges are
home the issue of racism in the mil- filed.
itary to Ft. Bragg. They carried The anti-racism march began at
banners and placards reading: "Free Rowan St. Park and wound its way up
the McClellan 138," Racism: Tool Hay St. to the Slave Market, symbol
of the Brass," and "GIs Unite Against
War, Racism, Sexism," among other
slogans.
The demonstration was called on
short notice by the newly-formed
GI Union to focus ~immediate attention
on the McClellan uis still held in
the Bragg stockade. The demands of:
the demonstration were:
(1) Immediate release of those
of the 138 still in prison. Drop
charges against the McClellan GIs
and WACs.
(2) Immediate investigation and
action over racist; practices at Ft.
Bragg. Ind to housing discrimination
in Fayetteville.
oppression. The chanting, singing GIs
startled the heavy crowd of downtown.
Christmas shoppers, some of whom
joined the march.
Two Army "Intelligence" agents
tried intimidation tactics by copy-
ing down license numbers of cars at
the Rowan St. Park site. An unnamed»
vl guerrilla photographer returned
~the intimidation thy photographing tH
agents at work. _
A brief yally was held after the
march at the Haymarket Square coffee-
house, where several speakers put out
why GIs must organize against racism
~in the military.
all
of only a more blatent form of racist?
PAGE ONE
THE
138 Blacks
Busted in
McClellan. Protest
Fort McClellan, Alabama became the
scene of a lawless, brutal and racist
attack by the army ag&inst/jsome of its
increasingly rebelliou and women
in mid-November.
138 Black GIs and WACs were caughi
in a massive military police round-up
and arrested after a peaceful meetin;
in which the Black men and women Were
to present their long standing
greivances concerning racism at the
post. Many were beaten and otherwise
abused during the arrests and sub-
sequent confinement. Nearly 50 of the
soldiers were sent under guard by
helicopter to stockades at Forts
Bragg, Benning and Campbell.
As Bragg Briefs goes to press, 13
of the GIs are still confined in army
stockades, 3 of them at the Bragg
Stockade. Most of those errested) were
held without charges and under
improper confinement orders.
The army was unable to keep news of
the McClellan bust form getting out.
Efforts of the arrested people's
lawyers and publicity has forced the
army to drop charges or discharge all
but 13,
TheT following account of the events
was put together by Bragg Briefs from
statements by some of those arresteu,
eye witnesses and a legal petition to
the Military Court of Appeals pre-
. pared by one of the lawyers:
- Tension had been high at McClellan
for some time, as the command had ig-
nored or encouraged racist practices
at the base.
Two days before the mass arrests,
6 Black WACs and 2 Black GIs had been
deliberately struck and rundown by a
. MP captain driving a civilian vehicle
according to numerous witnessés at the
scene. Several MPs witnessed the
incident but refused to apprehend the
MP captain who fled. The MPs would
call only one ambulance even though
several of the victims were seriously
injured. No charges have yet been
prought against the captain.
The next day, tension had under-
standably reached a new high. Col.
McKean, post commander, announced a
meeting to be held Monday afternoon
(the day of the arrests) in the foot- ,
ball field qk which Black and minority
groups at theT post could supposedly
present their greivances to the brass.
The GIs and WACs were also told
that they would have the next two days
off and they took the colonel at his
word and refused to go to classes.
When it came time for the meeting
GIs and WACs marched in large numbers
to the football field, but the command
never showed up. Within minutes it
became open season on all Blacks at
McClellan. MPs and NCC trainees were
given orders by Col. McKean to arrest
all Blacks on sight, according to
witnesses.
Col. MckeanT personally directed the
round-up, witnesses say, and stood by
while at least two GIs were beaten by
MPs.
One GI was walking to the hospital
when he saw five MP vehicles coming
toward him. Col. McKean soon jumped
from one of the cars and directed the
MPs to "get. that nigger!" They did
this and then proceeded to beat -the
prisoner with fists and clubs and .
throw him into a truck, according tc
the GIsT statement. ~cont.on #2 -
-
brass and not the rights of GI's. No
PAGE TWO
%, MeGlellan Bust Coat.
A group of other GIs, including SP5
Leon Prince and SP4 Willie Swofford,
were pursued by a helicopter and
finally trapped by MPs. Swofford was
also beaten and taunted with racial
slurs.
There are other similar illegal
and terrorist acts committed against
people that night reported in a
large quantity of signed statements
given to attornies. Within an hour
nearly 150 Black people were unlaw-
fully and without proper cause,
arrested, taken to confinement and
denied their rights to counsel and
communication with the outside.
Later, a WAC, Willie Mae Coleman
and a GI wearing a cast on his leg
were beaten and arrested by MPs as
they attempted to take cigarettes and
food to the prisoners.
Ironically, the first of the _ |
~prisoners arrived at the Bragg stock-
ade on the same day that Black Cong-
ressman Charles Rangel of Harlem had
conducted a hearing at Fort Bragg in
Which Black, Chicano and Puerto Rican
GIs brought forth complaints about
~racism at this post. Little-did ep.
Rangel or the 50 or so GIs at the
hearing know that Bragg would soon
be a party to the illegal and ruthless
imprisonment of 26 McClellan GIs.
The 26 at the Bragg stockade were
placed in isolation and officers there
attempted to prevent an attorney for
the men to speak with them.
"The 13 who face prosecution are
charged solely because the Fort
McClellan command must now try to
justify what it can no longer conceal,
says the petition filed with the .
Military Court of Appeals by the GI's
lawyers. Willie Swofford, one of those
held at the Bragg stockade, was
actuallyooffered a "deal" by an .
officer who came up to see him from
McClellan. He would be released on
ondition that he accepted an Art. 15,
cleared post at McClellan within.?24
hours enc promisedto never speak to
mewspeople, lawyers or the public
Mabout the arrests and beatings,
according to the petition.
ARTICLE 138
GITs SECRET WEAPON
Article 138 of the UCMJ is the
strongest complaint procedure for useT
by GI's against the brass because it
is a statuatory right which the brass
must follow. No Army or post regula-
tion may deny your right to file an
Article 138. It must be remembered,
though, that the UCMJ was written to
serve the disciplinary needs of the
statuatory regulations can guarantee
the rights of GI's until GI's them-
selves write them regulations.
HOW TO FILE AN ARTICLE 138
1) Ask your own commanding officer for
redress of grievance (correction of
wrong done to you). If he refuses;
2) Write down your complaint, using
the somple form that follows as an
outline guide.
3) Hand it to any superior officer ex-
cept your commanding officer. This
could even be someone like a chaplain
or JAG officer. He or she must forward
it to an officer exercising general
court-martial jurisdiction over the
officer against whom you are complain-
ing.
4). Mai2 ro give copies of your com-
plaint to:
The Base Commander
The Staff Judge Advocate - JAG
The Secretary of the branch of the
service you are in.
Your Congressmen and Senators (or
others you think are ate
5) Keep a copy yourself (in case the
brass "loses" their copy).
t the brass know that you are
see go to your Congressmen and Sen-
ators. a 2
i al Lt. Gen. John J. Hay
ns oe a : CG, XVIII ABC & Ft Bragg
WHEN YCU CAN USE ARTICLE 138 ftT Brace, N.C. 28307
"Any member of the armed forces who
believes himself wronged by his com- FROM: Your Name
i i Unit Th h inst th risoners
manding officer, and who upon due e charges again ep
aeoli dation to the sf ac officer } Ft Bragg N.C. 28507 he petition states,"...are wholly
is refused redress, may complain to i ; unfounded and are brought as a polit-
any superior commissioned officer; RE; FILING CF COMPLAINT AGAINST =ically motivated effort simply to
who will forward the complaint to thes Seals oe ecg wit Mconvict somebody(it doesn't matter
officer exercising general court-mar- & G id Eades Mwno) of something(it doesn't matter
tial jurisdiction over the officer a Ree Onman ding Qwhat). The Fort McClellan command
against whom it is made. The officer #, It.is my understanding that Col. wants to con¥ince the public that
exercising general court-martial jur- % Ya" Hout, Commander, 12th Support Bri-g"troublemakers" and "agitators" made
isdiction shall examine the complaint §&2¢e, has recently issued a directive Hit necessary for them to deploy white
and take proper measures for redress- #°Stablishing a daily quota for unifo troops to make a mass round-up of
ing the wrong complained of; and he batgirl si believe this to, be both melack personnel on a U.S. army instal-
shall, as;soon as possible, send to jUmiawful and unwise; to be an open in-Jflation. The 13 are simply, the unlucky
the Sceretary of the particular branchpYitation to harassment and discrimina-iones--the scapegoats--whose liberty is
of the:service, a true statement of ft°TY enforcement; to be an action in gto be sacrificed to justify the racist
the complaint with the proceedings had#°*CeSs of Col. Van Hout's authority; grotesqueries of November 15."
thereon." wand to be a destroyer of morale, a den�"� SP5 Allen Turner, PFC Daniel Duenas
- - Article 138 UCMJ Bial of due process, and a classic dem-@end PVT Cornelius Lott have now been
Here are a few of the many instances | tabby a: of command ineptitude. iin the Bragg stockade for almost 30
in which an Article 138 can be filed: #, AS 2 member of a unit within the 12th¥days and are facing a variety of
1) not getting a pass when you are : upport Brigade and a potential victim § harges like disobedience, disrespect,
entitled to it. BOf this unlawful and unwise policy that#breach of the peace, unlawful assembly
2) racial or religious discrimination gol. Van Hout's directive has estab- mond resisting arrest. The men would
3) being beaten or harrassed. i ished, I have sought redress from Col.feppreciate letters showing support
i} illegal imposition of duties. gvan Hout under provisions of AR 27-14. [from the outside.
5) illegal siezure of property. sHaving received no reply from Col. Van Bragg Briefs and the GI Union
[Ei OUT for 5 days, I hereby formally com-gstrongly believe it is the
gPlain against him under provisions of
gArticle 138, UCMJ.
liters Es
Chapter 10 1 *Satession date
mresponsibility of we GIs, white as
mvell as black, to support the McClellan
M138 and vigorously attack the racist
policies and behavior of the brass and
sthe Third Army. Charges of racial con-
flict between whites and blacks were
The Chapter 10 discharge is ~ take chapter 10 if a BCD oS j i
becoming thie final and Sere court martial verdict were Be med Namen nacise pitts I bade
manant army shaft for large : likely. However, most men 1� Mhave sur ted :
pported their black GI brothers
nymbers of young men in these ~these days are pressured or m Magainst the racism of McClellan
days of massive manpower cut- tricked by the army (often Som on die ahi We Gk: Seek Seen
backs. JAG) into taking a chapter 10 + |. wn pads wh te y a nate ys
AR 635-200 states that a as a quick way of leaving the 1° @laccs not help prevent Gls and WACs
chapter 10 may be submitted by army, as. a discharge can be gs f all wrk wees petite from wmitin
an individual to be discharged processed in a matter of days. rps ceo Sauer i f thei .
in lieu of a court martialthat Sadly, many young men are ORM contact the. beaans: We bedie
may lead to a Bad Conduct Dis- forced to go AWOL by serious Ro Mthat the Thira Army's and the McClellen
charge. The chapter is only legit family or personal pro- 7 Mivceenfte teantice ae illegal mass
slightly better than the pos- blems, and then are pressured ae t reaps Thay Say g 7 Pipe aS
sible BOD. as the chapter 10 inte taking a ewilt chep. 10... Gf MSs on cece he cone suatant ani tered
results in an UD 95% of the discharge when they return. + _- ay ried cone lek: Bheees ~
time with no VA bennies, and In its uncaring 2 § o sage the See ee tire 6 ne a
no ticket home as well as con- frenzy, the army is just ween ote eRe haa Sok amen olcke ay gae
siderable stigma. showing its true colors, CD. BPunished.
7.
4/3
GIs at Fort Eragg are building
a union.
In late Cctober, Viet Nam Veterans
Against the War, GIs United, anda
group of Black soldiers along with
others, came together to form the
GI UNICN.
Since then the GI Union has been
growing each week, and now meets
Tuesday evenings at 7:30 PM at the
Haymarket Square Coffeehouse (corner
of Hay st. and Bragg rd.).
we of the GI Union feel strongly
that a union in the military can work.
For the present we see our job as
that of showing the soldiers, WACs,
airmen and WAFs at Fort Bragg and Pope
AFB that unity is the only way for
people in the military to change the
conditions of their lives. When we are
large enough the brass will be forced
to meet our demands.
The GI Union's December 10 march
and rally against racism in the
military in downtown Fayetteville is
an example of our efforts for unity.
We know that racism works well for the
brass in keeping us divided, and we
also know that as long as we are
divided they can control us.
During the next few meetings we
will be revising and refining our
Union Demands and planning our Spring
Offensive.
Come down to Haymarket Square and
rap with us. We learn from every new
GI who joins us.
You've been griping about the army
or air force for a long time. Why not
join with as we try and do something?
Join the GI Union!
Pee oP Be eee ee a Bee a2 |
a UNIGN DEMANDS AND GOALS &
@ we DEMAND: 6
a. The right to refuse illegal or- a
@ aers---as in the use of American GIs
Mto protect American economic inter- S
Mests against people in their own
@ countries, who are fighting for
# their national independence, and
g ceainst American economic domin-
ation of their homelands. :
2. Election of officers by the
vote of enlisted men and women.
An end to the military caste
stem, exhibited in the mandatory
uting and sir-ing of officers.
end to special privileges for
fficers and higher ranking NCCs.
now
de
p,
fd GOK HES ee Ee
OR Ge EG OE
5
°
4. The end of troops being sent
into Black, Latin, and other nation-
g 2 minority communities, to put
a down their struggle for self-
a determination. An end to racist
oppression. We furthermore sup-
@ port the liberation struggles
Mi being waged by the peoples of
¥ Asia, Africa, Latin America,
Northern Ireland, and the
French Canadians of Quebec.
5. No troops to be used as scabs:
or against workers on strike.
No troops to be used against
ti-war demonstrators. 5
5
7. Court-martial juries made up
of men and women of equal rank or
less than that of the defendent.
8
- The right to free political
% association, freedom of speech,
and freedom of assembly, on or off
N military property, as guaranteed by
@ the constitution of the U.S.
2 9. Federal minimum wages plus
@ off-post housing and food allow-
@ ances for all who want it.
M10. The right to collective bar-
gaining.
& 11. The end to officially sanct-
ioned sexist oppression of women
@ and gay people in the military
@ community.
@i2. The right to resign honor-
@ ably from the military.
Co ee ee hk eee na
SS 50 Ss
fon)
GI UNIO
LCCAL LEMANDS
& WE. DEMAND:
4. A 40 hour work week with ex-
Mitra time off to make up for over-
HM time, guard duty, field duty, CY,
�,� and all other extra details.
@ 2. That everyone have the right
i *P live off post with quarters
allowance.
a ore unfit for people to live in.
aT.
| sive field exercises. They serve
no purpose but to keep GIs busy and
The
® give the trass games to play.
money thats saved could be used to
BW equalize the jump pay for officers
| and enlisted men.
4.
sy Daily barracks inspections, wall-
Bedesaptte inspections,
in-ranks uniform inspections~must
8 end.
ms. An end to racism in the daily
~workings of the military at Bragg
@ and Fope. Lifers who show racist
e behavior should be removec.
g Liscrimination must be ended in
K such things as making promotions,
disciplinary actions, and picking
work details. Cultural and racial
Mi differences must be respected.
Mc.
Muse their power to fight against
M racial discrimination in the sur-
rounding community, especially in
bonne
PTrTETTTLrereL TT CELL LL
Most Mt. Bragg barracks
An end to needless inspections
and rediculous appe j ; na og
a ppearance Standards. 40, 94 nour child care centers for
and the weekly
That the Pt. Bragg authorities
PAGE THREE
N = POWER
Qn en ey
at the post stockade. Cften Fragg
GIs spend up to % months in the
stockade before they even come to
trial. Even if their found inno-
cent, they have still been punishedg
8. That the army and air force MM
end their policies of helping the
2
7. An end to pre-trial confinement
a
i
An end to unnecessary and expen- local rip-off businessmen collect
debts from Gls.
9. An end to depersonalized med-
ical and dental care, especially
for dependents. Many GIs and #ACs
should be taken out of useless
jobs and retrained as health
workers.
dependents. Abortion on demand.
11, An end to CID hasassment of
WACS at Brage.
12. An end to useless parades and
ceremonies.
1%. That VGLAR money be spent to
provide GIs with free laundry and
haircut service instead of westing
the VCLAR money on things the arny @
should pay for anyway, like main=-
tenance costs.
s
®
14. an end to the ridiculous no-
fatigues-off-post order. 8
@
a
15. The right to distribute
EFRAGG ERIEFS on post.
PT TT. Tere Ts
WS OF THE GI STRUGGLE o*
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB: RADIO FREE
WRIGHT-PATTERSON IS ON THE AIR
The brothers and sisters in Dayton report that
a suit is being filed in 6th District Federal Court
concerning the Air Force Museum demonstration
at Wright-Patt that was reported last month.
The suit is asking for damages from the Air
Force, to be paid.to those who were illegally
arrested, detained, and/or roughed up when
they attempted to picket Nixon's dedication of
the new museum. The suit also asks that the
court enjoin the Air Force from ever repeating
the mass-detention tactics it employed on
September 3rd at Wright- Patt.
The other news from Dayton is the birth of
Radio Free Wright-Patterson, a radio talk show
run by Dayton Veterans Against the War, THE
STAR-SPANGLED BUMMER, and Gis United
at Wright-Patt. Their report: 'Our Saturday
radio show is now on for two hours. We have
named it Radio Free Wright-Patterson and it
is really making Wright-Patt and its rulers
uptight. As far as I know this is a new one on
the m~litary and they don't know quite how to
cope with it. Ohio Bell told WYSO (91.5FM),
the Antioch College station we broadcast from,
that someone at the base was messing with the
telephone circuitry at the base, making it
difficult if not impossible for GIs to call in to
the show.. We have really been pushing the
call-in to us and we guess Uncle is really
scared of what the Gls are going to say. The
show is pretty well restricted to military and
military-related topics, but then that doesn't
les--2 out too much of Amerika today. We had
interviews with a C.O, from W-P who talked
about what it was like for him and the problems
he was having in getting out, interviews with
patients at the local VA center, discussions of
military injustice, the military-industrial
complex, etc. There's much more planned for
the future and there just doesn't seem to. be en
enough time. ,_ Maybe we'll add another day a
week."
oAll you ignorant, narrow-minded,� up-
tight old farts better learn damn soon
that respect and wisdom are not things
you pin on your collar.�
"Lt. (jg) peaees Meyer, USS Coral Sea, in
his letter of resignation, October, 1971.
Berkeley City Action Regarding
The USS Coral Sea
1. The City of Berkeley supports the men of the
USS Coral Sea in their petition to Congress and
in their other nonviolent efforts to have the ship
stay home-from the war.
2. The City of Berkeley encourages people to
support the men of the Coral Sea by partici-
pating in the November 6 anti-war march in San
Francisco and in the November 8 rally at the
Alameda Naval Air Station.
3. The People of the City are encouraged to aid
in the welfare and legal protection of these men.
~Passed by the Berkeley City Council 11/2/71
STOCKADE REBELLION AT FORT GORDON
Fort Gordon, Ga. At-least 100 soldiers re-
belled in the Fort Gordon stockade on Tuesday
night, Oct. 26. Eleven soldiers, including two
prison guards were hospitalized and a two story
prison barracks, valued at $30,000 was burned
to the ground.
The soldiers were acting in a solidarity pro-
test against the denial of an emergency leave
to a prisoner whose wife had just suffered a
misscarriage. Pvt. Jesse Simmons of Mem-
phis has not even been tried yet, but is being
held in pre-trial confinement while awaiting
court martial for alledged assault.
FUSS AND FEATHERS AT FORT KNOX
FTA reports that General George S. Patton
Ill, head of the armored school and armored
When word spread that Pvt. Simmons was commands at Fort Knox, has taken up a new
denied emergency leave to see his stricken pastime: dove-hunting. Symbolic considerations
wife, the prisoners gathered in the stockade aside, Patton seems to be taking up the hunt in
yard and refused te ~disperse. The rekellion the same way his predecessor at Knox did. That
lasted for about 5.fpours; the MP's and stock- general penned up a large number of deer on a
ade- guards resorted to tear gas and fired off small acreage and bagged several deer each
at least one shotgun in their attempts to put week. Patton has arranged that no other hunt-
down the rebellion. ers from Fort Knox be allowed in dove-hunting
areas when he and his party are there. One
Soldiers attending classes at an Army school would-be dove-hunter, a sergeant, was inform-
nearby were rushed away from the area. This ed that the area he wished to stake out was not
was done to keep them from finding out any- available for hunting. Considering that he had
thing about the riot, and because of the brassT accidentally told Patton about the area, and
fear that if the soldiers did learn of the rea- that he knew Patton was going there that week-.
sons for it, then the soldiers would move to end, he found the off-limits a bit odd. None-
support the rebelling prisoners. : theless, there may be good effects-- at least
it is fairly certain that Patton will be off the
Despite attempts by the authorities to min- base for the weekend.
imize it, the tension at the fort is greater
than it has been in many months. It is not
yet clear as to what actions, if any, will be tak
en against those involved.
2197] Chaease Daiiy News
oHi. there...�
WELCOME TO "
GI Coffee e n 1 THIis 15 YOurR
Adobe GI eienise Hur ed f IFER
time the Covered Wagon coffeehouse in Mountain oWE'VE HEARD 4 LOT OF TALE Fhom
Home, Idaho, Nov. 21. oUnidentified� (you know You Brack AIZMEN AGBOuT leAcisH
what that means) arsonists firebombed the place a day, (OTHE PUR FORCES
after vandals had entered it and spray painted the
walls with othis is a warning.�
Such coffeehouses which work very closely
with the antiwar GI movement seem to inspire the
animosity of AmerikaTs cowboys. oColumbia, SC,
officials closed down the UFO as a opublic nuisance�
almost two years ago. Several persons who tried to
put together a coffechouse in Muldraugh, Kentucky,
near Fort Knox, found themselves frequenting the
jailhouse as well as facing threats from local vifilantse Abriuvue re; gpa ogtagon
A coffeehouse near Fort Dix, NJ, was bombed at least Color, /s To BE TECATED EQUALLY.
five times. Kite.
The Covered Wagon was established in June of
this year, and in its short existence met with consid-
erable opposition from Mountain Home Air Force
Base brass and Idaho authorities. At one time, the ¥
governor even declared a state of emergency because
of violence in and around the Covered Wagon.
The Mountain Home brass is currently court- ar
martialing two airmen who work with the Covered
Wagon because they distributed leaflets and an under-
ground paper, Helping Hand, on base.
After the firebombing, Mountain I! me AFBTs
commander was reported to have said, oIt was good it
happened because they [his men] got expericnce
putting out a fire.�
o"you Gor THAT
ST@AIEHT NOW, 6oyT
(
But the bombers may have defeated themselves. i
According to Jim Schaffer, an active-duty airman,
oWe've gotten a lot of sympathy from active- o
duty Gls over this.�
TYRRELLS. BOYCOTT BLUES
(tune: Alice's Restaurant)
You can get ripped off for sure, ) 5,
at Tyrrells Jewelry Store. )
Don't go in it's a sure fire burn,
taking all the money that you earn.
You can get ripped off for Sure,
at Tyrrells Jewelry Store.
Hey there buddy, where you from, ) 5,
well I'm from there too. )
Hey now buddy, come over here,
don't you love your mother dear?
Hey there buddy, where you fron,
well I'm from there too.
PAGE 7iy
Look at this expensive ring, ) )
It'll make your girlfriend sing.)
Buy it for your girlfriend, o
or your wife,
you'll be making payments,
for the rest of your life.
Look at this expensive ring,
It'll make your girlfriend sing.
2x
We ain't worried if you ee
got cash, 2x
we know your credit's good. )
If you don't pay up your dough,
your gonna get in trouble with
your CO d
We ain't worried if you ain't
got cash,
we know your credit's good.
Started this boycott at Ft. Hood, ),
now it's nation-wide. : }*
People getting together,
just as sure as you please,
gonna rid the country of
PIGS like these.
Started this boycott at Ft.
now it's nation-wide.
Hood
REPEAT FIRST VERSE
RE ARAN TINT IS INSEE EL: HE EGO Ea I i SC I a a carapace:
GITS and Asian Women
oThe sterotype of an Asian woman is that~of a porcelain doll " a cold fragile
object if not of love then of hate. As an object of love (typified in the media by
Suzie Wong or the Geisha girl) her sole function is to fulfill every whim of men,
If she chooses to rebel against this role, she is typecast as the Dragon Lady/Dow-
ager Empress " the manipulator, castrator, and destroyer of men. Her third
alternative is not to exist at all, to withdraw from society and create around
herself an hermetically-sealed box " and even then she is not left alone, but is
written off an inscrutable.�
" Asian WomenTs Coalition, New York City
The Army has found stereotypes of Asian women quite useful " especially
since most GIs experience long, forced separations from wo:nen, One Asiah
American recalls his experiences in boot-camp:
oIn Marine Corps boot-camp, the military goes through a psychological and
physical break-down trip on the men so they [the Military] can instill their
values, And a heavy part of that trip is the mentioning of women in certain
sexual contexts, © : ;
oWe had these classes we had to go to, taught by the drill instructors, and
every instructor would tell a joke before he began class, If would always be a
dirty joke, usually having to do with prostitutes they had seen in Japan or in
other parts of Asia while they were stationed overseas, The attitude of the Asian
women being a doll, a useful toy, or something to play with usually came out in
these jokes, and how they were not quite as human as white women, For in-
stance, a real common example was how Asian womenTs vaginas werenTt. like a
white womanTs, but rather they were slanted, like their eyes. Some guys really
believed this shit, too. Like when you pet overseas afterward, you kind of trip
on the jokes you heard and look for things you remember from the jokes.� -
The Military knows that the Gls arenTt able to seek sexual satisfaction during
basic training and a large part of their combat time, so they use this knowledge
to keep the men down, They continually remind them of their desire by talking
about women all the time, yet they keep the gratification of this desire from
their reach. *
According to psychologist Wilhelm Reich, in his book Mass Psychology of
Fascism, oThe goal of sexual suppression is that of producing an individual
who is adjusted to the authoritarian order and who will submit to it in spite of
all the misery and degradation.� He goes.on to say, o~, , , the suppression of the
gratification of primitive material needs (food, shelter, clothing) has a result
different from that of the suppression of the gratification of the sexual needs,
The former incites rebellion. The latter, however " by repressing the sexual
needs and by becoming anchored as moralistic defense " paralyzes the rebellion
against either kind of suppression.� *
Second, the Military gains from using the symbol of Asian women just as it
gains from using the words ogooks,� oslants� or oCommunists,� The image of a
people with slanted eyes and slanted vaginas enhances the feeling that Asians
are other than human, and therefore much easier to kill, More than a few Viet-
nam veterans tell of incidents of Gls who spend time in combat; then during
their Rest and Recuperation periods, suddenly and with no apparent pro-
Yocation, will kill a Vietnamese civilian out of a paranoid concept of o~gooks,�
The view that Asian women are less than human helps perpetrate another
MYTH " that of the white woman oback home� being placed on a pedestal.
TH4T js not to say. that the white womanTs position is to be envied. Her position
OW nat pedestal is also an oppressive situation.)
An example of the owhite woman on a pedestal� can be seen in the words of
another Asian-American GITs experiences with the Military when he tried to
marry a Vietnamese woman:
T wanted to get married when | was in Vietnam, but they (the Military)
wovlddy et me, I didnTt push it because of the feedback | got from the begin-
MIM yoy see, you have to go through the chain-of-command to get married,
even in Vietnam because I was in the rear at the time, ThatTs when I met this
Vietnamese girl. First | went to my Section Chief, and he said, ~Man, you donTt
want to marry one of these ogooks� over here. TheyTre not civilized, and if you
take her back home with you, people wonTt be able to handle her because sheTs
not civilized,� And so I said, ~Well, thatTs my problem.T ~
oSo then I went to the Gunnery Sergeant, and he lectured me for like all
day, and he told me to come back again. And I came back and he lectured me
again and told me to come back again, Then I got to the First Sergeant and he
did the same thing. Finally, | got to the Commanding Officer and he ran down
all the bureaucratic stuff that I'd have to go through before I could even get
the consent to get married, You have to go through this waiting time, and they
make you wait until after youTre rotation time, like if you have five months be-
fore youTre moved out, then they'll give you a waiting period of six months so
they can get you out of there,
oMan, theyTd say stuff like, ~SheTs not an American so she wouldnTt be able
to handle it in the StatesT and ~you wouldnTt be able to trust her once you got
back in the states,T They say, ~Okay, you think you want to marry her now, but
thatTs because there are no round-eyed chicks around,� They said that to me,
you know, ITm an Asian too, but they said that to me. TheyTd always talk
about round-eyed women " Caucasian women, TheyTd say, oAnd once you get
back, youTll see-all those blondes and stuff, and you'll look at your wife and
sheTll be this old farmer chick " this gook " and you'll want to get rid of her.
You'll be embarrassed when you get back because sheTs Vietnamese.T �
To most non-Asians in the United States, there is little if any difference be-
tween Asian Americans and Asian in America, Asian Americans are either
lumped with Asians, and therefore considered oforeigners� or they are invisible.
The GI who wanted to marry the Vietnamese girl experienced both, On one
hand, the Military, completely insensitive to the fact that he too was an Asian,
talked about the oround-eyedT? woman waiting back home, This same brother
upon entering basic training, was called a gook and was made to stand in front
of his platoon as an example of owhat the enemy (the Vietnamese) looked
tike? :
Asian American women are susceptible to the stereotypes that Gls have of
women in Asia, An example of this is shown in the following story of still
another Asian-American in basic training, *
oBefore everybody crashed, the drill instructor comes through and checks
to see that all footlockers are locked, and that you have your wallet. So you
stand up on top of your locker at attention in your drawers and teeshirt and he
comes around and he yells at eyerybody and heTll punch a few people; and he
always picks somebody and heTlI take their wallet and heTll look at their pictures,
I had some pictures of these Asian girls | went to high school with. He made
some derogatory comments like, ~This looks like this whore I knew back over
there (Japan).T Then he took three or four pictures out of my wallet and he kept
them, I couldnTt do nothing about it. I donTt know what he did with them, I
didnTt see them after that, ThatTs. when he saw the picture of my sistér.
oAfter lights were out and everyone was supposed to be sleeping, he would
come i:to our barracks and act like he was my friend, After harassing me all
day, suddenly heTs my friend, Then he started rapping about when he was in
Japan and how he had this prostitute for quite a while, He said her last name
was the same as mine, Then he said, ~WhatTs your sisters name?T He knew I had
~an older sister and he had seen the picture of her, and I guess he flashed back on
his experiences, Then he started harassing me by saying my sister looked like
his prostitute, HeTd say, ~Yeah, thatTs her, ThatTs the prostitute I had.T �
We must fight the mentality that keeps Suzy Wong, Madame Butterfly and
gooksim alive, The mentality that tums human beings into racist, murdering
soldiers also keeps Asian Americans from being able to live and feel like human
beings here at home,
~ Gidra ;
BOMBS AND MORE LIES REPLACE
GRUNTS
Withdraw Nison!
Contrary to what the Nixon adminis-
tration would have the American public
believe, the war in Indochina is not
"winding down". It is true that the
Nixon administration is effecting a
substantial troop withdrawal as an-
nounced on November 13 1971. This is
called the "end" of US ground combat
operations.
While the Nixon announcement spoke
of "winding down" the war on one hand,
two other points were made indicating
increased involvement. One, US troops
will continue to scourge Indochina un-
til the liberation forces of South
Vietnam (and of Laos, Cambodia, and
North Vietnam) agree to a theatre-wide
cease-fire and a "negotiated settle-
ment" or until the US supported -
regimes in Saigon, Phnom Penh, and
Vientiane are able to retain power on
their own without support from Wash-
ington. (Five years? - Ten years?)
Second, air attacks and saturation
bombing, which are already at an un-
precedented level, will increase if -
any stepped-up infiltration is seen
from North Vietnam into Cambodia, Laos,
and South Vietnam.
It is clear that Nixon now hopes to
convince the American public that Amer-
ican involvement in Indochina is ending
by a marked troop withdrawal. What is
actually happening here is the Johnson
"ground war" being replaced by the
Nixon "air war",
Nixon's "air war" will prove to be
one of the greates? mass murders and
destructive episodes in history. In
World War II American bomb tonnage wes
approximately 2 million. During the -
period 1966 thru August of this year,
American bomb tonnage in Indochina has
been over 5.7 million.
At this point, much of the land in
Indochina has been devastated by Amer-
ican bombs. Cne fourth to one third of
the Laotian population have become
refugees as a result of American bomb-
ing. There are over one half million
refugees in the city of Phnom Penh as
a result of American bombing in Cam-
bodia. :
Currently, there are an average of
one thousand B52 strikes per month in
Indochina. Cne thousandT B52's carry
the explosive tonnage oof one and one
third Hiroshimas. And, as the Nixon
administration has indicated, the
bombing will de increasing,
.
~ WITHDRAWAL '
The primary mission of the "air war"
will be to stop infiltration. What this
means is that there will be no fixed
tactical targets for American bombs;
this means the continued indiscriminate
bombing of civilians and civilian vil-
lages in Laos, Cambodia, and South
Vietnam and a possible resumption of
bombing over North Vietnam. 90% of
bombing missions now flown over South
Vietnam are targeted for civilian areas
where the NLF is believed to have sup-
port. These tactics are used in a be-
lief that bombs will persuade the peo-
ple in the South Vietnamese country-
Side to support the Saigon government.
The cost of all this in Indochina
is countless civilian deaths, refugees
and ruination of villages and farmland.
The Nixon administration would like us
to believe that the best way to protect
_the people of Indochina from Communism
is to drop bombs on them.
Among the costs for the US in the
"air war" are continued casualties
among the American troops remaining
South Vietnam to protect the Saigon
regime, and an annual cost of 3.5
billion dollars to run the "air war"
alone.
Nixon has no plan for ending the .
war. If he won't end the war the peo-
ple of the United States must end it.
in
PAGE SIX
FIRST VOLAR NOW THIS; OR
If At First You Don't
pected... .. 5. .?
More and more of the killing of the
Vietnamese, Laotion, and Cambodian
people is done from the air. Push but:
ton Mylais. The G.I.'s who remain on,
the ground hate the war and the Army
that holds them captive. They realize
they are held as hostages by Nixon,
Thieu and the men who pull the strings
At home the commanders have a strat-
egy to win-their army back. They plan
to "get tough" and "sterilize" the
army by early discharges, railroading
and repression of those who are
speaking out against the continuing
crimes in Indochina and the oppression
of G.I.'s, WAC's, black, brown and work-
ing people at home. :
The new. draft bill and the economic
recession are a boost for the Army's "
plans. They think it will be easier
to build a "sterile® army with young
draftees, and men and women forced
into the military by the lack of jobs
outside and the usually -:false hopes
of job training in the "new army".
According to the Pentagon's plans
once they have gotten rid of the Nam
Vets, dissidents and other undesire-
ables, and come down hard on the new
troopers, everything will fall into
line. They are afraid that when the
time comes for the next imperialist
intervention(S.E.Asia?, Cuba?, Chile?
Africa?, Fort McClellan?) they won't
be ready.
There is little or no appeal to
blind patriotism; G.I.'s have seen
through that game. The Volar hustle
is seen as a fraud. The brass thinks
discipline is the answer to getting
their Army back. What this means to
G.I.'s is extra duty, field exercises!
more uniform, haircut and barracks
hassles, stiff penalties for bullshit
offenses and harsh penalties for exer-
cising our rights as citizens.
The new approach will be "cut their
balls off"repression, and appeal to the
"he-man" myth which attaches some bull-
shit sexual power and virility to be-
ing an efficient part of the killing
machine. Besides dehumanizing the G.I.
it adds to the oppression of women,
gay people and children. It is a poison
at the heart of the killing machine, :
along with racism and class distinctions.
WhatTs Brewing at Long Binh ?
Long Binh, Viet Nam-- The Consti-
tution says that a man should be tried
by a jury of his peers. Recently, a
young Black soldier in Viet Nam was
Nov. 6.
Eighty GI's held a night�
A typed notige passed at the meet-
meeting on Plantation compound in Long ing demanded an end to the War, secur-
Binh, Vietnam. Representatives from
nearly every unit of the post showed
ing the release of POW's, and the
legalization.of marijtana. Upset about
the many GI's who are becoming hooked
actions toTend on skag because of the unavailability
of marijuana, the Long Binh GI's are
establishing "head" unity in an effort
to end the war and help their brothers
who are strung out on skag.
One spokesman at the meeting said,
"You cut off the body and the head
can't go anywhere. If we all sit on
the runways at Tan Son Nhut and Bien
Hoa, and stop the jets from coming in
with more people, who will do our
jobs? They'll have to send us home.
For instance, there are only two water
truck drivers on Plantation who don't
smoke. If we want to call a work stop-
page, we will be able to do it. That's
the purpose of this meeting, for ~peo-
ple to get to know each other, to get
together so we can use the power we
have."
Already, one motor pool on Planta-
tion was completely immobilized when
the GIs emptied the air out of all
the tires on every vehicle.
~up to discuss ways of making their de-
mands heard and future
the war.
Walking down a street at Long Binh
without a hat. A sergeant-major saw
him and called out, "Hey, soldier,"
and then ran up behind him. A scuffle
ensued and the soldier ended up being
charged with disobeying an order,.
At the court-martial the soldier's
lawyer moved that the jury panel be
made up of ordinary soldiers rather
than the officers and senior NCOs that
usually make up such juries. For some
unexplainable reason the commander of
Long Binh decided to give the soldier
a break or maybe just try an experiment.
and allowed the motion.
Five enlisted men were picked at
random from the post by a computer to
be the juty panel--- 2 buck sergeants,
2 Sp5s and a Spd.
For once real justice was done in
the army. The soldier was acquited
very quickly. :
The GI Union demands that GIs be
tried by a jury of their veers just
like the Uonstitution says.
Watch out Brass! GI's
at Long Binh protest. .
GI WIVES DEMAND
BETTER HEALTH CARE
A group of GI wives from Fort Bragg
and Fayetteville have been meeting to
get to know one another and to combat
the isolation of living.in an army
town. Among their activities have been
discussions of women's problems and
crafts projects. As they have gotten
to know each other it became obvious
that they had many problems in common.
Cne of the most serious problems was
inadequate health ~care at Womack Army
Hospital and the various clinics.
The women then tried to find out if
other people were as concerned as they
were about the kind of health care the
army dishes out. Going door to door in
their communities they discovered that
almost no one is satisfied with the
quality of health care. Many people
gave specific examples of the kind of
treatment they have recieved from the
military health machine.
The picture that emerges of medical
care at Fort Bragg is one of crowded,
short staffed clinics where people
wait long hours. Cnce you do get to
see a doctor or nurse about your pro-
blem it is too often the same story.
Everything is such a rush that you are
lucky if you get the proper care. Com
mente:! one women, "They just don't have
time for people". The run em' in - run
em'
feel like props in a game of beat the
clock. Doctors who have to worry about
out style of clinics makes patients
were the Emergency ward, Jbstetrics -
Gynecology, and Pediatrics. These are
the areas which see the maternal and
child health problems, and where the
crowded, impersonal military medical
system shows its priorities.
After they realized how large the
problem was they decided to present a
list of complaints the hospital brass.
In a meeting with e staff officer at
the hospital, the women presented the
written complaints and discussed the
problems of patients at Womack. While
the »meeting was cordial the women felt
thatythey were being pacified.
The women feel strongly that their
quarrel is not with the doctors, nur-
ses, or medics who are the health
workera at Bragg, but with the Army
brass and system which has such a low
priority for people's medical needs.
They realize that the health workers
are caught in the squeeze of staff
shortages and overcrowding.
The women hope that doctors, nurses
and medics will begin to speak up and
acknowledge their responsibility to
work for better health care.
Cne woman ~summed it up, "People work-
ing together is the only way to make a
change, or keep things from getting
even worse. They just squeeze you ~ur-
you have to scream."
Women interested in meeting with the
seeing fifty more patients are unlikely Wives group for talk, refreshments and
to have the time to really listen to
pecples' problems in the way that they
deserve.
It is significant that among ~the
clinics receiving the most complaints
crafts are welcome to attend their get-
togethers which are held on Wednesday
mornings at 10 AM. For further informa-
tion call 868-1203,
BRAGG FRAGTS
Major Stu Freyer, a doctor and a
~ember of the Concerned Cfficers
Movement, was processing out of the
army last month on a Conscientious
Objector discharge when he detained
by 3 sergeants on the street and
turned over to the MPs. They filed
charges against Stu(who has shoulder
length hair) for impersonating an
officer. The MPs finally verified
his identity and released him.
oIf you are awakened some night
and ordered to piss in a cup, it's
just part of Fort Bragg's new
surprize urinalysis (for drugs)
program.
We think its only fair that
Bragg also have surprize blood
tests for lifers to test for
alcohol.
+ on post.
_ on post.
In an attempt to solve some basic
problems of communication between the
brass and EM, we (ed.- two GIs just
returned from Viet Nam) decided to see
if we could talk to Gen. Hay via his
open door policy. We called and told
them one of the things we wanted to
discuss was distributing BRAGG ERIEFS
The very next day, JAG called
our unit and told us to see him ASAP.
We were told that the paper wasn't
allowed(and probably never would be)
We then decided to go to post
HQ and see about seeing the General.
We were harassed about our haircuts
(in good ol Volar?) and threatened by
having the MPs sicced on us.
This happened a few weeks and they
still have the evil eye on us.
We haven,t given up the thought
that those people can communicate.
In the mean time, CRGANIZE.
Men of the 612th Quartermaster
Company are really thrilled with
their new, Volar-financed "tactical
vehicle parking lot." Just what
they always wanted.
Haymarket Square Coffeehouse
RADICAL
BOOKSTORE
and craft center
BUTTONS
LOCAL CRAFTS
BOOKS & PAMPHLETS
POSTERS
ourselves
BRAGG.
& HAY
notes from the slum
Looks like we're in for a "long
hot winter in the most god-forsaken
part of Fort Bragg, the 12th Support
Brigade, affectionately known as :
"the slums." For all you new troop-
ers not familiar with the layout,
12th Support is literally on "the
other side of the tracks" (Bragg
Boulevard), way off from the main
post. 12th Support can boast:of more
muggings and robberies per capita
than any other section of Fort Bragg.
Heat (and the lack of it) is a
Big Problem) in many of the dilapi-
dated shacks they call barracks over
in the slums. Rarely a right passes
when the heat doesn't conk out some-
where in 12th Support... Troopers
freeze their asses off, or get shift-
ed around laying matresses on the
floor of the barracks next door...
The heat stays out until it goes
up and down the Chain of Command,
maybe a day or two...(In one company,
a complaint to the I.G. did get quick
action, however.) When the heat final-
ly goes back on, often the thermostat
won't work, so the barracks get hot
as hell, 90 degrees or more. Troop-
ers are forced to open the windows,
making the heater work doubly hard. "-
Result: it conks out again... Why
doesn't the Brass just face up to
it and tear down these barracks?
...-Maybe because they don't have
to live in them... i: =i
Well troopers, yet another bar- ..
racks went up in flames Saturday
night, Dec. 4th. Is anyone counting?
...In some units special guard de-
tails were ordered late Saturday
night, after the burning. GIs were
woken up as late as 2 A.M. and im-
mediately placed on guard duty. Cther
off-post were rnhoned and toid to re-
port for duty... VCLANX in action! °
We don't know if the barracks
burnings are the result of the
righteous wrath of angry GIs, fed-
up with the lousy de-humani zing
lives/they are forced to lead. Per-
haps it is merely a case of old fire-
trap buildings with faulty heaters
going up in *lames accidentally. In
either case, we do know that the only
sane response from the Army would be
tp.build safe and livable barracks,.
and end the racist mind-crippling *
existance that GIs face daily at.
Fort Bragg...
a place tO rap pesssnsssss0
| a place to jam
| a place to
| oRginiZe
@ BRAGG BRIEFS needs:
& stories, cartoons,
�,� photos, graphics, id
tips, info, ideas, #
@ money and most of
@ all, people. We #
WM are all amatuers
e at this, and we Ps
~@ invite you to
a learn with us. |
howe wan amend
GI UNION MEETINGS: &
# Tuesday nite, 7:30 8
é Haymarket Square :
an PTT er rere.
bragg briefs
box 437
spring lake, n.c.
28390
JC Peele MD
kings ten Cine \
Kingston NC 2g sd?
