Library - Reading Room
Supporting Materials for Sir! No Sir!
What Is The Need?
We the anti-war GI's have for a long time recognized the need for a newspaper which others can look to for help and to gain unity among us to end the illegal and immoral war. We know that there are many GI's opposed to war and the other goals the military has set up. They are tired of war, tired of the insensitiveness of the military structure to the problems that they face individually, and tired of the meaningless lives the military has laid out for them.
There are many people who object to this situation but feel helpless in trying to change it. The function of this newspaper is to give the GI's at Fort Devens, MA. hope and an awareness that others feel the way you do. What is needed is a feeling of unity in our efforts to make life a little better for ourselves we are aware that many of you have unsolved problems which the chain of command has not been able to work out. We want to help you if we can or at least steer you in the direction of help.
For those of you who realize that the aims of the military are wrong we want to help you resist. Each and every man must work out for himself what level of resistance is appropriate for him. We want him to realize that he is not alone in what he does. We hope to reach as many people as possible to make them aware of their rights and to return to them the rights they had as civilians. We also want to let those in authority know that we don't believe or go along with their programs. Finally, we know that the only way we can stop war, stop the oppression and stop being machines is to realize that the hold the military has over us is illusionary. So GI's unite, together we can live in peace, freedom and love.
It has become clear that those in authority, both military and civilian are no way concerned with the consequences of their actions. First they created and committed a war machine to fit their needs irregardless of cost in money or human suffering. They have intimidated us in to believing that this was necessary to defend our Christian nation against some great Communist threat. Then they gave us Korea to show the need to be vigilant against the Communist menance. After several years of playing their little war games they gave us a real conflict- Vietnam in all its glory. Now we are being treated to the possibility of even better things by our expansion into Cambodia. They want us to believe that these are the great defenses of democracy. Don't you believe it. Whose lives are they usin [sic] to maintain their power and virtual dictatorship over the American people? Young Americans are being used as pawns in their giant games of imperialist expansion who is paying the price of this meglomania it is the GI's who are told to go fight and kill the enemies of the authories [sic] it is the GI's who are told to go fight and kill the enemies of the authorities. We are called to be the great defenders of the Constitution, of peace, of freedom but when we try to voice our opinions or use the rights we are supposedly defending we are stifled by the tyranncy of our leaders.
We have become the defenders of unconstitutional and immoral wars against innocent people. Their only crime was that they were underfed and that they were bacwards [sic] by our standards. They are tired, a as [sic] we are, of the corruption and neglect of the government. We have destroyed a whole civilization because the fascist generals and their civilian cohorts want to play their power games.
We ask for peace and recieve empty words. We ask for reform and again get only words. We see our country plagued by war, rascism and poverty and all we get in response is more military spending, more regulation of our lives, more repression of dissent and an attitude of business as usual. When is this inhumanity going to stop? Only we who are caught. In the machine can change this.
GI's have many problems when they com [sic] in the service but are stifled at every turn when they try to get them solved. The chain of command is manned by N.C.O.’ and Officers who are more concerned with seeing the machine become more efficient than in being sensitive to the needs of their fellow man. They proclaim all power to the state, that we must all be subservient to the needs of the state (or is it to the needs of those few in power?). No one must use their supposed freedom of speech, of assembly or petition. This would weaken the structure of illusion that has been created to deny us what we as citizens are entitled to. They would even have you believe that possession of this paper is illegal. IT IS NOT, they only fear that the lies they tell will be exposed and that their own tyranncy [sic] will be overthrown. This is the attittude the thinking GI is up against.
You must come to some questions if you are to set yourself free. Are you an inhuman machine ready to kill on order? Are you content with being a number in DA's game? If you feel something is wrong that killing is wrong that you should be able to determine your own fate you are not alone.
If you feel powerless to change this you are wrong. There are many ways to resist the military. Each man can do what is appropriate for him. There are many legitimate (even by military standards) ways to weaken the control of the militar [sic] over your life. Become aware of what you can do even if you can't totally resist. The control over you is in many aspects illegal and only by fear and intimidation can it survive. Don't be afraid of threat of punishment if you want to be free. The UCMJ was enacted by Congress and you as a citizen can call for a change. We cannot let ourselves be used as tools of oppression for in reality we are also are oppressed. If you don't believe me try to use your rights or question the authority of your superiors. We have the potential force here at Fort Devens to eliminate the injustices done to us. We together can improve our lives and become human again. We have nothing to gain but our freedom.
Morning Report, no. 1