Saying hello

Hello:

I'm signing on as a blogger for the Vets for Peace national convention here in St. Paul. I look forward to sharing my thoughts as the conference procedes and during the peace demonstrations, celebrations, and vigils during the RNC Convention that follows.

Peace,
Agent Orange

Profile:
Michael (Agent Orange) served in the Marines from 1968 to 1970, including a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam. He experienced combat in numerous patrols, search-and-destroy missions, and other major operations. Following his discharge, he witnessed the events leading up to the shootings at Kent State University, where he was a student. Thereafter, he actively participated in the peace movement until the War’s end in 1975, including the famed veterans’ march on Washington in 1971, when veterans, led by John Kerry, protested against the war they fought by throwing their medals over the Capitol fence. In 2001, he published a memoir of his service, Fire in the Hole: A Mortarman in Vietnam (Writers Club Press).

Since 1984, Michael has studied the Vietnam War and has volunteered as a guest lecturer for history and social studies classes. Currently, he co-teaches a class entitled, The 60s: The War in Vietnam and at Home, at the University of Minnesota, Compleat Scholar Program and another entitled, Into the Quagmire: A Discussion about the US Involvement in Vietnam and Lessons for Today, through the Seminar for InQuiring Minds Program. He is a longtime active member of Vets for Peace.

www.VetSpeak.org