Hi friend,

Susan Schnall enlisted as a nurse in the U.S. Naval Reserves because she wanted to help people. But when she witnessed firsthand the physical and psychological toll of the Vietnam War on returning Marines, she realized she couldn’t be part of system that sent young soldiers to fight in Vietnam. In this episode, you’ll hear about her transformation and how she came up with an innovative way to publicize a huge anti-war march in San Francisco in 1968.

In addition, we hear from Army soldier Andy Stapp who attempted to organize the military into a union, so that the anti-war soldiers could go on strike. 

And, how Jane Fonda and others mounted an alternative to Bob Hope’s USO tours with an anti-war show called FTA (Fuck The Army).

Whether or not you can listen today, thank you for supporting our work. 

NOTE: We are taking a break for a few months. We will return in the fall with more full episodes of A Matter of Conscience. In the meantime, we will be bringing you some shorter, first-person stories culled from the interviews we conducted some 35 years ago.

We will keep you updated on future episodes featuring stories of resistance. You can always listen and subscribe via Apple, Spotify, our website, or Buzzprout for other platforms. 

Onward,

Willa and Bill

(FYI: "GI" is slang referring to soldiers as “Government Issued” equipment.)