A Vietnam veteran reflects on his military past.
By Kenneth Dalton
Editors’ note: The author will be part of a panel discussion taking place tomorrow night, “What If Iraq Is the New Vietnam?” Details are at the bottom of the story.
For I marched to the battles of the German trench
In a war that was bound to end all wars
Oh I must have killed a million men
And now they want me back again
But I ain't marchin' anymore
- Phil Ochs
I was born in Passaic, and raised in Clifton, where I lived most of my life. As a young boy I lived on Hilton St. on the City's East side. It was a working-class neighborhood made up primarily of Irish, Italian and Eastern European families
Across the street lived my maternal grandparents, Nick and Mary Pristash. All my life I was very close to them, especially grandpa. He was a skilled carpenter and a WWI Navy veteran. In a sitting room off their kitchen hung a picture of grandpa in his WWI navy uniform -- which I still have to this day.
When I was about ten years old, I joined a sea-scout troop that met in a V.F.W. post two blocks over on Piaget Ave. Now I had my own Navy uniform just like my grandfather. I didn't realize it back then but I was being "militarized" as a youth.
A few years later, while the war in Vietnam was starting up, I remember my grandfather saying, "These politicians, they got us in a real fix over there [in Vietnam.] I don't know how they're going to get us out of this one."
I said, "But grandpa, what about the communists?"
He said, "Communists! These politicians are worse than the communists. All they care about are country clubs and cocktail parties. They're nothing but a bunch of racketeers."
I was surprised and confused by my grandfather’s cynicism – not knowing I would come to share it years later.
When I reached my teens, I was a pretty wild kid and kept landing myself in trouble with the cops. I was introduced to sex, drugs (mainly alcohol) and rock ‘n’ roll at an early age. Needless to say, my grades in school weren't all too good.
During my sophomore year at Clifton High School in 1968 we had to watch a Ministry of Propaganda flick called "Why Vietnam." It was narrated by then President Lyndon Banes Johnson. It said that we had to fight the Viet Cong over there or we would have to fight them over here – a refrain to be repeated decades later when the Bush administration decided to invade Iraq.
It said if they came over here, they would rape the dogs, beat the women, kill babies and drink up all the booze. Well, you tell that to 16-, 17- and 18-year-old males with testosterone bubbling out of their noses and all they'll want to do is rumble in the jungle.
The divisions over the Vietnam War were raging and our school was no exception. At that time I was a real "right winger" and I lumped up many a hippie and peacenik.
On Nov. 22, 1969 I turned 18 and shortly after that I joined a Naval Reserve unit that was a stones throw from that VFW post where I was militarized as a youth. I was so proud to wear my country's Naval uniform like my grandpa did that I would play hooky just to go on special details with the reserves.
One such detail was for the funeral of a 19-year-old sailor named Frank Jaccarusso. I was a pole bearer and when the lifers gave the gun salute and the bugler played “Taps,” the father, who was standing behind me, fainted.
I couldn't get enough Navy so after my high school graduation, I transferred from the reserves into the regular U.S. Navy. In less then a year I was aboard the U.S.S. Monticello sailing to Diego Garcia and later Vietnam.
During my first trip to Vietnam, we were in the port of Vung Tau. The most important thing I did was carry the garbage can out of the engine room with a guy from Millville. We carried the "shit can" to the dumpster and emptied it, which we did with distinction.
On the second cruise, we were in Vung Tau, where we watched jets dropping bombs. I naively thought at that time, and for many years after that, they were just practicing. I only found out a few years ago that they weren't practicing -- it was real war.
Not long after my first deployment the "Pentagon Papers" were published. I can remember sitting on a pier in San Diego thinking about how we were all lied to about the war. Everything I always believed about my country turned out to be bullshit. I remember thinking, "The hippies were right!"
I thought about the Jaccarusso family, and how many times that same story played out across this country. I swore that I'd never trust another politician, Democratic or Republican, ever again. They were all just racketeers.
In 1973, I thought my enlistment would be extended because of the Arab-Israeli war. But there was no way I was going to stay in any longer then I signed up for. A good friend of mine aboard the U.S.S. Grand Canyon, where I was stationed at the time, had his car's gas tank filled and the car pointed towards Moose Turd, Saskatchewan. We were both ready to take off. As the Phil Ochs song went, we ain’t marching anymore.
Things quickly cooled off in the Middle East and I was separated from active duty in June 1974 as a second-class petty officer with a Vietnam service and a good conduct medal.
Returning home, I got on with my life, meeting my wife and working on my civilian careers. In 1982 I joined the Clifton Fire Department as a professional firefighter.
In 1995, at my 20-something high school reunion, I ran into one of the peace activists I used to beat up and harass back in my high school days – Ken Grutra. I approached him and said, "Ken, I've been waiting years to tell you this. I have to say, you were right and I was wrong about the war in Vietnam and I apologize for the way I treated you back when we were in high school.”
Needless to say, my confession stunned him but it was something I had to do.
Well, in 2000 "Baby Bush" was selected Decider-in-Chief and soon, 9/11 occurred. Like most Americans I was outraged and I wanted the people responsible brought to justice. As a firefighter I served at Ground Zero during the rescue effort.
However, it didn't take too long for the neocons to take advantage of that tragedy and press their agenda for war with Iraq. I became outraged that these people would take advantage of our national grief and use it for such sinister purposes. I subsequently joined Vietnam Veterans Against The War and Veterans For Peace.
Since then I have become very active in the veteran peace movement – a movement that grows every day, as more soldiers come home disgusted by war. I've participated in countless marches, teach-ins, vigils and demonstrations. I was proud to march in Washington in Sept. 2005 with my fellow anti-war veterans and hundreds of thousands of peace activists, working to end this war and restore sanity to our country.
I don’t march for the military anymore. Now I march for my country.
Kenneth Dalton served in the U.S. Navy from 1970-1974, and is now President of Veterans for Peace, Chapter 21. He will be part of a panel discussion taking place tomorrow night, “What If Iraq Is the New Vietnam?” The event is the first of a series of forums on the Iraq War taking place through the month of August in NJ, and will feature U.S. Rep. William J. Pascrell, Jr. (D-8) and professor Lloyd Gardner in addition to Kenneth Dalton. The discussion is being organized by NJ for Democracy, and co-sponsored by City belt and Passaic County Democracy for America. Thursday, Aug. 3, at 7 pm, at the UFCW Hall in Clifton. More details are available here.
On occasion, City Belt will publish the written remembrances, diaries, confessions, letters, e-mails, poems or paintings of one the many casualties of war, its veterans.
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