Rebuilding the GI Movement

By Seaman Jonathan W. Hutto, Sr. Hutto is an active duty sailor stationed in Norfolk Virginia. You can reach him at citizensailors@yahoo.com

For my generation of activists born post the Civil Rights and Peace Movement of the 1960’s, the struggle against the Vietnam War conjures up images of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s advocacy and the conscientious objection of heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali . For others, images of peace activists being viciously beaten and attacked by Chicago police in the summer of 1968 and Jimi Hendrix giving his rendition of the "Star Spangle Banner" at Woodstock holds a place in our national conscious.

Over thirty years after the U.S lost the war in Indochina, my generation is coming to know the history of the GI resistance in Vietnam . As documented by David Cortright ‘s "Soldiers in Revolt", first published in 1975, and David Ziegler ‘s 2005 documentary film "Sir No Sir ", the movement of soldiers and sailors against the occupation of Vietnam was pivotal in ending U.S Imperialist aggression against the Vietnamese people.

The GI Movement was also instrumental in advancing reforms to the military command structure. In the aftermath of the racial rebellions of the early 70’s on the USS Kitty Hawk and the USS Constellation, the military attempted to address racism and discrimination through the creation of Equal Opportunity (EO) advisors.

Over thirty years later, I have gained personal and political experience dealing with equal opportunity on my ship. It is my hope these experiences can be a road-map for soldiers and sailors dealing with discriminatory and abusive conditions within their workplace.

I enlisted in the United States Navy in January of 2004. After having worked at non-profit organizations and an unsuccessful stint at teaching 5th grade post graduating from Howard University in 1999, I was searching for a clean slate, a chance to repay my student loans and obtain a new lease on life. However, what I found was an institutional culture laced with discriminatory behavior based on race, gender, sexual orientation and geography. I still remember the West Virginia recruit in my division in boot camp being asked repeatedly by our Chief Petty Officer (E7) whether or not he had ever slept with his cousin.

Upon arriving on my ship in the summer of 2004, I realized my adjusting to the existing culture within the shop would be impossible. Racial and sexual remarks were constantly made to both males and females. One petty officer (E4) was notorious for his comments admiring the Ku Klux Klan and Adolf Hitler . I vividly remember this same petty officer making derogatory statements regarding the national celebration of Dr. King ‘s birthday. Every-time I related these incidents to the chain of command, it was always excused and swept under the rug.

In the summer of 2005, during the evaluation process, I wrote my Chief Petty Officer (E7) and Senior Chief Petty Officer (E8) a two and half page memo detailing the gross equal opportunity abuses in my shop and the need for reform. The result was me being targeted as an agitator and not being a team player. As usual, my complaints were ignored and business as usual continued in the shop.

My ship deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in September of 2005. During the deployment in January of 2006, a junior petty officer (E4), in the company of other petty officers, displayed a hangman’s noose in my face mocking the mass lynchings of African-Americans in this country.

At this point, enough was enough. I vowed to resist this oppressive culture to the fullest extent of military law and beyond. I immediately drafted a memo on the situation and rallied support from other shipmates adversely affected. The military preaches the doctrine of handling situations at the lowest level possible. The purpose is to ensure higher enlisted and officers are never fully exposed and held accountable in these situations.

Instead of handling this situation at the lowest level, I sent a memo to my entire departmental chain of command including the EO advisor. A full level investigation was opened to investigate the matter. The investigating officer found the perpetrator did engage in racial intimidation. The result was the perpetrator going before the Captain and being reduced in rank and confined to the ship for 30 days. The senior petty officer in the situation (E5) was given a letter of reprimand.

Despite the small victory, this investigation had its challenges. My Senior Chief (E8) stated in the investigative report that I had never told him of the situation in the shop which is contrary to the letter I gave him six months prior to the incident. Also, shipmates in the shop told me of the hostility of the chain of command towards the investigative process. Lastly, after the Captain awarded punishment to the perpetrators, I was denied a copy of the investigative record by the legal office.

I filed an appeal to the EO advisor on three points in March of 2006. First, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), I believe I was entitled to a copy of the investigative file. Second, that my Senior Chief needed to be held accountable for being untruthful in the investigation and lastly the punishment given to the perpetrator was not appropriate given the severity of the incident.

On March 21st, I was denied the investigation files and told I could appeal within 30 days. From the GI Rights Hot-line I learned that all military members can send a protected communication to a member of Congress on any matter. I sought assistance from Congressman John Lewis’s office. His office sent a letter to the Navy on my case and received a response on April 19th. Although my appeal was denied I felt a sense of closure in knowing I had exhausted my rights in this situation.

The atmosphere in my shop has changed for the better although some resentment is present. For any military member going through an adverse situation in their shop which is discriminatory and unfair in nature, several points to remember. First, document all instances of discriminatory and unfair treatment and report it promptly to your chain of command. If the chain of command fails to take action, you should seek out your EO advisor and continue to document accordingly.

Their are civilian/veterans organizations that will help you in filing a complaint and resolving adverse situations. You can call the GI Rights hot-line at 1-800-394-9544 or email them at: girights@objector.org. They have counselors on call ready to help with any questions or concerns you have. You can also contact the National Lawyers Guild Military Law Task Force at www.nlg.org/mltf/. The task force helps to provide direct legal assistance to active duty members.

The late abolitionist and fighter against slavery, Frederick Douglass, taught us power concedes nothing without a demand. A revitalized GI movement of the 21st century in America must deal with the basic grievances of active-duty along with the higher issues of War and the proper distribution of resources for human need. In the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, we shall overcome one day!

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