"A War We Had No Business Being In:" The Military and the Antiwar Movement
Created By: Sophia Kocher '21
"I thought it was a war we had no business being in. I thought it was a meddling with the internal politics of another country." -Bruce Boedtker
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
The first march of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War in New York City, 1967.
Photograph courtesy of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War website.
The antiwar movement was a defining feature of the Vietnam War Era. The destruction of the homefront caused by civil unrest and a lack of support for the war is often credited for the United States' failure in Vietnam. Long-haired hippies preaching peace and love and student activists have become the mythical figures emblematic of the movement, however the demographics of the antiwar movement are strikingly diverse. This digital exhibit, inspired by the oral history of Army veteran Bruce Boedtker, explores the role of the military in the antiwar movement, specifically in the context of U.S. troop reduction and "Vietnamization" from 1969-1972.