I remember May 6, 1970 in Champaign-Urbana like it was yesterday.
On that day while taking my daily walk across the University of Illinois campus (UIUC) to my junior-year engineering class, I was stunned to see that Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvy had ordered some 2,000 National Guard to campus deployed in two-man teams at intersections each equipped with jeeps and bayoneted-rifles. The message was clear: anti-war student protesters who created violence, damage, or violated the 9:30 PM curfew would be made accountable to the Rule of Law. Students called for a 3-day strike beginning May 6 in response to the tragedy at Kent State on May 4 where the Ohio National Guard fired on student protesters, killing four and wounding nine.
In Washington, D.C., 50,000 came to protest the Vietnam war. At UIUC, many classes were boycotted the week of May 6. There were some clashes between protesters and the National Guard and local police, damage to property, arrests, and a few people were injured.
So why were students protesting?
A total of 58,200 U.S. soldiers were killed or missing during the Vietnam War; plus, a total of 2 million North and South Vietnamese civilians were killed as well as over 1 million North Vietnamese soldiers and over 200,000 South Vietnamese soldiers.
That’s why.
The student protest message rang clear across the country:
Stop the killing.
Stop the bombing.
Stop the napalm.
Stop the agent orange.
Stop the war.
Bring the soldiers home.
Finally on January 27, 1973, the “Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam,” was signed by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Republic of Vietnam, the Provisional Revolutionary Government, and the United States.
Unfortunately, many Americans did not treat the returning Vietnam soldiers with the respect they deserved, but over time most Americans came to thank these Veterans for their courage and sacrifice during the War. They served because it is what their country asked them to do, and they marched into danger in a foreign land with the faith that their generals and presidents had their backs. Those who gave their lives or were missing are remembered and honored every day at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Wall) in Washington, DC.
Robert McNamara was the Secretary of Defense from 1961-68 during the Vietnam War. In the documentary, “The Fog of War,“ he signals some amount of regret and guilt over his involvement to extend the Vietnam War. Reflecting on those years, he asked the rhetorical question:
“How much evil must we do in order to do good?”
He went on to say, “The fog of war is so complex it’s beyond the ability of the human mind or judgment to comprehend all of the variables. Our judgment and understanding are not adequate, and we kill people unnecessarily.“
If McNamara were still alive today, he might grudgingly accept that the nation-wide peaceful anti-war protests of 1970 were on the right side of history. Yes, there were malicious provocateurs embedded in the protests bent on igniting chaos (as there always are), but their attempts to sabotage did not slow the movement for peace. And now, history repeats as students on campuses across the country are protesting the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The war in Gaza has created a humanitarian disaster of epic proportions right before our eyes. Tens of thousands of innocent men, women, children, and infants have been reported killed. The obliteration of buildings and critical infrastructure has forced millions to flee with no safe place to go while they struggle with famine, disease, and physical and mental trauma.
The student protesters today are basically shouting the same message as in 1970:
Return all hostages.
Stop the killing.
Stop the bombing.
Stop the war.
Start living in peace.
Today’s protesters are trying to shine a light on the uncomfortable truth that the massive destruction and death of innocent civilians is caused by the bombings’ indiscriminate collateral damage. Since the U.S. is supplying bombs, how much accountability does America bear for this humanitarian tragedy?
Robert McNamara understood how the veil of willful ignorance can hang over the American people during a war while covert military actions take place that some may say violate International Humanitarian Law. McNamara, called the “Architect of the Vietnam War,” was haunted by this fact and had a change of heart that was too little, too late. But we can heed his prophetic words today and should be asking his question:
“How much evil must we do in order to do good?”