Peace & War

The Sixties and early Seventies were dominated by the Vietnam War, the African American Civil Rights Movement, the Feminist Movement, and political assassinations. These far-reaching cultural issues created a divisive environment and by the end of the 1960s, the nation seemed to be falling apart. This exhibit explores the Vietnam experience through the lens of the Georgia College student-run newspaper, The Colonnade, demonstrating the parallels found between campus opinion and the national experience during this tumultuous time. Additionally, local veterans and alumni provided oral histories to present the juxtaposition of experiences found between student and solider.

The Sixties and early Seventies were dominated by the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Feminist Movement, and political assassinations. These far reaching cultural issues created a divisive environment and by the end of the 1960’s, the nation seemed to be falling apart. As the war in Vietnam dragged on, and the assurances of victory from President Johnson and then later by President Nixon proved false, demonstrations across the nation grew in size and diversity. By 1970, two-thirds of the nation believed the war in Vietnam had been a mistake. The Colonnade, the student-run campus newspaper, traces the evolution of the Georgia College student experience of the Vietnam conflict which serves as a paradigm of the nation as a whole.

“I see in Communism the focus of the concentrated evil of our time.” - Whittaker Chambers-Journalist, Writer, Spy, Poet, Translator

Prior to 1965, the only reference to Vietnam in The Colonnade, Georgia College’s student-run newspaper, is in the Nov. 18, 1961 edition, which displayed an anti-Russian propaganda ad. The ad illustrates the anti-communist mentality of the majority of the country after World War Two and the Korean War. The Domino Theory, the theory that a political event in one country will cause similar events in neighboring countries, was a prevalent fear. It was believed if Vietnam became Communist, the rest of Southeast Asia would soon follow.

In August 1965, the State of Georgia 1935 & 1949 Loyalty Oath Laws were challenged in court by 165 university professors. The loyalty oath asked teachers to swear they were not communist and would, “…refrain from directly or indirectly teaching any theory of government or economics or of social relations which is inconsistent with the fundamental principles of patriotism and the high ideals of Americanism.” The law was eventually overturned but the topic created strong public opinion that college professors were unpatriotic and un-American and that college campuses were potential incubators for Communism.

Before the introduction of male students in 1967, Georgia College was an all-female institution, know in the early Sixties as the Women’s College of Georgia (WCG). As the decade unfolded and unrest over the war in Vietnam grew, along with other social and political movements, The Colonnade sought to poll the student body about their views on demonstrations. The students would soon be engaged with the opportunity to participate in expressing their views through mass expression.

Another Colonnade poll illustrates the clearly-defined gender roles in the early Sixties, but these were soon challenged by the emerging Feminist Movement that swept college campuses and the nation during the later part of the decade.

Affirmation Vietnam was a movement in support of the war, established in 1965 by a group of Emory University students. In February 1966, the organization staged a rally in support of the war at Atlanta/Fulton County stadium. Representatives from the organization visited the campus and enlisted the support of Women’s College of Georgia (Georgia College) students who agreed with their cause. The purpose was to counter the anti-war protests that were beginning to garner national attention, and were viewed by members of Affirmation Vietnam as the “loud minority” of American opinion. It was hoped that this show of student support for the war would discourage Communist Vietnam. Affirmation Vietnam was a hot topic amongst the student body in early 1966. Between 150 and 205 WCG (Georgia College) students made the trip to Atlanta for the February 13, 1966 rally.

“…we often feel so helpless since they don’t draft girls.” - Ruth Gersham-Affirmation Vietnam Organizer

Vera Vincent

From 1942 to 1976, Vera Vincent, ’34, served in the Armed Forces Section of the American Recreational Society as a civilian employee in the Army’s Special Services. Vincent began her career in 1942 as a librarian for the Army Special Services in the Pacific theater. Libraries were established overseas during World War Two to furnish recreational reading to the service men and women. The patch on Vincent’s hat is the insignia of the Special Services Librarian; the nine books represent the nine branches of the Army.

In 1966, Vincent was a part of the initial Special Services team that arrived in Saigon, South Vietnam to initiate the formation of services to provide a diversified and comprehensive recreation program to support the morale and welfare of U.S. service members. The program set up service facilities that provided arts and crafts, libraries, movies, and other social activities.

Sue Ozbum

In the Fall 1968 Columns, a Quarterly Alumni publication, a story appeared about Major Sue Ozbum, ’56, who was chief of the physical therapy clinic at the 36th Evacuation Hospital in Vung Tau, Vietnam.

She wrote the school asking for donations of clothing for Vietnamese children. There were articles in the Macon Telegraph, Atlanta Constitution, and Union Recorder that documented the student response to provide aid per Major Ozbum’s request.

“I see pretty horrible things, and we work everyday – long hard hours.” - Major Sue Ozbum, ’56

In a December 1967, a poll, “How Would You Run the War?” ran in The Colonnade. The hope was that the article would stimulate interest in current affairs in regards to the Vietnam war, which seemed to be lacking amongst the student body. As 1968 began, The Colonnade censured the students in a satirical article, “Paper Interested in Obituaries”. In the article, the editor referred to the student body as, “Gen. C. (campus) Apathy”, or general campus apathy. This was directed at the response received over the poll, “How Would You Run the War?” Of the 1300 students enrolled, only 16 students responded to the questions.

“He (Gen. C. Apathy) seems to have been quite successful in generating disinterest in national policy, or in any matter outside the Georgia College campus.” - Editor, The Colonnade, January 22, 1968

The war gained more coverage in The Colonnade during 1967 and 1968. In early 1968, The Colonnade continued to publish articles that were supportive of the war and contained anti-protest sentiments in articles and cartoons.

In October 1968, the Georgia Board of Regents banned disruptive protests on all campuses. The unanimously passed ban warned that, “…student participants may be suspended and faculty members fired for gross irresponsibility.” The resolution went on to say that disruptive protests, “…destroys the very essence of higher education…the unhampered freedom to study, investigate, write, speak and debate on any aspect of issue of life. This freedom…is an essential part of the American democracy, comparable to the jury system or electoral process.”

With the addition of males to the student body in the Spring of 1967, a new perspective was added to the campus dynamics. In April 1968, the Baptist Student Union held a series of programs called Dilemma ’68, which ranged from a sing-in to a debate on the morality of the war.

In November 1968, the first opinion piece was published in the The Colonnade questioning the war. This new campus discourse, coinciding with the downturn in popular support for the war after the Tet Offinsive, seemed to bring about a rapid shift in opinion and tone of The Colonnade’s coverage of the war. By 1969, factions had formed on campus with differing views on the Vietnam conflict.

“I looked at the world with mixed emotions. I protested the war, but I could not forget I was an American.” - The Spectrum, 1970

The Moratorium to End the Vietnam War was a large-scale demonstration and teach-in that occurred across the United States in October 1969. The purpose was to protest U.S. involvement in the war and was to be followed by a march on Washington, D.C. in November.

On October 15, 1969, students of Georgia College gathered to participate in the general strike called for by the Moratorium event. Another event on campus was scheduled for November 15, 1969, the same day that the march on Washington, D.C. was to occur. However, a few days before, the Georgia College Student Senate passed a resolution expressing its displeasure with the November Peace Moratorium, without suppressing opposing opinions.

“It is my feeling that such high-handed tactics as this are a travesty on responsible, democratic student government.” - Lew Walton, Attorney-General Georgia College Government Association

The resolution passed by the Student Senate created controversy on campus, splitting the students between those who viewed the Moratorium as a discussion of peace, which took no sides, and students that saw it as an anti-war, anti-administration demonstration. Many claimed the Senate had overstepped its bounds, having not polled the student body to determine what the true consensus was on he subject, and also considering that the executive and judiciary branches of the CGA (College Governmental Association) were excluded from the vote.

As the decade came to a close, a dramatic change in campus politics in regards to the war in Vietnam seems to have occurred. The rhetoric clearly became more divisive amongst the students. As the college entered the early 70s, The Colonnade took a decidedly anti-war voice in its coverage of the war. There was little published on campus events or student opinion, but the tone of the articles published suggests that the sentiment of the students at the time was against the war, especially after the invasion of Cambodia, which was seen as an escalation of the war. The Colonnade reported on various movements and rallies occurring across the nation, as well as opinion pieces on Nixon, Cambodia, impeachment, and the Kent State shooting.

“The only results of the war as it is being conducted now are more hate, greater division, and brutal waste." - J.Harvel Boyer-Georgia College Student

Prior to the Peace Moratorium, AGAPE, a campus religious organization, scheduled David Simpson of the Student Democratic Society, a national student activist movement formed in the mid-1960’s, to debate the draft. The event was postponed due to the lack of a representative to argue in favor of the draft.

In 1973, Georgia College establishes the position of Coordinator of Veteran Affairs and the campus Veterans Association was formed. The Veteran Affairs program conducted outreach to a nine county area around Milledgeville, GA, sending mail to veterans promoting the educational opportunities available to them through the G.I. Bill and Georgia College.

Between 1945 and 1954, the Vietnamese waged an anti-colonial war against France, which was receiving financial support from the United States. The Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, defeated the French at the siege of Dien Bien Phu, prompting France to abandon Vietnam. But the country was divided into northern and southern zones. The separation hardened, and two states emerged: Communist North Vietnam led by Ho and a pro-American South Vietnam with a capital in Saigon. In 1956, South Vietnam, with the backing of the United States, refused to hold nationwide elections as called for in the Geneva peace agreement that ended the war with the French. By 1958, Communist-led guerrillas, known as the Viet Cong, had begun to battle the South Vietnamese government.To support the South’s government, the United States sent military advisors, which by 1963 would number 16,300. The military condition continued to deteriorate, and by 1963, South Vietnam had lost the fertile Mekong Delta region to the Viet Cong. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson escalated the war, committing ground forces and commencing air strikes against North Vietnam.

By 1968, American ground forces in Vietnam had risen to 536,000. In January 1968, the North Vietnamese launched the Tet Offensive, attacking multiple locations across South Vietnam. The offensive was a major tactical victory for American forces but a moral defeat for the American public, turning many Americans against the war. To initiate the extraction of U.S. forces from Vietnam, President Nixon implemented Vietnamization, which consisted of withdrawing American troops while giving South Vietnam greater responsibility for fighting the war. In 1970, Nixon attempted to reduce the flow of North Vietnamese soldiers and supplies into South Vietnam by sending American forces to destroy supply bases in Cambodia. This act was seen as an escalation of the war, which provoked more anti-war protests across the nation.From 1968 to 1973, diplomatic efforts were made to end the conflict. In March 1972, the North Vietnamese opened a three-pronged attack into South Vietnam known as the Easter Offensive, expecting that a victory on the battlefield would translate into a victory at the negotiating table. In January 1973, an agreement was reached; U.S. forces were withdrawn from Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, Saigon fell, South Vietnam surrendered and Vietnam reunited as a Communist-controlled country. As a result of the quagmire, Congress enacted the War Powers Act in 1973, requiring the President to receive explicit Congressional approval before committing American forces overseas. In March 1973, the last American combat soldier left Vietnam, and on April 30, 1975 Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese, ending the war.

Marion Johnson, of Milledgeville, GA, enlisted in the Army in February 1966. In October 1966, Johnson arrived in Vietnam as a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Air Cav Division (Airmobile). On October 31, 1966, Johnson’s unit air assaulted into Pleiku Province, near the Cambodian border, to conduct search and destroy missions. On November 21, 1966, Johnson’s platoon was ambushed from three sides and overrun while maneuvering to support another platoon under fire. Only two members of the platoon survived the battle. Johnson became the first African American causality of the war from Milledgeville, Georgia.

Marion Johnson wrote a total of four letters after arriving in Vietnam in early October 1967. On his way from the United States to the Republic of Vietnam, he would have a layover in the Philippine Islands and would quickly mail his mother a postcard to let everyone know how he was.

This Atlanta Constitution article outlines the action, which occurred on November 21, 1966, that found Marion Johnson’s under-strength platoon ambushed and surrounded by a North Vietnamese Battalion. Fighting bravely, the platoon was able to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy before being overrun. Of the 21 members of the platoon, only three survived the battle, with one dying of their wounds later.

The United States Armed Services has a long tradition of providing prompt notification and offers of condolence with the lost of a service member. The task of notifying the next of kin of a fallen solider, especially in the time of conflict when the number of notifications can be overwhelming, is one of the hardest duties asked of fellow service members. Whenever possible, a notification team is sent to deliver the news in-person. Additionally, a family will receive a litany of condolence letters. Below are a sample of the letters that Marion Johnson’s mother and father received in the months after Marion’s death. They range from his Company commander, who provided the family with the most detail on Marion’s final moments, to the Secretary of the Army and Congress.

John B. Oliver, Jr., ’79, enlisted in the Army in 1957. After being promoted to Staff Sargent as a member of C-Troop, 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Cavalry, 3rd Division, stationed in Germany, he was accepted for Officer’s Candidate School, graduating in June of 1959. In the spring of 1963, then Capt. Oliver was assigned as Headquarters Company Commander of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sep.). The 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sep.) was alerted in spring of 1965 and deployed to South Vietnam immediately as the first full Army TO&E (Table of Organization & Equipment) unit in country. Capt. Oliver was deployed on his second tour of duty in Vietnam in 1967. He was assigned to MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) Team 19 in Quang Tri Province as a Senior Regional/Popular Forces Advisor. Major Oliver was again deployed on his third tour of duty in 1971, assigned to XXIV Corps in Da Nang. In 1974, after attending Command & General Staff College, Oliver was assigned as Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, GA. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1978.

“If you don’t hold the ground, how do you liberate a country? We found out you don’t." - LTC. Brad Oliver, U.S. Army, Ret.

The 173rd Airborne (Sep.) began its history with its formation as the first “separate” Army Brigade to have all of its support units attached, including armor. This created a unique, nimble unit capable of conducting missions without requiring an entire Army Division. Formed in 1963 and stationed in Okinawa, the 173rd became the Pacific region’s quick reaction force. Nicknamed the “Sky Soldiers”, derived from the Chinese words “Ting Bing”, which was the description used by the Brigade’s Taiwanese colleagues, the 173rd was the logical choice to mobilize and deploy to South Vietnam as the first full major ground combat unit in country during the spring of 1965.

Search and Destroy

Search and destroy was a military strategy employed heavily in the Vietnam War. The idea was to insert ground forces into hostile territory via helicopters, search out the enemy, destroy them, and withdraw immediately afterward. This image was taken of Capt. Oliver in June 1965 while on a search and destroy mission by Horst Faas, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning photographer.

Dr. C. Nolan Stephens enlisted in the Army in 1965. Stephens served as a medical corpsman with the 1st Brigade (Sep.), 327 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Stephen’s tour of duty in Vietnam began in December 1965. During this time, the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division was known as the “Nomads of Vietnam,” serving as a mobile fighting force that saw heavy combat in practically all regions of South Vietnam, including one of the most violent battles of the war in the Dak To area in June 1966. Stephens was discharged from the Army in 1968 and became involved in the Vietnam Veterans Against the War organization. He, along with 108 other veterans, provided testimony during the Winter Soldier Investigation, a televised hearing about atrocities committed in Vietnam, held in Detroit in 1971.

“Its really funny how things can change in you. Some things were good. Some things were bad. Vietnam changed me forever." - Dr. C. Nolan Stephens

Medics

During the Vietnam War there was a 98% survival rate for wounded soldiers who were evacuated via helicopter within one hour. The treatment started on the ground with the unit medic, normally nicknamed “Doc.” Army medical corpsman served with all ground units and their first priority was to treat the wounded, but for the first time in war, medics carried weapons into combat and did not wear red crosses on armbands or on their helmets.

“You kind of like lose your fear and even when the firefight starts, when they say medic, you’re there. You don’t think about it, you’re there.” - Dr. C. Nolan Stephens

Willie Jackson, Jr., J.D., ’82, ’84, enlisted in the Army in January 1969 and arrived in Vietnam in May 1969. Jackson served in the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Based out of LZ (Landing Zone) Sally, Jackson participated in intense ground combat operations in and around the A Shau Valley, which was one of the strategic focal points in the war in Vietnam. The valley was an arm of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, funneling troops and supplies towards Hue and Danang. Jackson served as a M79 grenadier and was wounded in the left hand and shoulder in August of 1969 during an ambush on his unit. After being medevaced by helicopter while under fire, Jackson would recover from his wounds and was discharged from the Army in November 1970.

“I was an M79 man. I didn’t realize at the time, it was the most hated person, along with the radio man, as far as the enemy was concerned.” - Willie Jackson, Jr., J.D.

Firebases

Willie Jackson, Jr. found himself in Vietnam in less than five short months after his enlistment. After arriving in country and being assigned to the 101st Airborne, he boarded a helicopter for the journey to LZ Sally, then to a forward firebase, which were temporary military encampments. Firebases were to provide artillery support for infantry operating beyond the range of their normal operating bases. The concept of the firebase was conceived to meet the logistical and tactical problems the terrain in Vietnam presented.

“It was hot. Humid, in the daytime. But it was cold at night, cool at night. Real cool at night. And that’s why so many people were getting sick.” - Willie Jackson, Jr., J.D.

Senator Floyd Griffin was commissioned in 1967 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Corp of Engineers. In 1970, after attending helicopter flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama, then-Captain Griffin arrived in Vietnam for his tour of duty. Griffin would serve as the Battalion Intelligence Officer (S2) for the 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Division. In addition to his S2 duties, Capt. Griffin served as an instructor pilot, testing pilots on their efficiency in operating combat and transport helicopters; flew several combat missions, and served as the base defense officer. Later in his tour, Griffin transferred to the 20th Engineer Brigade to take command of a combat engineer company. Colonel Griffin retired in 199o, after 23 years of service.

“…it wasn’t the best time in my life. I had some good friends who lost their lives there.” - Senator Floyd L. Griffin, Jr.

“We would not have been able to accomplish as much as we did in Vietnam if we had not had the helicopter.” - Senator Floyd L. Griffin, Jr.

The Helicopter War

Helicopters became a major tactical element in the Vietnam War. Not only did they serve as a potent weapons platform and as the primary troop delivery method; but they also provided vital support roles in medical evacuations, logistics, search and rescue missions, and many additional functions.

After retiring from the military, Griffin became the state senator from the 25th District and served for two terms. This election was significant because he was the first African American to represent a majority white district in the Georgia General Assembly. After serving as a Senator, Griffin ran for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 1998, making him the first African American to run for that position in the 20th century. He was elected as the 67th Mayor of the city of Milledgeville and held the position for the 2002-2006 term. Following his win, Griffin was awarded The James Wimberly Racial Barrier Breaker Award in 2002 for the accomplishment of being the first African American Mayor of Milledgeville.

The Vietnam War cost the United States 58,000 lives and 350,000 casualties. It also resulted in between one and two million Vietnamese deaths. Approximately 1600 Georgians lost theirs lives, including 8 from Milledgeville.

As a result of the conflict, Congress enacted the War Powers Act in 1973, requiring the President to receive explicit Congressional approval before committing American forces overseas. In March 1973, the last American combat soldier left Vietnam and on April 30, 1975 Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese and the war came to an end. However to this day, many Americans continue to ask whether the US involvement in Vietnam was a blunder, a necessary war, a noble cause, or a failed idealistic effort to protect a country from a totalitarian government.