Letters to the Wall 2019

April 1 President Nixon orders Calley released pending his appeal.

Draft Bill – A 2-year extension of the draft passed the House (239-99) in a roll-call vote. The Senate also passed the bill 24 Jun 71 following a long debate, lasting from 6 May through 24 Jun 71.  48% of manpower for the Army were draftees or “draft motivated”.

April 7 President Nixon claims that setting a firm date for troop withdrawal would “serve the enemy’s purpose, not our own.”

April 18-23 2,300 Vietnam Veterans arrived to Washington, DC to participate in Dewey Canyon III (named because the code name for the then current invasion of Laos was “Dewey Canyon II,” which itself was named after Dewey Canyon I, the invasion of Laos in 1969), “a military incursion into the country of Congress”. Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) and Gold Star Mothers for Peace (representing mothers who lost sons in combat) attempt to place a memorial wreath at Arlington National Cemetary. The Nixon Administration denies them entrance to the grounds. Led by VVAW, the vets camped on the mall 1/4 mile from the Capitol, lobbied Congress, on April 21, defied a Supreme Court order to disperse, and on April 23, threw away thousands of military medals and ribbons at the foot of the statue of Chief Justice John Marshal near the Capitol Builidng. The demonstration was unprecedented in the history of the country as veterans protested in a unified and dramatic way their opposition to the war.

April 24 10 days of protests attracting 200,000-500,000 by a group calling themselves the “Mayday Tribe” included attempted work stoppages at several federal offices in Washington, DC

April 29 Total American deaths in Vietnam surpass 45,000.

April 30 The last U.S. Marine combat units leave Vietnam.