OH+Research

Oral History Research

Topic: Vietnam Protests Interview Subject: Brian Smith (Lucy's father)  The Vietnam War was a dividing issue in America starting in the 1960s and continuing through the 1970s. The country had not been that much divided since the Civil War. Anti-war groups asked the same question over and over, "What are we fighting for?". Too many of the young American men were coming home in body bags. Soon, the people realized that the government war effort reports were far from the truth. On the other hand, America did not want communism to spread farther. The containment policy was in effect at the time. The problem was that thousands of American lives were lost- and what for? Citiznes demanded an answer as to why they were involved in an indecisive war, and as a result violent protests began.

In the early 1960s, anti-war protests began everywhere in the country, including Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin-Madison quickly gained a reputation for being the most radical campus in the nation. Teach-ins, large forums for discussion between students and faculty about the war, started in 1965 on campus. An event leading up to the bombing of Sterling Hall in 1970 was an October riot part of the anti-Dow protests. Students protested against the makers of the weapon napalm, Dow Chemical Company, because they were recruiting at UW. It resulted in violent police action and radicalized many apolitical students.

At 3:40 in the morning on August 24, 1970, a van filled with six barrels of explosives blew up outside Sterling Hall on the UW campus. Only 20 minutes earlier, a warning of the threat of a bombing came into the police. The four men behind the bombing were Karl and Dwight Armstrong, David Fine, and Leo Burt, calling themselves "The New Year Gang". The Armstrong brothers and Fine were eventually caught and they served time in prison. Leo Burt remains uncaptured today. The original target was the Mathematics Research Center, funded by the US Army. Many students felt the "Army Math" was a solid contributor towards the deaths and destruction in Vietnam. The bombing was far off target though, as it hit Sterling Hall. It was the physics building and many of the faculty were against the war. Robert Fassnacht, a physics researcher, was killed and four others were injured. Karl Armstrong was interviewed on "America's Most Wanted" and when asked to comment of Fassnacht's death, he stated that it was justified and "was a pale comparison to the millions killed in Indochina". The bombing could be heard over 20 miles away and 26 buildings near Sterling Hall were also damaged. The "Army Math" was barely damaged. As students awoke after the blast, police officers searched and questioned any witnesses around.

The bombing certainly did not end the Vietnam War. Many had thought that it would increase anti-war violence, but just the opposite resulted. In 1995, Karl Armstrong said "It was something that tore the community apart. After the bombing, people stood back and took a look at the violence on both sides.'' People looked back at the total $2.1 million dollars in damage and reconsidered the sanity of the violent protests. Overall, the Sterling Hall bombing had an impact on the country, not just Wisconsin. The anti-war movement became more peaceful and gained national attention.

Media:

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Sources:

Bexte, Martina. "The Vietnam War Protests." __Essortment__. 2002. 24 May 2009 .

Lee, Chris. "The Bombing of Sterling Hall." __Leemark Communications__. 26 May 2007. 25 May 2009 .

"Sterling Hall Bombing Engine Fragment." __Wisconsin History__. 18 Aug. 2005. Wisconsin Historical Society. 24 May 2009 .

"Vietnam and Opposition At Home." __Wisconsin History__. Wisconsin Historical Society. 24 May 2009 .