Fifty years on, talk of war, peace

Vietnam veterans and anti-war proponents share memories of the turbulent 1970s

On May 4, 1963, Leo LeClerc got married to his sweetheart; when he returned from his honeymoon, the newlyweds’ joy turned to worry and fear: Leo would soon be shipping out to Vietnam. “Where’s that?” he remembers thinking when he got the news.

LeClerc, an airman with the U.S. Air Force, was one of several veterans who shared memories during the class of 1975’s UNH Reunion at an event that also featured alumni sharing their stories of life both on campus and in country during the Vietnam War era, from campus protests to combat.

Gov. John Lynch ’74 served as moderator, as veterans talked pointedly about their service and its lifelong effects. Many of the veterans were harassed once they returned to the States; one man was spit on by a stranger who called him a baby killer. Others felt ostracized, outcast and shunned. LeClerc pointed out that when he came home, “You couldn’t speak to your family about (Vietnam); you couldn’t speak to your friends about it. Because nobody wanted to hear it.”

Veterans and alumni share their stories of the turbulent Vietnam War era during a Reunion event.

Former student body presidents Marc Wefers ’73, ’11G and Brad Cook ’70 joined Jim Splaine ’71 and Bill Gardner ’70, who served as New Hampshire secretary of state for 46 years, to talk about the historic 1970 visit to campus by three members of the notorious anti-war activist group the Chicago 7. The plan to host the members sparked outrage from university officials and public figures across the state, who believed the “convicted hate mongers,” as one state senator called them, should not be welcomed at UNH.

“This is all very contrary to my understanding of free speech,” Wefers recalled thinking at the time. “It’s not a question of agreement with what they have to say; it’s a question of giving people the right to say what’s on their mind.”

In the end, the event concluded without incident, but it stands as a milestone not only in UNH’s history but in the legacy of Vietnam-era college protests, especially in the context of today’s campus activism.

“We certainly had good leaders on campus doing what needed to be done, saying what needed to be said, inviting people who needed to hear,” recalled Splaine. “But we also had it happening among New Hampshire older folk. Many of them aren’t here, and we need young people to come forward and fill in those ranks.”