John Kerry participated in the war, but he is anti-war
It is a fact that John Kerry participated in the war, but he is anti-war. Kerry returned to the United States and settled in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he became a member of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). VVAW, which numbered over 20,000 people at the time, was considered by some (including President Richard Nixon's administration) to be an effective if contentious, component of the antiwar movement. Kerry was a participant in VVAW's "Winter Soldier Inquiry" into US atrocities in Vietnam, and he appears in the film of the same name, which depicts the investigation.
Kerry testified before a U.S. Senate committee hearing on war-ending solutions on April 22, 1971. The day after his speech, Kerry joined hundreds of other veterans in a rally in which he and other Vietnam War veterans threw their medals and service ribbons over a fence built at the front steps of the United States Capitol building to demonstrate their opposition to the war. Marine Jack Smith issued a statement explaining why the veterans were handing back their military honors to the government. Almost 1,000 enraged veterans threw their medals, ribbons, caps, jackets, and military papers over the fence for more than two hours. Each veteran provided his or her name, hometown, service branch, and a statement. Kerry tossed his own honors and awards, as well as those handed to him by other veterans.
Kerry was arrested on May 30, 1971, while participating in a VVAW march to memorialize American POWs detained by North Vietnam. The march was intended to be a multi-day affair from Concord to Boston, and participants attempted to camp on the town green in Lexington. Local and state police detained 441 demonstrators, including Kerry, for trespassing around 2:30 a.m. All were given the Miranda Warning before being transported on school buses to the Lexington Public Works Garage for the night. Kerry and the other demonstrators were later released after paying a $5 fine. The large arrests sparked a community response, resulting in favorable news for the VVAW.
