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Issue: February, 1998

SPEAKING IN SCHOOLS

by Steve Hassna

LISTEN UP, TROOPS!

It's the old Drill Sgt. here. 1998 has been a year of anniversarys.

First of the year brought us the 30th anniversary of the Tet Offensive. 1968 started with a bang and went down hill from there. Then in April, the remembrance of the tragedy at My Lai. My Lai was right up there with Sand Creek and Wounded Knee.

You remember those, don't you? Sand Creek and Wounded Knee are referred to in U.S. history, as part of our Western exploration and settling of the wilderness. How about annihilation of a native people because they were in the way?

But I digress. This year is the 34th anniversary of the Civil Rights Initiative, though in some communities, there doesn't seem to be much of a change. The 31st anniversary of the Detroit Riots, U. S. cities burning as Vietnam is bombed into the Stone Age. Did you know that a brigade of the 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne Divisions were sent to Detroit? To, as a friend of mine told me when he got to Nam with the rest of 101st in late '67, " restore order and bring calm to the city". When federal troops arrive on the scene, you can bet, "order and calm are restored". Just like 1956, 42 years ago when troops of the 101st were sent to the South to help black children go to school.

1998 is the 27th year anniversary of the Attica Prison Riot. And as Gil Scott -Heron aptly put it, "thirty-four dead and America in shock". Kent State, 28 years ago this May. 98 years ago and American troops freed the Philippines from Spanish rule. Well, freed isn't the right word; how about "took over". That started a three-year war in the Philippines, that cost the Philippines 20,000 lives and 46 more years of U. S. "freedom". Ain't anniversarys just grand? And they go on and on. Just like the soaps on t.v.

Well, I have my own anniversary. It has been 24 years since I started speaking in schools and colleges about Vietnam, its history and how that war related to the historical process. Twenty-four years, and it seems like just yesterday that I was getting shot at as a participant in the historical process. But time flies when you are having fun, I guess. And that's what this column is about: speaking in schools as a Veteran of a tragic period and how it relates to the here and now. So sit back and enjoy; there may be a quiz in my next column.

Remember, keep reading newspapers and watching the tube for the next contradiction in the process we all know and love. U.S. history on parade.

Drill Sgt. Hassna.......out!

In 1974, Lorin Cornwell, a close friend and high school teacher (in fact he kept me in school until I graduated in 1966), asked me if I would speak to his class about Nam. He knew I was active with VVAW in the San Francisco Bay area, what my experience in the Army was, (Nam and Drill Sgt.) and thought I would have something to say that his class could better understand the VietNam disaster. He also thought it could help me deal with Nam in my mind; sort of getting it off my chest.

It was less than a year since the last troops were pulled out, a year more until the Vietnamese united their country and by and large, the war was not being talked about, especially in schools. Little did I know that this would lead to 24 years of speaking in high schools and colleges in California and around the country.

Lorin had been active with SNCC (Student Non-violent Co-ordinating Committee) at San Francisco State in the early 60's. He had been against the war in Vietnam and as he put it, "Who better to talk about that insane war, then the soldiers and veterans who fought it." I said "sure I'd be glad to speak." I had never spoken at a school before, but because of my Drill Sgt. experience, I could speak before groups. Though in the Army, my audience was under a little more rigid forum than a high school class, if you get my drift.

I would now like to discuss what I've learned, perspectives, what works and what doesn't. Now all this comes from how I saw the war and its aftermath. I'm saying this because we all see life with our own eyes. My style and approach may not be someone else's, so I would like this to be information on the subject only.

My first classes, 1974, '75, and '76, I talked about the Vietnam experience, the war, my participation and how I felt about that, the sense of loss, etc. I had a whole mess of slides that I took in Nam. I know, where did I find time to take pictures while walking in the jungle? Well, I don't know, but somehow I did. I used the slide show that I made up for a few years. It works, but in a 50 minute class, they (slide shows) can eat up a lot of time, but still they work. They also, at times, take on the travelogue feeling. You know, "My Summer Trip to Nam", that kind of thing. Also, in a darkened classroom, students heads will hit the desk top when the lights go out. But slides work, they are a good tool, so use them if you have them. One thing I don't do is wake a student, if they want to sleep, well that's that. I could not do what I did in the Army. When giving classes or periods of instruction, as we called them; if I saw someone sleeping, I would tell the trainees that when I said, "on your feet!", they were to remain sitting. On that command the sleepers would jump to their feet to the laughter of the other trainees and my particular kind of stare. This is not a good thing to do in a high school class.

As the years passed, I found that depending on the classes ( History, Government, World History, Civics, English), the approach had to fit the class. Having always been a history buff, I started to redesign my presentation. I dropped the slide show because of time usage, and started to talk about the history of Vietnam and the war. My lectures are about 30 minutes long. I try to leave about 20 minutes for questions and answers. How the French arrived in Vietnam around 1840. The end of Western European Colonialism and the beginning of the New Imperialism, Western Europe style. That the Vietnamese people had a history and culture going back 2,000 years and were not primitive savages, as my generation was led to believe. Up to WW II, the Japanese, wars end, the return of the French, first Indochina war, Dhen Ben Phu, the division of Vietnam, the late 50's early 60's, Deim, Kennedy, Johnson, Gulf of Tonkin, etc. While I'm talking about this time period, I'm stating how old I was at that time. I was born the year the French returned, 8 years old when Dhen Ben Phu fell, 10 when Vietnam was divided, etc. This gives the students a sense of how a historical process can affect them later in life. In fact, that is my main point, using the Vietnam war as a tool to show how history works and affects people. Because I write poetry, English could be approached; why I started writing, the war and its affects, how life's experiences form writing attitudes, etc.

When I start speaking in a class, my first statement is, "If you don't understand history, it can get you killed, wounded, or psychologically damaged. That there may be events happening in the world that you don't know about that will effect your life in 2, 3, 4, 5 years from now; and you're going to say, 'How the hell did I get here?'. Because I did not know the history behind Vietnam, I ended up there in 1967". Over the years, I found this to work. It gives the students an understanding that you were a kid once also, a fact that some teenagers seem to forget at times. A statement like, "When Dhen Ben Phu fell, I was eight. I was playing baseball, riding my bike and hanging out with my friends; not reading 3 newspapers, and 2 hours of TV news a day." Comparisons like that help to show how history works.

On another note, don't talk down to students. They will pick up on that quick, and you will lose them right off the top. At times teachers will have a certain area they want covered, this also will affect how you would approach a class. A good rule to follow is to be flexible and if you can have different presentations for a certain class, that works also.

Now this is all information, remember, it took me years to figure some of this stuff out. For new people, just do what feels right and have fun. That's another thing, humor. Humor works. Yeah, I know, Nam was not funny. Well, sometimes you have to mix humor to get a point across about how bad it was. If anyone has read my "History Corner" column, then you know how I use humor. The "Light at the end of the tunnel was a train with the V.C. and N.V.A. on it heading straight at me", that kind of thing. I call it Veteran humor, which makes black humor look acceptable.

One thing that works is two vets go to a class. This is good for new people who are not sure of what to say or the approach to take. What needs to be remembered here is that both vets must know what the other wants to say, how they approach the issues. I'm saying this because I have seen where one person may dominate a period, or the two will be in disagreement on certain points. This can lead to arguments that look real bad in front of a class. I, for the most part, work alone. I have my presentation down and know how to use the time given. But over the years, I have worked with others and groups. When this happens, I try to take time to talk to whoever before the class, so we know where we're going. This helps to avoid the aforementioned problems. Working with someone else can be a very powerful statement or a real bummer.

Arguing with students: Not a good idea; you do know that teenagers know everything, don't you? I learned this early on. Remember, I enlisted in 1966, Airborne, unassigned, wanted to be a paratrooper, because I knew what I was doing. Get the point? When a student says, "My dad says, we could have won", or "My uncle says it was congress' fault"; I just say, that's cool, but I feel differently. To say something like "your family member is full of shit", really defeats the purpose of going to a class in the first place, now doesn't it? In fact, I go out of my way to tell students that I'm not there to convince them of anything. This is my experience, the history progression, etc. The reason for coming to their class is to get them to think before they act. Especially, before they think about enlisting in the U.S. military. Go to the library and get books about Vietnam and learn. Talk to others, Nam vets if possible, then make a decision. Vietnam is now a historical period and as that, it can be used to show how the military can really screw things up. When a student says, "I'm joining the Marines, Army, etc.", I say drive-on, but if a voice goes off in your head saying, "I told you so", you will know who said that. But I still keep that at a non-authoritarian way. Mostly with a smile.

Straight talk: Keep to facts, down the line. Make it clear what is real history and what is your opinion. If you don't know the answer to a certain question, then say you don't know. Don't make things up. I say this because I have seen this done and it's embarrassing.

Movies on 'Nam: Now there is a whole can of worms. Where you are coming from will determine how you approach this subject. One thing to remember: in the movie, "First Blood" with Sylvester Stallone as Rambo, he was taken to jail or a monastery after he destroyed the town and had his final tear-jerking monologue. Well, in the book, he is killed by the Green Beret officer that was sent to terminate with extreme prejudice. The movie changed that and changed what the book was trying to say. This is a good point when dealing with these bullshit movies.

How the war experiences differ for each vet: on this, I explain for the sake of argument, that the war was from 1960 to1972, twelve years. No two years were the same, tactics and strategies changed two or three times a year. Also, the political approach could change without notice to anyone. No two units operated the same. The Marines did one thing, the 1st Cav. did something else, the 25th Inf. something else, the 101st Airborne, completely different; so on and so on. Also, that 90 percent of the troops were individual replacements, with the war being their own 365 days or however long they were there. Depending on the unit, year, and job, each veteran sees VietNam differently. No continuity in experience.

I draw a line on the blackboard saying this is WW II, the bad guys were on one side and US (the good guys) on the other; depending on how the battle went depended on who controlled what. Bad, but at least you knew where you were. Then I start drawing circles on the board, all over the place. Saying, "we're in the valley, VC-NVA in the mountains, we're in the mountains, they're in the valley, we're here, they're there in the delta, the DMZ etc." We just ran around like a dog chasing its tail and that doesn't accomplish a thing, or win a war.

Questions: Now here's the fun part. After the presentation, leave as much time as possible for questions. Many times they are about war stuff, weapons, tactics, strategy, etc. Or a student will ask why, being America, we couldn't win or someone told them we, in fact, did win. Stuff like that. Those answers will depend on where the vet that's doing the class is coming from. I have my way of looking at things, as does everyone else. There are a few questions that seem to keep coming up:

• 1. Did you kill anyone or how many did you kill?

  I have over the years started the question and answer time with the statement: "Before anyone asks, yes, I killed people. I was an Infantry Paratrooper and I joined a certain club. I call it the Eight and a Half Pounds Pressure Club. Once you pull the trigger and take a human life, you are a member forever, not just your lifetime, but forever!" I also state, "It doesn't matter what job you have in the military or that you never fire a shot. You are part and parcel to a killing machine. Without the finance clerk doing the forms, the soldiers don't get paid. Without the supply people, the soldiers don't have the equipment to fight, etc. If you are part of the machine, you are as responsible as the soldier that pulls the trigger". This has a bit of a sobering effect.

• 2. Was there a problem with drugs in Vietnam?

  To this I usually say: "There was no problem with drugs in Vietnam, there were plenty to go around". This gets a real good laugh. I go on to say, "Every Army in the history of the world did one kind of drug or another to deal with the horrors of war. In the case of Vietnam, there were legal and illegal usages. Just like all wars. Booze was OK and the stuff the medics gave out. But pot was a no no. Why? Because if you drink a six-pack of beer you will fight anyone. And that is what the military wants, aggression. Smoke a joint and all you want to do is turn the music up and eat chips." That gets a knowing laugh as well. "Also, that the U.S. military and government used the drug issue to discredit the returning veteran. 'They're all junkies'; so people would not listen to us. Or, that's why we lost, the troops were stoned.' Not that it was a botched military and foreign policy right from the start."

• 3. Why do you speak at schools?

  Simple, because nobody came to my school in 1966 and said anything about thinking before getting involved in something that I knew nothing about, but thought I did.

The questions run a whole range and again, it's the person's attitude that is answering the questions on the subject, that will come out. There is no pat answer for a lot of what I have covered here; just my experiences, I hope they help.

Profanity: Don't use it, it doesn't work. We all know that kids use it, but in the classroom it takes away from a presentation.

Counter-recruitment and draft registration information: that is a topic unto itself. Organizations like WRL (War Resisters League), and CCCO (Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors) have whole training packets on this subject.

In closing, remember you were in school once also. Have fun and get the word out. If anyone wishes to contact me, with questions or whatever, on all this, feel free. You can reach me through the e-mail on this web site.

Airborne, All the Way,

Drill Sgt. Hassna

copyright Steve Hassna, 1998

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