This Day in History

June 1, 1967: Vietnam Veterans Against the War Founded

Time Periods: 1961
Themes: Democracy & Citizenship, US Foreign Policy, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
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Vietnam Veterans Against the War | Zinn Education Project

Veterans protesting war. Source: Public domain.

Vietnam Veterans Against the War, by Shiva Addanki. Source: Justseeds

On June 1, 1967, the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) was founded in New York after six Vietnam vets marched together in a demonstration for an end to the war.

The group was organized to give voice to the growing opposition to the escalating war in Vietnam among people in the military.

The VVAW, through open discussion of soldiers’ first-hand experiences, revealed the truth about the nature of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia.

Learn more from the award-winning documentary film Sir! No Sir! about the active role soldiers and veterans played in the anti-Vietnam War movement.

Related Resources
Teaching Activities (Free)

A Revolution of Values

Teaching Activity. By Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 3 pages.
Text of speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the Vietnam War, followed by three teaching ideas.

Teaching the Vietnam War: Beyond the Headlines (Teaching Activity) | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History
Teaching Activities (Free)

Teaching the Vietnam War: Beyond the Headlines

Teaching Activity. By the Zinn Education Project. 100 pages.
Eight lessons about the Vietnam War, Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon Papers, and whistleblowing.

Pentagon Papers collage | Zinn Education Project
Material

Camouflaging the Vietnam War: How Textbooks Continue to Keep the Pentagon Papers a Secret

Article. By Bill Bigelow. 2013. If We Knew Our History Series.
While new U.S. history textbooks mention the Pentagon Papers, none grapples with the actual import of the Pentagon Papers.

Picture Books

Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam

Picture book. By Walter Dean Myers. 2005. 40 pages.
Sophisticated picture book on one soldier’s patrol in Vietnam, for upper elementary.

Films

Sir! No Sir!

Film. By David Zeiger. 2005. 84 minutes.

This award-winning film demonstrates the role soldiers and veterans played in the anti-Vietnam War movement.

Draft Card Burning 1965
This Day in History

Nov. 6, 1965: Draft Card Protest

Draft cards burned in solidarity with David Miller, a Catholic pacifist who was one of the first to publicly burn his draft card.

Fort Hood Three Press Conference | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History
This Day in History

June 30, 1966: Fort Hood Three Release Public Statement on Vietnam Refusal

The Fort Hood Three issued a public statement about their refusal to be sent to Vietnam.