Access
Use
Acquisition Information
Preferred Citation
Historical Note
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement Statement
Title: We Supported Our Men in Vietnam records
Date (bulk): 1967-1968
Collection Number: 93057
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
5 manuscript boxes, 10 oversize boxes, 7 motion picture film reels
(15.1 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, memorabilia, sound and video recordings, and motion picture film related
to efforts in New York to mobilize popular support for American servicemen and prisoners of war in Vietnam both during and
after the Vietnam War.
Creator:
We Supported Our Men in Vietnam, Inc
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1993 with an increment in 1995.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], We Supported Our Men in Vietnam records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library
& Archives.
Historical Note
We Supported Our Men in Vietnam, Inc. grew out of the Support Our Boys in Vietnam Parade, which was organized by New York
fire chief Ray Gimmler in 1967. The parade was held on May 13, 1967 along 5th Avenue in New York City and included thousands
of people in attendance. Gimmler was moved to organize the event after learning that demonstrators had burned the American
flag during an anti-war demonstration in April of 1967. The goal of the parade was not only to counteract the growing anti-war
movement of the time, but to show American servicemen in Vietnam that they had the support and backing of the American people.
Throughout the rest of the Vietnam War, the group was simply known as the Support Our Boys in Vietnam Parade Committee (sometimes
also referred to as the Support Our
Men in Vietnam Parade Committee). Gimmler continued to lead the group as director and chairman with John M. Connolly, Jr. and
Frank J. D'Amico serving as co-directors. In addition to proving that the majority of Americans supported servicemen abroad,
at this time the organization focused on many other issues related to the war, including the treatment of American prisoners
of war (POWs) and soldiers who were missing in action (MIA). They established the Council for Civilized Treatment of POWs
and became active members of other patriotic committees, such as the National Committee for Responsible Patriotism and the
National Committee for the Protection of Patriotic Americans.
In 1973 the group helped organize another parade in New York City, the Home with Honor Parade. It was held on March 31, the
day after the U.S. officially announced it would withdraw from Vietnam. Although smaller than the Support Our Boys in Vietnam
Parade, the Home with Honor Parade also drew thousands of attendees. Participants marched from Times Square to Central Park
behind approximately 1,000 servicemen who had recently returned home from the war.
In 1985 the organization officially changed its name to We Supported Our Men in Vietnam, Inc. and shifted its focus to the
creation and distribution of the documentary,
At Home with Honor. It was composed of footage from different parades and events held for Vietnam servicemen, both during and after the war.
For a full list of the events covered in the documentary, see note in the U-matic videocassettes section of the Audiovisual
Material series.
During the organization's final years, the group distributed approximately 2,000 copies of
At Home with Honor to American Legion posts, U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, and Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC)
colleges. They also donated copies of the film to the National Archives and the Library of Congress and arranged for showings
of the film at local community, veteran, and political organizations. On October 24, 1989, We Supported Our Men in Vietnam,
Inc. received a George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge for excellence in programs and
activities for their work on
At Home with Honor. The organization concluded its activities in 1995.
Scope and Content of Collection
The We Supported Our Men in Vietnam records contain correspondence, clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, memorabilia, motion
picture film, and sound and video recordings that document the organization's efforts to mobilize support for Americans who
served in the Vietnam War. The materials in the collection span the active dates of the organization, from 1965 to 1995, with
the majority of the materials being from the late 1960s and late 1980s.
Much of the material pertains to the Support Our Boys in Vietnam and Home with Honor parades, as well as the group's documentary,
At Home with Honor, created in 1985. In addition, the collection contains materials related to the Council for the Civilized Treatment of POWs
Committee, a subdivision of the organization led by John M. Connolly, Jr., and other patriotic organizations that Chairman
Ray Gimmler was active in.
The
Correspondence series contains materials originally organized and housed in binders by the organization. It includes several letters of
support and thanks from national and local New York government officials, members of the public, as well as servicemen and
their families. It also contains letters to television studios, political figures, and various organizations arguing that
the majority of Americans supported the troops during the Vietnam War, contrary to what was being depicted in the media. Press
releases and clippings regarding the group's activities and Vietnam veteran issues are intermixed throughout these files.
More of this type of material, as well as photographs of events, can be found in scrapbooks in the
Oversized Material series.
The
Audiovisual Material series contains footage of the Support Our Boys in Vietnam Parade held in New York City on May 13, 1967, as well as recordings
of Ray Gimmler's radio and television appearances speaking on behalf of the organization. It also contains copies of the organization's
documentary,
At Home with Honor, which was sent to a number of military and veteran organizations along with a questionnaire about the film. Completed questionnaires
can be found in the
Projects and Events series.
Posters, signs, and buttons from the various events the group participated in can be found in the
Memorabilia and
Oversized Material series. This includes material used in the Support Our Boys in Vietnam Parade, a "Free the Pueblo" demonstration, and events
regarding Vietnam POW/MIA issues.
Arrangement Statement
Within each series the materials were generally kept in the original arrangement and order of the creator. Original file names
were also preserved and are denoted by quotation marks. It should also be noted that the organization often used the terms
"boys" and "men" interchangeably in their name as well as in the title of their 1967 parade. For clarity, in this finding
aid "boys" was used when referring to the 1967 parade and the organization prior to 1985 (i. e. Support Our Boys in Vietnam
Parade and Support Our Boys in Vietnam Parade Committee), while "men" was used when referring to the organization after 1985
(i. e. We Supported Our Men in Vietnam, Inc.).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Motion pictures
Prisoners of war
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Prisoners and prisons, North Vietnamese
United States -- Armed Forces
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Public opinion