Resisting the Vietnam War

Man being interviewed in front of a group of protesters at the White House

From 1965-70, AFSC helped build the antiwar coalitions that challenged U.S. policy in Vietnam.

Bridging the divide between liberal faith groups and more radical antiwar resisters, we argued for a big tent and broad peace movement. Through our research and communication project NARMIC (National Action/Research on the Military Industrial Complex), we provided critical facts and analysis to help activists confront corporate war profiteers. For years, AFSC and Quakers were also at the center of the draft resistance movement.

After President Nixon announced the “end of war” in 1973, NARMIC and our staff on the ground in Vietnam revealed another story. Automated weapons were continuing to rain terror from the skies, not only in Vietnam, but also in Cambodia and Laos. From 1973-75, we campaigned and convened stakeholders to help bring a real end to hostilities. By 1978, when few nongovernmental organizations were permitted to remain in the region, AFSC continued to work for peace and reconciliation, having earned trust on all sides.

1960s-1990s

NARMIC (National Action/Research on the Military Industrial Complex)

The researchers of NARMIC drew on many sources to expose the military industrial complex. Their slide shows and reports were widely used by churches and peace groups.

NARMIC (National Action/Research on the Military Industrial Complex)

NARMIC’s slide show on the automated air war revealed the military’s strategy to “give wherever possible the appearance of peace while executing war; replace the man with the machine.”

Don Davis holding up half of a bomblet to the camera

AFSC's Don Davis shows one half of a “bomblet” brought back by one of our staff in Vietnam during the war.

Child holding a sensor linked to a remote bomb

This sensor, designed by Honeywell Corporation to look like animal dung, sends a signal when stepped on that allows a computer to trigger a bomb.

Munitions on display from NARMIC's slideshow 'Automated Air War.'

Munitions used in Vietnam, on display from NARMIC's slideshow 'Automated Air War.'

Through our research and communication project NARMIC (National Action/Research on the Military Industrial Complex), AFSC provided critical facts and analysis to help activists confront corporate war profiteers. After President Nixon announced the “end of war” in 1973, NARMIC and our staff on the ground in Vietnam revealed another story. Automated weapons were continuing to rain terror from the skies, not only in Vietnam, but also in Cambodia and Laos. From 1973-75, we campaigned and convened stakeholders to help bring a real end to hostilities.

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1950s-1980s

Draft Resistance and Counseling

Two men sitting in an office across a desk

The draft brought many young men who opposed the war to AFSC for military counseling.

Draft Counselor training.

An anti-draft rally in Philadelphia, PA.

Group of students gathered together in a classroom

Youth Summer Project in California focussing on countering militarism and the draft.

For years, AFSC and Quakers were at the center of the draft resistance movement, and by the Vietnam era, AFSC was one of the main sources of counseling and support for men resisting the draft for moral or political reasons.

1967-1975

Quang Ngai Clinic

Archival image of two men working on a prosthetic limb

Man attending to a patient sitting on a chair

At AFSC’s Quang Ngai rehabilitation hospital in South Vietnam, patients from both sides of the conflict received treatment side-by-side.

Woman helping a child walk with an artificial leg

Ingeniously designed U.S. sensors and explosives uncovered by NARMIC harmed only people, not buildings or military equipment.

Four women sitting around a table at a medical clinic

A woman and young boy smiling into the camera

In July 1967 AFSC established the Quaker Rehabilitation Center on the grounds of the Quang Ngai Province Hospital where patients from both sides of the conflict received treatment side-by-side.

1960s-1970s

U.S. Protests

A 26 minute film from AFSC's Archives depicting public actions and personal responses in protest of nuclear proliferation in the 1980s.

Man filming a group of Quakers in a vigil outside the White House

Despite intense Cold War politics, AFSC promoted broad antiwar coalitions that included mainline churches, student groups, labor unions, and more radical organizations.

Group of students protesting with peace signs in DC

Group of anti-war protesters with umbrellas in the rain

From 1965-70, AFSC helped build the antiwar coalitions that challenged U.S policy in Vietnam. Bridging the divide between liberal faith groups and more radical antiwar resisters, we argued for a big tent and broad peace movement.

1970s

Anti-Militarism

During the war in Vietnam, AFSC produced educational materials and trained CO counselors to challenge the draft and the war.

After the war, AFSC continued to organize against military recruitment, calling for an end to militarism and the “poverty draft.”

When the “all-volunteer” army targeted low-income, minority youth, AFSC’s Youth and Militarism Program helped open doors to college and other non-military career options.

This comprehensive guide to nonmilitary options after high school covered everything from “serving your country peacefully” to “seeing the world” and “greening your career.”

With the transition to an all-volunteer army in the 1970s, low-income youth and communities of color became the primary targets for recruiters. To challenge this “poverty draft,” we developed resources to educate young people about other life options. We also created tools to help unmask and challenge deceptive recruiting practices.

Migration & Immigrant Rights

AFSC works for a world where all people have the power to determine where they live and the opportunity to thrive.

A woman stands to speak in the audience of a peace summit in Burundi

Global Peace

AFSC works for a future free of militarism and violence. But peace is more than the absence of war. We work to address the root causes of violence—and transform systems to ensure just, sustainable peace for all.

a group of five police offices wearing tactical gear and carrying shields walking down Michigan avenue in Chicago

Prisons & Policing

It’s time to end our reliance on criminalization and retribution in the U.S. We must adopt transformative alternatives rooted in healing and human dignity.

Economic Justice

Economies should work for all people and our planet. They should also promote thriving communities. AFSC challenges growing inequality and the corporate abuse of human rights.