Dan sits down with renowned World War Two historian James Holland to discuss the forgotten, yet critically-important logistical and operational history of World War Two.Listen Now 10. Following the end of the war, she became an advocate for Vietnamese refugees, who were known as … Oscar-winning actor Marlon Brando was influential not only for his roles in films like “The Godfather” and “On the Waterfront,” but also for his political idealism and activism. The leftist politics and prolific nature of the couple led to the Nixon administration attempting to deport Lennon from the United States. It hurt so many soldiers. With the release of Bruce Springsteen's latest album, "Letter to You," Stacker looked back the artist's storied history of activism and protest anthems, from the hardship of the Vietnam War veteran personified in "Born in the U.S.A." to his latest support of the Black Lives Matter movement. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the Cold War. Some of the other notable figures to publicly speak out against the war included: Philosophers Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Satre, who claimed that the US had breached international and human rights law with regard to Vietnam. Her father, Henry, was a famous actor and her mother, Frances Seymour, was a socialite who committed suicide in 1950. You may also like: Best miniseries available to stream. They may have been right to suspect some, but others were just completely ridiculous. Despite frequent bad press, Fonda continues to insist her actions were always in protest of the U.S. government and not soldiers. She participated in demonstrations against the war throughout 1969 and 1970, and in February 1971 helped financially support the Winter Soldier Investigation in Detroit, where more than 100 veterans testified about atrocities and war crimes they had either committed or witnessed in Vietnam. Jane Fonda is well known for her litany of colorful films and leotards, but the leggy actress also has an appetite for sticking it to the man. Through news articles, listicles, and retrospectives, Stacker has compiled a list of 50 celebrities fighting for different causes who have a history of participating in protests or have made significant news through their participation. 08 February 1762. Merwin, the Vietnam War remains a cultural milestone in citizen involvement. TIME takes at other celebrities who have shone their star power on causes they support. When there are so many injustices in society, many ordinary citizens organize and mobilize to fight for change. Photographer, War photographer, Photojournalist, Lê Lợi. AFP / Getty Images Ted Powers / AP. Ali was convicted of draft evasion and served 5 years Several now-influential music artists used their talents to appeal to a wide audience that was against the war. Keys has not only spoken at various demonstrations protesting Trump administration immigration policies, the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and police brutality, but she has also contributed a number of protest songs that tackle some of these issues. Gary Rader Ronald Radosh Eleanor Raskin Donna Reed Charles Owen Rice Jeremy Rifkin Harry Ring Diana Rivers Lillian Robinson Larry Rosebaugh Robert Roth (activist) Murray Rothbard Jerry Rubin Mark Rudd Molly Rush Richard Rusk Bayard Rustin Organisations opposing the war had been around since the early 1960s but their membership was mostly limited to university students, radical political groups and some churches. i know jane fonda got into more trouble during vietnam than when she said c*nt. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, who had been a vocal criti… Muhammad Ali was drafted into the Vietnam War in 1966. Fonda's trip became the subject of controversy when a photo surfaced of Fonda sitting in an anti-aircraft battery in Hanoi. On March 16, George Clooney was arrested for participating in a protest outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington DC. In the 1970s, Fonda was a Vietnam protestor, touring military towns and universities speaking on behalf of the soldiers she felt were wrongly deployed to Vietnam. Indeed, his biggest-selling album, Born In The U.S.A., became a symbol of patriotism in the 1980s.But few realized that its title track was, in fact, a protest song about the treatment of Vietnam vets. As a musician, Alicia Keys has added musical flair to her activism. The 29 th of April 1973 was the day when the United States finally pulled out of Vietnam and ended the war that the Vietnamese call the “American War”. In 1972, Fonda made a trip to North Vietnam where she broadcast 10 radio shows that denounced the U.S. government and military leaders. Several celebrities have been observed as taking part in these in-person protests. On June 8, 1949, the FBI named a slew of celebrities as members of the Communist Party. In the past several decades, entertainers and other types of celebrities have contributed to a number of causes. As one of the most prolific celebrities in Hollywood, George Clooney has used his star power to bolster his humanitarian efforts. Ali was classified as a 1-A, meaning that he would go out in combat if he was drafted. But Dylan remains important to those who were living in the country at the time. Next, see what the Vietnam War looked like for those who fought it in this CBS News footage that captured a battle in action in the jungles of Vietnam near Cambodia in March 1970: After viewing the Vietnam War photos above, have a look at two of the era's most iconic images: "Napalm Girl" and the Saigon execution . In April 1970, Fred Gardner, Fonda and Donald Sutherland formed the FTA tour.The tour, referred to as "political vaudeville" by … Speaking Out Against the Vietnam War Because the scope of U.S. involvement in Vietnam was limited in the late 1950s and early ’60s, public opposition was also limited. Going back to Jane Fonda protesting the Vietnam War, and alternately Elvis advocating for conscription, we have allowed celebrities to influence not only our story telling, but also our political and social views. Academy Award winner Clark Gable spent World War II flying combat missions in Europe. The Vietnam War was a war between Anti-communist and Communist forces in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1955 to 1975. The couple, consisting of former Beatle John Lennon and musician Yoko Ono, primarily focused on promoting peace and anti-war with their works of art, with “Imagine” and “Give Peace a Chance” being some of the more famous songs from the duo. Click on to see which causes your favorite stars may have supported. Later, presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy increased the US’s political, economic, and military commitments steadily throughout the fifties and early sixties in Vietnam. 19, 2012. Some famous people that served in the Vietnam War … The Man from UNCLE Robert Vaughn was the star of a popular primetime TV spy series called The Man From U.N.C.L.E., which ran from September 1964 to mid-January 1968.Vaughn was among the first to criticize President Lyndon B. Johnson on the Vietnam war — and he did so very publicly in … Because these celebrities have a platform, whether it is general public interest from being followed by the tabloids, or in more recent decades, a large social media following, whatever cause they support will instantly garner more attention. and that 3 girl group were criticized for speaking against the iraq war. to dedicate herself to the cause. In fact, some of the great screen legends fought against Nazis in World War II, defused bombs, and even liberated concentration camps. They were born in the 1940s, and they were both inspired to fight against injustice, whether it was the injustices of the Vietnam War or Watergate or children in poverty or oppression of African Americans in Philadelphia where I was growing up. Fonda apologized for the incident in a 1988 interview with Barbara Walters, saying, "I will go to my grave regretting the photograph of me in an anti-aircraft gun, which looks like I was trying to shoot at American planes. Clooney had long been vocal about finding a resolution to the War in Darfur, interfacing with world leaders and the United Nations as well as taking part in a number of documentaries spreading awareness about the conflict. Increased the US military’s advisory presence in Vietnam to 16 200 by late 1963 and supported a military coup against the Diem regime. Brando participated in the movement for civil rights in the 1960s and favored a boycott toward South Africa for its apartheid policies. Howard Lisnoff is a freelance writer.He is the author of Against the Wall: Memoir of a Vietnam-Era War Resister (2017). Against this backdrop, as the Vietnam War raged from the ’60s into the ’70s, the government entered into negotiations with the U.S. for the return of Okinawa. Five months later, half a million people sang “Give Peace a Chance” at a protest rally against President Richard Nixon and the Vietnam War. Most recently in 2019 and 2020, the 81-year-old Fonda has been arrested several times during demonstrations that protested the use of fossil fuels by oil companies. Jane Fonda was against the war. On April 15, 400,000 people organized by the Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam marched from Central Park to the UN building in New York City to protest the war, where they were addressed by critics of the war such as Benjamin Spock, Martin Luther King Jr., event initiator and director James Bevel, Harry Belafonte, and Jan Barry Crumb, a veteran of the war. The war against Vietnam is only the ghastliest manifestation of what I'd call imperial provincialism, which afflicts America's whole culture -- aware only of its own history, insensible to everything which isn't part of the local atmosphere. Despite a brief upsurge in protests following and resumption of the air war against North Vietnam in the spring of 1972, the factionalization of the movement and the withdrawal of most U.S. forces led to a decline in protests. Officer. Jane Fonda is well known for her litany of colorful films and leotards, but the … Vietnam War (1954–75), conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. Ali claimed to be a conscientious objector and did not believe in death and killing. Võ Nguyên Giáp. It galvanized such hostility. Fonda was arrested in 1970 for her role in a speaking tour that protested the Vietnam War, spending a night in jail. The Federal Bureau of Investigation may have been Beatles fans, but they were no fan of John Lennon's activism against the Vietnam War. His one-hour special report aired on Feb. 27, 1968. Gia Long. South Vietnam seemed on the brink of a civil war, even as the fighting against North Vietnam and the Việt Cộng insurgency raged on. Jane Fonda, holding a camera, visits 25 July 1972 a Hanoi site bombed by US airplanes. You may also like: The power of protest: Changes enacted since George Floyd’s death. 25 August 1911. The attempt to keep the peace led to multiple incidents in which American Marines received rifle fire from South Vietnamese troops. The fame that a number of celebrities have garnered is partially due to the work they have done in advocating and promoting these topics to the general public and the news at large. After being met with years of protest, demonstrations, and activism, including the objections of many notable poets and artists, such as Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg, and W.S. But as 'Jean and Jane' makes clear, Fonda’s fight against the Vietnam War went far deeper than the popular image. CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite went to Vietnam to provide viewers with an assessment of the war’s progress. Actress Rosario Dawson is also known for being an activist, primarily demonstrating in support of the Democratic Party. Jane Fonda was born on December 21, 1937, in New York City. Kent State shooting, the shooting of unarmed college students on May 4, 1970, at Kent State University in northeastern Ohio, a pivotal event in the anti-Vietnam War movement. Throughout the Vietnam war, a number of celebrities spoke out against administration policies. The “Vietnam War” waged by the USA lasted eight long years, and cost the lives of 58,000 US soldiers, an estimated 250,000 Vietnamese soldiers and between two and four million civilians in the region. © 2019 TIME USA, LLC. 10 September 1385. Lyndon Johnson ran as a “Dove” or peace candidate, pledging to not send U.S. boys to Vietnam. She was no part-time activist, effectively placing her career on hold just after 1969’s Academy Award-winning They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Some famous people that served in the Vietnam War … He's part of a cadre of musicians and other celebrities who have championed social causes. Audie Murphy became a national hero during World War II as the most decorated combat soldier of the war. Next, see what the Vietnam War looked like for those who fought it in this CBS News footage that captured a battle in action in the jungles of Vietnam near Cambodia in March 1970: After viewing the Vietnam War photos above, have a look at two of the era's most iconic images: "Napalm Girl" and the Saigon execution . Alexandre Yersin. Baez often performed at antiwar rallies and participated in many protests. Yet with the 1964 presidential elections, a large-scale antiwar movement began to take shape. Vy Qwaint. Audie Murphy became a national hero during World War II as the most decorated combat soldier of the war. The anti-war movement grows Europeans protest against US military action in Vietnam. US bombers, including B-52 strato-fortresses, started to bomb the North Vietnamese capital and its port Haiphong in April 1972. Protests against the Vietnam War did not start when America declared her open involvement in the war in 1964.America rallied to the call of the commander-in-chief and after the Gulf of Tonkin incident it became very apparent that few would raise protests against the decision to militarily support South Vietnam. Emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam. In 1968, actor Robert Vaughn worked in the “Dump LBJ” movement, and celebrities such as Paul Newman, Tony Randall, Myrna Loy, and Leonard Nimoy labored on behalf of presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy. Celebrities are taking over our screens for the cause. Much of popular music in the 1960s was another means of protest for an audience that was against the Vietnam War. While fracking is the main issue that the public relates to Ruffalo, the actor has also been seen protesting against President Donald Trump. Vietnam War (1954–75), conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. https://www.historyhit.com/important-figures-in-the-vietnam-war In 2012, Clooney was arrested during a protest at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington D.C. You may also like: 25 of the most expensive TV series of all time. On June 8, 1949, the FBI named a slew of celebrities as members of the Communist Party. Jane attended Vassar College for two years. American actress and activist Jane Fonda is surrounded by soldiers and reporters as she sings an anti-war song near Hanoi during the Vietnam War … President of Vietnam. All rights reserved. Declaring himself a conscientious objector, in part due to his religious beliefs, Ali was arrested and stripped of his titles. The conflict marked a turning point for how Americans saw the military’s place in the world. It was the most horrible thing I could possibly have done. Among his 33 awards was the Medal of Honor, the highest award for bravery that a soldier can receive. About half of Vietnam's 87 million people are under 30, with no memory of the years of war with the US. That trip followed a public letter sent by Artists United to Win Without War, which was signed by Martin Sheen, Kim Basinger, Matt Damon, Laurence … With all of these famous names also out in the streets, the role of the celebrity in these moments in time of social strife has been brought into a discussion. In 1967, Russell and Satre organised and convened a hypothetical ‘war crimes tribunal’ in Sweden, in which American policy and alleged war crimes in Vietnam were ‘put on trial’. Fonda's trip to North Vietnam was part of her protest campaign against the US involvement in the Vietnam war. Get Stacker's best stories delivered right to your inbox. (AFP/Getty Images) and that 3 girl group were criticized for speaking against the iraq war. Muhammad Ali is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century, but he was also known for his … Even so, Ali would become a countercultural figure for civil rights and pacifism, and his conviction of draft evasion was eventually overturned by the … Major protests were held in … The issues that celebrities highlight cover a large range, including animal cruelty, police brutality, government surveillance, military action, environmental injustice, and civil rights relating to Black Americans or LGBTQ+ citizens. 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