Vietnam Veterans Against the War/Winter Soldier Organization

Organizational History

Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc. (VVAW) was a national veterans' organization that was founded in New York City in 1967, after six Vietnam vets marched together in a peace demonstration. During the 1970s, the organization added Winter Soldier Organization to its name, but has since removed it. The VVAW was organized to voice the growing opposition among returning servicemen and women to the war in Indochina, and grew rapidly to a membership of over 30,000 throughout the United States, as well as active duty GIs stationed in Vietnam.

VVAW quickly took up the struggle for the rights and needs of veterans. In 1970, the first rap groups were formed to deal with traumatic after effects of war. They fought for amnesty for war resisters, including vets with bad discharges, and publicized the negative health effects of exposure to chemical defoliants and the Veterans Administration’s attempts to cover up these conditions, as well as their continued refusal to provide treatment and compensation for many Agent Orange Victims.

From the guide to the Vietnam Veterans Against the War/Winter Soldier Organization, California Nevada Regional records, 1966-1978, 1972-1974, (The Bancroft Library.)