Reviving an activist past

I was a young and innocent undergraduate student at UM during the Vietnam War protests here on campus. It was indeed a very unique time in history. Like many students here at Maryland and on campuses across the country, I was against the Vietnam War. I arrived on campus in support of the war, but gradually came to seriously question the rationale for our involvement in the war. The Government & Politics courses that I took, the discussions that I had with fellow students, the rallies that I attended, the music that I listened to, the movies that I saw, the books that I read, the Bob Dylan songs that I cherished, the Beatles' songs, etc., all led me to a firm belief that we as a nation had made a great mistake in getting involved in the war and in continuing to escalate our involvement in the war. [I felt the same way at the outset of the Iraq War. Our current situation mirrors in too many ways that era in our history. I guess we as a country cant' learn from our own history, because we seem to have made the same mistake all over again.]. I knew then as a young student that the war really had no real purpose. Young people like me were dying in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia for no real tangible reason. I still feel that way today. Thousands of young Americans died in the Vietnam War for no real reason. Period. I don't question the courage and patriotism of those who participated in the war. I truly honor their courage and their sacrifices. However , their sacrifices don't change the bottom line -- the Vietnam War and all that it cost our country was totally unnecessary. The same goes for the Iraq War. Period. Unlike some of my fellow students, I simply couldn't accept any anti-war activity that involved hurting others or in destroying the property of others, including property on my campus. Unfortunately, protest activities often attract all kinds of people. Some of those who were involved in the protest activities on our campus in the late 1960's and early 1970's didn't care what means it took to stop the war, including trashing the Main Administration Building to some extent and setting a fire in the Armory. So, you always must be careful when advocating protest activities so that they don't lead to madness and chaos that you can't control. It's a tough balancing act for sure. I worked to provide housing in the dorms for students from other campuses across the country who wanted to participate in several of the large anti-war rallies that were held downtown. I worked for RFK's campaign, and I participated in almost all of the anti-war rallies and concerts that were held here on campus. I was here when Martin Luther King was murdered, and watched the streets in DC burn. I was at the Varsity Grill enjoying a few beers with some friends celebrating RFK's win in the California primary when my beloved candidate, RFK, was murdered. I was here as a graduate student working as a Graduate Resident in Cumberland Hall when the Kent State shootings occurred. All of these events, along with the music and film of the time, led me to my political activism and participation in the protests on the UM campus. Interestingly enough, as a graduate student studying political science I opted to do a major research paper on why some students become politically active while others opt not to become involved and/or opt to drop out all together. It was a fascinating journey. The research that I did for that paper was fascinating. What an unbelievably interesting time it was for me here at UM during those years. As a UM student I was both living history and studying it. As it is, I finally opted to work for change within the political system, finally leaving UM in 1976 to accept a position with the National Institutes of Health. I've been fortunate to have found many different challenges in the form of many different positions at NIH in the past 32 years at NIH. I have found a way to satisfy my need to try to make a difference in my world. I tried it outside of the system for a while as a very politically active student at UM during a unique time in our history, but I eventually found that if you really want to make a difference, working within the political system as is a pretty good strategy. Public service is unbelievably satisfying and important. I hope that UM students today who really want to make a difference in the world will seriously consider a career in public service. There are times and places when protests are needed; and there are times and places for getting down to work. If you are interested in chatting about all of this, including those unbelievable years of the late 1960's and early 1970's on the UM campus, please feel free to email me at Jerryjemrunner@aol.com. I might add that I left UM with great love and appreciation for my alma mater and the many members of the UM faculty and staff, Resident Life officials and staff, and fellow students who made my years at...

Comparing the current protests to those of the 60s and 70s is sad and disgraceful.