He protested the Vietnam War. Now, he’s clearing his pipes for another round.

He protested the Vietnam War. Now, he’s clearing his pipes for another round.

A 75-year-old who was part of Vietnam War protests joined hundreds in Kalamazoo's Economic Blackout Day protest, comparing today's political climate to "a room full of carbon monoxide."

Fifty years after the end of the Vietnam War, Sean McFate's verdict is alarming: "The United States continues to refuse to learn the lessons of Vietnam, which would have helped us in Iraq and Afghanistan. And what is at stake here is the Third World War."

Lessons in People Power

As lessons at the Zinn Education Project demonstrate, the U.S. war against Vietnam began in 1945 at the end of World War II, with the U.S. refusal to recognize Vietnam’s independence. Every U.S. president — from Truman through Nixon — waged war on Vietnam. And as the Pentagon Papers demonstrate, each of these presidents lied about it. The human suffering and the ecological devastation is impossible to calculate. A 1968 flyer for a student strike…

On April 30, 1975 the Vietnam War ended - also with a severe military defeat for the USA. Preparations for the celebrations for the 50th anniversary are underway.