DAYS OF PROTEST

April 28, 2000
		For the soldiers who fought in Vietnam, the growing protests at home evoked strong reactions. Some would join the cause, marching on Washington and joining pacifists intent on ending the war. But for others, the sight of their peers railing against the war -- and, many thought, against them -- only increased their feelings of alienation.

Online NewsHour Special Report: Remembering Vietnam May 2000: Online Forum: Share your memories from the Vietnam war era April 12, 2000: A discussion on the Vietnam War's effects on the military. April 5, 2000: A look at the Vietnam War's historical impact Jan. 21, 1977: Carter's Pardon May 29, 1978: The Forgotten Wounded April 30, 1985: Lessons Learned April 30, 1990: Healing the Wounds April 17, 1995: Robert McNamara July 11, 1995: Normalizing Relations     March 23, 2000: Secretary of Defense Cohen discusses his trip to Vietnam. Aug. 9, 1999: A discussion of trade with the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. May 15, 1997: Normalizing relations with Vietnam. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Asia.     PBS/The American Experience: Vietnam PBS/POV: RE:Vietnam U.S. State Department	As the war dragged into the mid-1960s and the number of young men drafted increased, so too did the intensity of anti-war demonstrations.
	An education in war and peace
	Working as a medic at an Oakland, California army hospital, Joseph R. Barnes found himself stuck in the middle of a protest hotbed. San Francisco -- the nation's counter-cultural epicenter -- was just across the bay, and, according to Barnes, demonstrators were a constant presence. "[I got] a very liberal education in the peace movement," Barnes said. "Most of the people in the area were marching up and down the street in front of our army base seven days a week, all month long." Barnes' hospital included a radical amputation unit where he first caught a glimpse of war's realities. He said he was overwhelmed, not just by the intensity of the wounds he witnessed, but by the sheer number of patients who came through the hospital's doors. "Every day I would see these hundreds, if not thousands of maimed GIs -- at one time so many of them they couldn't even put them all in wards," Barnes said. "They were lined up and down the hallways; and some of them were even outside on the sidewalks." Finally, Barnes went to Vietnam himself, where he served for a year as a combat medic with the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division. When he came home, he said, he didn't really worry about reaction from protesters. What bothered him was the lack of reaction he received. "I never had experiences like, for example, being spit on or called a baby killer or anything like that. On the other hand, I was just kind of ignored," he said. "I really thought, I guess, when I first came home people would want to know about my experience… They didn't."	Joseph Barnes on heading off to war and his return from Vietnam.
	A new battlefield
	But many servicemen and women returning from war did get a reaction when they returned -- and it was not always pleasant. Some were blocked in airports as they waited for their return flights home. Others endured jeers and taunts from war protesters. It was that kind of treatment Tom Corey saw his fellow veterans endure, although didn't face jeers himself. When Corey came back from Vietnam, nobody thought he would survive. Corey had been drafted in 1966 out of Detroit, Michigan at the age of 21. He was serving with the First Cavalry Division when he was shot during a firefight in January 1968. The bullet severed his jugular vein and hit his spinal cord. He spent years in rehabilitation. From his hospital bed, Corey watched the anti-war movement grow on television. And he couldn't believe what he saw. "I was angry at the people protesting the war," he said. "I just felt the [protesters'] energies were directed the wrong way when they were attacking these soldiers and the people who were protesting and calling us things that a lot of us weren't -- baby killers and all of that." For Corey, those shouting at returning servicemen were not only mocking the men in front of them, but also those that remained on Vietnam's battlefields. "I left friends behind and I never found out what happened to them. And I lost a lot of friends," Corey said. "When I did return and watch the TV and what was going on, I was very angry."	Tom Corey on going to war and the dangers of battle.
	Fighting for change
	Though Corey and Barnes had different experiences, each returned dissatisfied with the war's perception and each took action to alter the political landscape. For Barnes, that path led to protest. Several years after her returned from the war, he joined Vietnam Veterans Against the War -- a group of veterans who said the United States should end its involvement in Vietnam. The group's appeal, for Barnes, was its comradeship. "I don't want to make it this simple, but I believe … that if you haven't had a particular experience, especially if it's an experience that's very dramatic or traumatic, it's next to impossible to empathize with that," Barnes said. "Unless you've been in combat and you know what it's all about, it's difficult to realize that." Also a factor in Barnes' decision to join was VVAW's independence from other anti-war groups. "We were there for some real reasons, because our brothers were still in Vietnam and they were being killed," Barnes said. "The war was over, and it had been for a long time -- and it was time to bring them back."	Joseph Barnes on differences between war protesters and veterans' receptions at home.
	Coming home
	After working to heal his physical wounds, Corey began his own campaign to bring his fellow soldiers home. He joined the Vietnam Veterans of America and worked with their Initiative Task Force, a program that turns documents, photos and other war-related items gathered from American Vietnam veterans over to their Vietnamese counterparts to help locate those missing in action on both sides. Since his recovery, Corey has returned to Vietnam nine times to search for those still missing. "What we need to do today is … continue the war for the families whose sons, fathers, brothers have not returned. We have that responsibility to bring those remains home or find out what happened to them," Corey said. "And we will continue doing that." With VVA, Corey also fought the misconceptions he believed many of the protesters and others had about the war. "We'll continue to fight those battles until people understand what happened and respect the Vietnam veterans for what they did -- the men and women who served their country," Corey said. "They need to be respected because they did what their country wanted them to do. And they only could do so much -- their hands were tied so many ways." -- By Greg Barber, The Online NewsHour	Tom Corey on his personal fight during and after Vietnam.