by Bob Levis, website: homunculus.us
The matinee screening of the film F.T.A. (which stands for “F### the Army”) on Saturday, December 7 at the Laemmle Film Center in Santa Monica, CA, leaves no doubt as to what was the most significant factor in bringing a halt to the genocide of the Vietnamese people at the hands of the American Empire. It was unquestionably the soldiers themselves as they began to refuse to carry out their orders to “kill the g**ks.” Ample evidence uncovered in correspondence between military brass and revelations made clear on the Nixon tapes show the fear of mutiny spread quickly around the so-called leaders. Threatened by wholesale insurrection and the “fragging” of superior officers, the war ground to a halt. Fragging was a term that came from fragmentation bombs (or the more common name “hand grenades”) that were pitched into the tents of officers as a warning not to issue orders that put the soldiers in jeopardy. As often as not, the commanding officer might be in the tent when the missile arrived. These actions scared the bejesus out of the military commanders.
F.T.A. follows a troupe of performers headlined by Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, and Holly Near and a formidable supporting cast obviously enjoying themselves as they parody anyone stupid enough to follow the orders of soulless officials. The film is perhaps more relevant today than it was fifty years ago as humanity faces several wars around the globe and a horrific genocide in Gaza. It begs the question ...Who is going to be today’s heroic history makers? Will any soldiers in the Israeli military dare to disobey their orders to indiscriminately murder Palestinians? Will either Ukrainian or Russian soldiers tell their commanding officers to insist on an immediate cease fire? Will army grunts refuse to load planes with bombs? Can boycotts of companies such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, and Boeing affect a stoppage of war crimes? Will dockworkers refuse to ship the weapons and the bombs? Who will be today’s conscientious objectors?
After the Vietnam War ended, the United States military went to an all-volunteer army, offering powerful incentives to anyone willing to “drink the Kool-Aid” laced with propaganda. But soldiers need to be reminded of the Geneva Convention signed by all 196 United Nations which states that he/she need not follow an illegal order. In fact, they must disobey. It’s generally called a “duty to disobey” and is empowered by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The UCMJ is more concerned about the need to obey orders, but specifies the conditions when military personnel may feel justified in not following them:
• If the order is “contrary to the constitution” or “the laws of the United States.”
• If the order is “patently illegal, such as one that directs the commission of a crime.”
The film and an introduction to FTA by Jane Fonda can be viewed on YouTube. More information can be found on documentary filmmaker David Zeiger’s website: displacedfilms.com
Captions: David Zeiger/director (top) of powerful anti-war film “SIR! NO SIR!”
Holly Near (Bottom) Integral part of the vivacious “FTA” song and dance team
They did it in 1971. Can they do it again? Stop soldiers from going to war! (Hollynear.com).
Jane Fonda - Not merely an icon but a roll-up-her-sleeves, boots-on-the-ground activist, today in her mid-eighties!!! (Three cheers.) Has been an inspirational activist for more than an half century.
She anchored the brave cast of the 1972 “FTA” tour that encouraged GIs to follow their conscience and stop
killing innocent civilians in Vietnam. See the introduction to FTA by Jane Fonda on YouTube.
