Safe Return: Inside the Amnesty Movement for Vietnam War Deserters

In 1971, antiwar activists Michael Uhl and Tod Ensign founded the Safe Return Committee in New York City, seeking amnesty for those who resisted the Vietnam War. While thousands of young Americans chose exile in Canada and Europe to avoid the draft, Safe Return worked on behalf of those who had come to oppose the war after entering the armed forces. Once in uniform, many ran afoul of a draconian system of military justice and institutionalized racism. They deserted in epidemic numbers, some to foreign exile. This book tells the story of the Committee's sponsored return of deserters and draft evaders, in a series of actions widely publicized to build public support for their acts of resistance.

ISBN-13: 9781476692159

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: McFarland & Company

Publication Date: 06-02-2023

Pages: 271

Product Dimensions: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.74d

As a political activist, Michael Uhl was co-founder of the Safe Return Amnesty Committee and the GI and veteran advocacy organization, Citizen Soldier. An independent scholar, his articles and reviews have appeared in The Nation and The Boston Globe. He lives in Walpole, Maine.