1967 | ||
January | The Cleveland Plain Dealer publishes an interview with Pvt. Edward Johnson, a deserter living in Sweden. | |
April | Roy Jones, a deserter, offered asylum in Sweden. | |
May | Pvt. Philip Wagner deserts to protest US involvement in Southeast Asia. | |
May 20 | Louis Armfield, a deserter, given asylum in France. | |
May 27 | The Army admits more than 700 GIs have deserted because of their opposition to the Vietnam war. | |
June 26 | Terry Klug goes AWOL to avoid shipment to Vietnam. | |
September | Richard Perrin deserts in Germany and makes his way to France. Seaman David Crane goes AWOL to avoid service in Vietnam. |
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October 23 | Four American sailors (Craig Anderson, John Barella, Richard Bailey and Michael Lindner) jump ship when their carrier 'The Intrepid' was in Yosuka, Japan. The men sought the aid of a Japanese peace organization which assisted them in making a filmed interview. The four then flew to the Soviet Union which aided them in finding asylum in the traditionally neutral Sweden where they intend to actively work for peace. | |
November | Steve Mason goes AWOL to avoid shipping out to Vietnam. | |
November 21 | Intrepid 4 appear on Soviet television to condemn US involvement in Vietnam. | |
December 9 | Dick Perrin (in an article in The New York Times) announces he would not return to duty until the United States got out of Vietnam. | |
1968 | ||
January 24 | Pfc. Terry Wilson deserts to avoid shipment to Vietnam. | |
February | An article, published in The Ally, claims there are more than 100 deserters living in France, 25 in Sweden and others scattered across Yugoslavia, Switzerland and Japan. Liberation News Service reported that the US military estimates there are hundreds of GIs in Bay Area who have gone AWOL in opposition to the War in Vietnam. |
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February 29 | Frederick Parese deserts to avoid shipment to Vietnam. | |
March 27 | Fred Patrick goes AWOL from El Centro Naval Air Station in protest of Vietnam War. American deserters in Stockholm release statement demanding national independence for Vietnam. |
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May 4 | Sp/4 Michael Branch, a Black GI, deserts the army and joins the ranks of the Viet Cong to help in their fight for their independence from foreign domination. 6 American deserters (Joseph Knett, Phillip Callicotte, Mark Shapiro, Edwin Arnett, Charles Kennette and Terry Whitmore) hold press conference in Moscow to denounce the War. |
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May 25 | Terry Whitmore + 9 other deserters given asylum in Sweden. | |
September | Defense Department lists 135 US Servicemen as absentees from the US Armed Forces living in Canada. | |
November | Portland - AWOL Marine, Glen Davis, announces his resignation from the Marine Corps at a news conference. | |
December 24 | Keith Mather and Walter Pawlowskli escape from the Presidio and move to Canada. | |
1969 | ||
January | Richard Perrin leaves France to work with AMEX in Canada. | |
January 16 | Terry Klug returns to US and turns himself over to military authorities at JFK Airport. | |
March 5 | Senate Committee reports that in the year ending June 30 1968 “a GI deserted on average once every ten minutes” and a GI went AWOL approximately every 3 minutes. | |
April 16 | Premier of documentary film Deserter U.S. in Stockholm. | |
April 29 | Steve Gilbert goes AWOL after fighting shipping out orders since November 1968. | |
August 7 | GI Press Service reports that 90% of GIs in Fort Dix Stockade are guilty of only having gone AWOL. | |
1970 | ||
June | Pentagon reports it is missing 80,000 GIs. | |
December 16 | Sgt. James Henry Grant given political asylum in West Germany. | |
1971 | ||
July | The Pentagon reports that in 1970, nearly 1 out of every 12 (89,088) GIs in the Army deserted. A 300% increase since 1966. 228,797 others went AWOL. The Brass also admit there were 209 reported fraggings of officers and NCOs in Vietnam that year. |
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