Up From the Bottom. San Diego, CA, 2(1),
January 17, 1972.
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EXCERPTS
Join the Billy Dean Smith Defense Committee
BENEFIT CARWASH
The newly organized local chapter of the Billy Dean Smith Defense Committee will hold a car wash
on Sunday, January 30, to raise funds for Billy's defense.
The committee will wash cars from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the corner of 32nd Street and National
Avenue in the parking lot next to the Center for Servicemen's Rights.
Other events are being planned by the committee to get the word out about Billy and raise money
for the trial. Things being talked about include People's Dances and movie benefits.
Meetings are held each Wednesday night at 7:30 at the Enlisted People's Place, 4844 Voltaire St.
in Ocean Beach. Everyone who can contribute time and energy to the case is urged to attend.
Anyone who needs a ride can call 225-8349 or 239-2119.
The case should come to trial some time in March or April so it is crucial that education and
fundraising be done now. Billy has said only the efforts of masses of people will set him free.
Tickets for the car wash are $1 and can be picked up at the Center or EPP, or bought at the car
wash.
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE
WHO IS BILLY DEAN SMITH?
Billy Dean Smith, a Black Army Private from Watts, California, has been in the stockade at Ft.
Ord for over 10 months now awaiting trial for a fragging incident that occurred in Vietnam last
March. Two lieutenants were killed and a third was injured.
The concrete evidence that the Army has against Billy is a grenade pin and a pair of
"suspicious" looking black gloves that were found in the pocket of his field jacket
when he was busted. Grenade pins are so common in Vietnam that a lot of grunts make hat bands
out of them. The one found in Billy's jacket was analyzed by CID labs in Japan and found to have
no connection with the frag that killed the officers.
It's the circumstantial evidence that the Army wants to convict Billy on. He's poor, Black, hates
the Army, opposes the Vietnam War and thinks fragging is a good way to deal with uncontrollable
racist officers. It is for these reasons that the Army has kept Billy in solitary confinement
for the past ten months and hopes to put him before a firing squad.
Billy was busted for a curfew violation during the 1965 Watts insurrection, in which the
California National Guard occupied and "pacified" south-central Los Angeles; so he
knew what the military and the Vietnam War was about before he even went in.
He tried to flunk his induction tests but didn't succeed. He wanted to fight his induction orders
bt decided against it because his family didn't want him to go to jail.
So after basic at Ord and artillery training at Ft. Sill, Billy ended up in Vietnam in October of
1970. Because he refused to take racist abuse and act like a slave for his C.O. and first
sargeant, Billy quickly developed a reputation for having a "bad attitude." He picked
up three Article 15's (NJP) for minor infractions and was put in for an undesirable discharge.
Billy's first shirt, Willey, and C.O. Rigby weren't even in the barracks when the grenade was
tossed in. When they heard about it they decided that Billy must have done it, and even if he
didn't, a court martial would serve him right for not knowing "his place."
These two racist dogs contacted CID and then called a battalion formation. Without a single scrap
of evidence, Billy Dean Smith was called to the front of the formation, a heavy CID hand was
slapped on his shoulder, and he was told he was under arrest for murder. To this was added the
charge of resisting arrest for pushing the CID pig's hand off his shoulder, and two counts of
attempted murder against the first shirt and C.O., if you can believe it.
It is clear that Billy is being held by the Army in an effort to deal with the spreading use of
fragmentation grenades against uncontrollable officers and lifers in Vietnam. The Pentagon
admitted to 209 fraggings last year and most brothers coming back from ‘Nam say that is just the
top of the iceberg.
But the Army hasn't had any luck getting G.I.'s to rat on their brothers, and frags don't leave
any physical evidence to build a case on. So just about every fragging has gone unsolved.
Pentagon officials hope that the use of Billy Dean Smith, sitting in his isolation cell at Ft.
Ord, will intimidate other brothers who are trying to get things together to take control of the
military out of the hands of the military-industrial stooges and put it in the hands of the people.
But it isn't going to work. The G.I. struggle is intensifying, and will continue to intensify.
The following message was issued by a group called the "G.I. Guerrillas" at Ft. Ord:
"We are a group of dissident G.I.'s at Ft. Ord. We firebombed Billy Smith's new courtroom,
which burned an outer wall before it was put out. We destroyed a trainee indoctrination theatre
to give Gen. Westmoreland a warm welcome at Ft. Ord, as well as create distraction for another
group of us to rip off an arms room. We destroyed the headquarters of the 91st Infantry. Our
actions are a result of the oppression all G.I.'s live under. We were sparked by the case of
Billy Smith and fueled by the military and police oppression of all poor, working and non-white
peoples. We are fighting against U.S. imperialism and its rotten capitalist society, and for a
people's revolution."
RIGHT ON BROTHERS!!!!
Another group, the Billy Dean Smith Defense Committee, is working on Billy's courtroom fight.
They are in desperate need of funds to send a lawyer to Vietnam to gather testimony and other
evidence. Donations are needed. Send what you can to: Billy Dean Smith Defense Committee, Suite
60J, 6430 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, California 90028.
In the coming months we will be holding educational programs and demonstrations demanding that
Billy be set free. We'd also like to send a contingent to the court martial if enough people want
to go. Keep in touch with the Enlisted Peoples Place and Center for Servicemen's rights to find
out what's happening.
FREE BILLY DEAN SMITH
FREE THE PEOPLE
When one of Billy Dean Smith's lawyers mentioned Lt. William Calley's name during one of Billy's
pretrial hearings last summer the military prosecutor objected on the grounds that Lt. Calley and
Pvt. Smith had "nothing in common."
With that statement, which was quickly sustained by the chump military judge, the prosecutor
exposed the Uniform Code of Military Injustice and the entire military for what it is - a fascist,
racist institution that doesn't give a damn about poor and working people, especially non-white
people.
It's true that Lt. Calley and Billy Smith have nothing in common. Calley is white; Billy is
black. Calley is an officer; Billy's an enlisted man. Calley was convicted of murdering 22
Vietnamese men, women and children; Billy is being held on suspicion of killing two white Army
officers.
Because of their different places on the military's (and America's) social order, Billy has been
locked in an isolation cell for the past 10 months awaiting trial, while Calley wasn't even
confined before his trial, and spent less than half a day in the stockade after the verdict came
down before Nixon had him transferred to a bachelor apartment on post.
Billy says he's willing to stay in his cell for as long as it takes to expose the military for the
racist institution it is.
We who are aware of the plans the military has for Billy Dean Smith have got to do all we can to
get the word out to the rest of our brothers in the service.
Every attack against a brother in the service just intensifies our struggle against military
injustice and our commitment to building a new society.
One way or another, Billy Dean Smith will be set free.
U.S.S. Kitty Hawk Sailor HIJACKED to GUAM!!!
I have previously expressed some of my views of the S.E. Asian War in an earlier edition of this
paper. At that time I wrote "To Fellow Shipmates Of The Kitty Hawk" but I am no longer
able to use those words since the Navy has unjustifiably deemed it necessary to boot me off the
ship. Because of that and also recent incidents in Viet Nam I feel it is my duty to add to what
I said.
There are three things that I would like to talk about. In the first part of this letter I will
try to broaden what I have previously said about the war and why I think it is necessary to have
a petition expressing the desire to have the Kitty Hawk stop going to bomb the Vietnamese. The
next part of the letter is going to be the details of what I think is my illegal transfer. It'll
probably be a good place to give a plug for freedom of speech also. Lastly I'm going to give a
couple of my pet peeves about the Navy which are probably quite a few other people's too.
THE WAR
I never expected what I predicted in my last letter to come about so soon. I had said that the
war would switch to bombing attacks. The intensity of the attacks was also much more than I
figured on. Public opinion has temporarily put a halt to them but I foresee more of the same in
the future. To put a stop to it the people of the United States will have to firmly show their
disapproval.
Government officials have come up with their usual weak excuses for the attacks. It seems that
they think the North Vietnamese should stop their participation in the war so we can firmly
establish our positions. I'm sure the North Vietnamese can see that this would force them into a
corner at the Paris peace talks.
The first excuse given for the attacks was that our reconnaissance planes had been attacked.
I've never heard about any North Vietnamese reconnaissance planes being allowed to fly over South
Vietnam. Just ask yourself what you think would happen if they did. Another excuse was increased
troop infiltrations from the North which is easy to say but hard to prove. Even if true it is no
justifications for such intense bombings. They also say the bombings were to help us withdraw
more troops which may sound good from the military point of view but to people who want to end the
war it means we'll be continuing to stay there in one form or another.
Nixon has used the POW'S as an excuse for keeping troops in Vietnam. Keeping troops there and
bombing North Vietnam are the last things that will cause the POW's to be released.
The irony of the bombings are that some pilots say they hit few of the targets. Of course the
Generals declare them a great success. I only wonder how many civilians were killed.
It was because of things like this that I thought it was necessary to have a petition on the
Kitty Hawk. Now I think it's more necessary than ever. It is one way of showing disapproval
about any further bombings. I can no longer take a direct part in it but I urge some people on
the ship to joining together and get it going. The petition doesn't necessarily have to go along
with the "Stop Our Ship" (SOS) movement but it's met with pretty good success on other
ships. It is in effect what a petition like that will be doing. The petition should say
something like you want the bombings to stop in Vietnam. Since the ship is so closely involved
with the bombings it should be people on the ship who take the initiative in stopping them. The
voice of the people will stop this war yet even if the government if a little hard of hearing!!
MY ILLEGAL TRANSFER
For writing my other letter in this paper my security clearance was taken away. They tried to use
the excuse that the people putting out the paper were under a subversive group but that's
completely untrue. Many of the things they told me in that connection were false.
They are now converting me from a Data Systems Technician to a electricians mate since my rate
required a security clearance. Along with that they have transferred me to the USS HUNLEY (AS-31)
at a great inconvenience to myself. They aren't even justified in trying to make an Electrician
out of me since it is quite a bit different than working with electronics. There are things I
could do in electronics that don't require a clearance such as working on televisions.
As I see it, it is all a violation of my constitutional right to freedom of speech. I intend to
pursue that point legally. They tried to convince me that I wasn't being punished but what do you
think?
PET PEEVES
My first pet peeve is that the Navy wastes tax payers money on equipment that isn't worth what
they paid for it. One such piece of equipment in the system I worked on was the stereo metric
comparison view (SCV) which has cost the Navy millions of dollars. It's forever breaking down and
most of the time it's not worth the trouble to try to use it. Over ninety percent of the people
who have had to work with it don't like it and most would gladly help throw it over the side of
the ship. Apparently North American Rockwell, who made it, talked some admiral into thinking that
having a piece of equipment like that would look good on his record. They had presupposed that it
would work the way they planned it too. That whole system is about as bad as that one piece of
equipment.
The other pet peeve I wanted to talk about is the recruiting system. It was a while ago that it
involved me but I don't think it has changed much if any at all. For one thing recruiters don't
know enough about the different rates. I got screwed over because of that; they should handle it
like most businesses do where they tell you exactly what you'll be doing and they put you where
you can best use your skills. They do it mostly for their own benefit but it's also good for the
worker. The Navy would be a lot better off if they tried somewhat the same thing. A lot of guys
start off with a negative attitude right from the day they come in because they won't get what
they want. Some don't like what they get even if it was what they originally wanted because it
wasn't explained to them what it involves. I think it's about time they do something about it.
To tie everything together I have said I think that the Navy and the government had better start
making some changes. Everybody talks about the new Navy but the things new about it are on the
surface. Basically it is the same old Navy. To me they have proved this by doing what they have
done to try to shut me up. It's time for them to start to listen to the voice of the people!
Jerry Cick
Formerly of OZ, Div.
USS Kitty Hawk
Now on USS Hunley
Home Ported in GUAM
Connie Eight Skate
Honorable discharges were given to eight of the men called the Constellation Nine while the last
decided to stay in the Navy. These discharges were given out on Dec. 6 when the men were released
from the fucked up Navy at Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.
These men put up a long hard struggle to remind the people that the Air War in Vietnam is still
going on and that it starts from the flight deck of carriers which are loaded down with planes
which are loaded with bombs to kill the people in Southeast Asia.
Last Fall there was a long struggle to keep the Constellation from going overseas to participate
in the Air War in which attack carriers play an important role. So that they wouldn't be involved
in the war, 9 men took sanctuary in the Christ of King church in San Diego for a few days. On
Oct. 2 the feds arrested these men at the church and they were flown back to the ship and harassed
in different ways.
These men were sent to Captain's Mast and given 30 days in the brig for these charges; missing
ship's movement, unauthorized absence and shirking important service.
ALL POWER TO THE MAN OR WOMAN WHO GETS OUT OF THE SERVICE NO MATTER WHAT THE REASON IS
Brass Bans Braids
Around the beginning of December Captain Oberg, commanding officer of the Kitty Hawk appeared on
the ships T.V. station, and one of the things he talked about was his policy on haircuts. He said
any "neat" haircut was ok. "Neat" meant: not over the ears or collar. The
Captain then talked about a few Blacks who had asked him if it was ok to braid their hair. He
said he wouldn't allow it.
This is a clear case of racial prejudice on the part of the captain. It doesn't seem that
braiding hair goes against his policy, but he picked out that one instance as an exception. There
is enough prejudice on the ship without the c.o. causing a little more. It shouldn't be up to him
what style a guy wears.
Racial equality is important to the people on the ship, especially the enlisted men. Without
racism we can combine in our efforts to overcome inequality between the different ranks. This is
just one more instance of the class system in our country, which divides the working man, and
keeps him from having very much say in what happens to himself.
Hancock Goes Danny Stays
Jan. 7, 1972
My ship the USS Hancock, the most fucked up and oldest ship in the Seventh Fleet, left for a
Wespac Cruise at about noon today. I don't know why they didn't decommission that bucket of shit
5 or 10 years ago but they didn't. As far as I know the ship left with at least two less people
from my division. I hope that at least 500 didn't make the cruise. Let me tell you why I decided
not to go on the cruise. First off they started fucking with me from just about the first minute
I got on board. That was a week day on Monday. The first thing they had me do was help on a
paint breakout getting 5 gallon buckets of paint from about 7 decks below the hangar deck. Now
tell me why didn't they put them there in the first place instead of putting them down that far.
The next thing they did was put me in first division and make a professional janitor out of me
cleaning up after officers that didn't know how to flush their shit down the commode and thought
their shit didn't stink. Well let me tell you it did and how! The next thing they did was put on
Side Cleaning for about 8 or 9 days and I went UA for three of these days. They took me to
Captain's Mast on Dec. 3 and fined me $75. No big deal. So the next time we were at sea they
decided they would send me mess cooking but the galley people wouldn't accept me because I had a
sore throat and a report chit pending. So they sent me Side Cleaning and I went home over the
holidays and stayed UA for two days. Before this they wrote me up for improper watchstanding.
I was standing when I should have been walking. The first thing the Captain asked me was why I
hadn't become seaman after nearly a year in the navy. I told him, "I don't have any ambition
to become a seaman. My only ambition is to get out of the Navy." Then he fined me a
hundred dollars for standing instead of walking. I wonder what they would have done if I had
been sitting and sleeping? Given me life imprisonment maybe. Well fuck them if they can't take
a joke. They fucked with me so now I'm going to fuck them over and stay gone from their Navy for
at least 30 days. Now dig this. The other day on the 4th of January they marked me UA when I was
on the ship sleeping because I went and did some partying the night before and didn't give a fuck
one way or the other. They said they came and woke me up 7 times, but I don't remember it if they
did. Have you ever tried to argue with a bunch of lifers, well try it sometime when you're
stoned. I left the ship about an hour after that and dropped my gov't issue glasses in the water
and got rid of everything ilitary I had except my dog tags so they can't call me a deserter. I
wonder what that captain's thinking about me now. I know they'll try to fuck e over royal when I
go back, but I don't give a fuck because I'm going to get out of their Navy one way or the other.
They tried to give me all the shit jobs anyway. Like I said before -- "FUCK THE IF THEY
CAN'T TAKE A JOKE."
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Danny P.
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