Scott Camil
Encyclopedia
Scott Camil is a noted political activist
. He first gained prominence as an opponent of the Vietnam War
, as a witness in the Winter Soldier Investigation
and a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War
.
where and two stepbrothers were born. Camil had a troubled childhood, frequently being beaten by his authoritarian stepfather, and occasionally getting into fights with school children who would harass him because he was Jewish. He was brought up to believe he lived in the best country in the world and that, as a citizen, he had a duty as a male - that duty was to go in to the military to serve his country after high school. He enrolled in the Marines
delayed enlistment program while still in high school, and entered boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island
three days after graduating.
He served with the Marines from 1965 to 1969, earning two Purple Heart
s, Combat Action Ribbon
, two Presidential Unit Citations
, Good Conduct Medal
, National Defense Service Medal
, Vietnam Service Medal with three stars
, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Leaf, and Vietnam Campaign Medal during two tours in Vietnam. With Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, he acted as a forward observer for artillery
. He was a sergeant when honorably discharged.
After his discharge from military service, Camil enrolled with Miami-Dade Community College on the G.I. Bill, and later transferred to the University of Florida
. While studying philosophy
at UF, he heard Jane Fonda
speak about the deceptions of the United States government with regard to the Vietnam War. Fonda said, "In order for democracy to function the citizens have to have access to the truth. And the government is not telling the truth about Vietnam. So it's the duty of patriotic Vietnam Veterans to come forward and to share their experiences in Vietnam, so the public knows what's really going on." This was when he learned about the Winter Soldier Investigation
, an event that he would attend that would change his attitude about the war. He later became active in the Vietnam Veterans Against the War
, and became a chapter leader of that organization. He graduated from UF while on trial as one of the "Gainesville Eight
".
As of , he lives in Gainesville
, Florida
with his wife Sherry, is active in local politics, and is writing an autobiography. He is the subject of the 2002 documentary film, "Seasoned Veteran: Journey of a Winter Soldier", by Benito Aragon, Melinda Kahl and Michael Kirschbaum.
sent a classified memo to the Jacksonville office regarding Camil, referring to him as an "extremely dangerous and unstable individual whose activities must be neutralized at earliest possible time." Other memos about Camil used the same word, neutralize, less ambiguously: "Jacksonville continue to press vigorously to insure (sic) that all necessary action taken to completely neutralize subject without delay." Camil explained, "When you pin the government down, they'll say 'Well, "neutralize" just means to render useless.' But if you talk to guys in the field, they say it means to kill." Indeed, Camil was eventually shot by FBI and-or DEA agents in 1974 in a drug entrapment sting, and nearly died.
, in which returning personnel recounted the atrocities they had been induced into committing against combatants and non-combatants alike. Camil (transcripts also label him as "Camile") testified of
It was during this period that the Orange County (FL) Young Democrats chose Scott Camil as their "Person of the Year" causing a rift between the Young Democrats and the more conservative Orange County Democratic Committee.
The jury got to read the letter containing all the plans on attacking the federal buildings, but they also got to read the constantly repeated admonition, "This will be done for defensive purposes only." The jury determined that their goal was to protect the rights of the protesters, and they found the eight men not guilty. In Camil's words, "We had no conspiracy to disrupt the convention. Our conspiracy, if you want to call it that, was to go down to the convention and exercise our Constitutional rights as citizens and to defend those rights against anybody who tried to take away those rights, whether it be the government or anyone else. And the jury sided with us."
The jury acquitted all eight after a long trial in 1973, taking only a few minutes to do so.
wrote and recorded the song "Oh Camil! (The Winter Soldier)" in tribute to Scott Camil after hearing his testimony in the documentary "Winter Soldier". The song appears on Nash's 1973 album 'Wild Tales'.
The song is also on the DVD "Winter Soldier"
Bud Schultz, Ruth Schultz (1989). "It Did Happen Here: Recollections of Political Repression in America" University of California Press. ISBN 0520071972,ISBN 978-0520071971
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
. He first gained prominence as an opponent of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, as a witness in the Winter Soldier Investigation
Winter Soldier Investigation
The "Winter Soldier Investigation" was a media event sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War from January 31, 1971 – February 2, 1971. It was intended to publicize war crimes and atrocities by the United States Armed Forces and their allies in the Vietnam War...
and a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation, originally created to oppose the Vietnam War. VVAW describes itself as a national veterans' organization that campaigns for peace, justice, and the rights of all United States military veterans...
.
Life
Camil's parents were divorced when he was four years old. His mother remarried and he, his mother, stepfather, sister moved to FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
where and two stepbrothers were born. Camil had a troubled childhood, frequently being beaten by his authoritarian stepfather, and occasionally getting into fights with school children who would harass him because he was Jewish. He was brought up to believe he lived in the best country in the world and that, as a citizen, he had a duty as a male - that duty was to go in to the military to serve his country after high school. He enrolled in the Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
delayed enlistment program while still in high school, and entered boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is an military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina, approximately south of Beaufort, the community that is typically associated with the installation. MCRD Parris Island is used for the training of enlisted Marines...
three days after graduating.
He served with the Marines from 1965 to 1969, earning two Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
s, Combat Action Ribbon
Combat Action Ribbon
The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal military decoration of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard which is awarded to those who, in any grade including and below that of a Captain in the Navy and Coast Guard , have actively participated in ground or...
, two Presidential Unit Citations
Presidential Unit Citation (US)
The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
, Good Conduct Medal
Good Conduct Medal
The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
, National Defense Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
, Vietnam Service Medal with three stars
Vietnam Service Medal
The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army Institute of Heraldry. The medal is issued to recognize military service during...
, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Leaf, and Vietnam Campaign Medal during two tours in Vietnam. With Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, he acted as a forward observer for artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. He was a sergeant when honorably discharged.
After his discharge from military service, Camil enrolled with Miami-Dade Community College on the G.I. Bill, and later transferred to the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. While studying philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at UF, he heard Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
speak about the deceptions of the United States government with regard to the Vietnam War. Fonda said, "In order for democracy to function the citizens have to have access to the truth. And the government is not telling the truth about Vietnam. So it's the duty of patriotic Vietnam Veterans to come forward and to share their experiences in Vietnam, so the public knows what's really going on." This was when he learned about the Winter Soldier Investigation
Winter Soldier Investigation
The "Winter Soldier Investigation" was a media event sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War from January 31, 1971 – February 2, 1971. It was intended to publicize war crimes and atrocities by the United States Armed Forces and their allies in the Vietnam War...
, an event that he would attend that would change his attitude about the war. He later became active in the Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation, originally created to oppose the Vietnam War. VVAW describes itself as a national veterans' organization that campaigns for peace, justice, and the rights of all United States military veterans...
, and became a chapter leader of that organization. He graduated from UF while on trial as one of the "Gainesville Eight
Gainesville Eight
The Gainesville Eight were a group of anti-Vietnam War activists indicted on charges of conspiracy to disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. All eight defendants were acquitted....
".
As of , he lives in Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
with his wife Sherry, is active in local politics, and is writing an autobiography. He is the subject of the 2002 documentary film, "Seasoned Veteran: Journey of a Winter Soldier", by Benito Aragon, Melinda Kahl and Michael Kirschbaum.
Vietnam war activism
Recognized by the FBI as an "extremist and key activist," Camil was on President Nixon's "enemies list." On December 22, 1971, FBI Director J. Edgar HooverJ. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
sent a classified memo to the Jacksonville office regarding Camil, referring to him as an "extremely dangerous and unstable individual whose activities must be neutralized at earliest possible time." Other memos about Camil used the same word, neutralize, less ambiguously: "Jacksonville continue to press vigorously to insure (sic) that all necessary action taken to completely neutralize subject without delay." Camil explained, "When you pin the government down, they'll say 'Well, "neutralize" just means to render useless.' But if you talk to guys in the field, they say it means to kill." Indeed, Camil was eventually shot by FBI and-or DEA agents in 1974 in a drug entrapment sting, and nearly died.
Winter Soldier Investigation
Camil became the Florida Coordinator for the VVAW, and was one of the most outspoken participants of the 1971 Winter Soldier InvestigationWinter Soldier Investigation
The "Winter Soldier Investigation" was a media event sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War from January 31, 1971 – February 2, 1971. It was intended to publicize war crimes and atrocities by the United States Armed Forces and their allies in the Vietnam War...
, in which returning personnel recounted the atrocities they had been induced into committing against combatants and non-combatants alike. Camil (transcripts also label him as "Camile") testified of
- burning of villages with civilians in them, the cutting off of ears, cutting off of heads, torturing of prisoners, calling in of artillery on villages for gamesFree-fire zoneA free-fire zone in U.S. military parlance is a fire control measure, used for coordination between adjacent combat units. The definition used in the Vietnam war by US troops may be found in field manual FM 6-20:- Free-fire zones in the Vietnam War :...
, corpsmen killing wounded prisoners, napalmNapalmNapalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
dropped on villages, women being raped, women and children being massacred, CS gasCS gas2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile is the defining component of a "tear gas" commonly referred to as CS gas, which is used as a riot control agent...
used on people, animals slaughtered, Chieu Hoi passesChieu hoi bagThe Chiêu Hồi Program was an initiative by the South Vietnamese to encourage defection by theViet Cong and their supporters to the side of the Government during the Vietnam War.-Campaign:...
rejected and the people holding them shot, bodies shoved out of helicoptersDeath flightsThe death flights were a form of forced disappearance routinely practiced during the Argentine "Dirty War", begun by Admiral Luis María Mendía. Victims of death flights were first drugged into a stupor, hustled aboard fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, stripped naked and pushed into the Río de la...
, tear-gassing people for fun and running civilian vehicles off the road.
Medals returned
At Senator Hart's garden party during Dewey Canyon III, Camil wore two Purple Heart medals, a Vietnamese Cross for Gallantry with Silver Star, and a Good Conduct medal. He called the medals a farce which he would return on Friday.Taking it to the source
In a 1992 interview, Camil revealed for the first time that he had considered shooting "the most hardcore hawks" in Congress as an alternative to returning medals during the Dewey Canyon III demonstration in April 1971. In Camil's words, "I didn't think it was terrible at the time ... I was serious. I felt that I spent two years killing women and children in their own fucking homes. These are the guys that fucking made the policy, and these were the guys that were responsible for it, and these were the guys that were voting to continue the fucking war when the public was against it. I felt that if we really believed in what we were doing, and if we were willing to put our lives on the line for the country over there, we should be willing to put our lives on the line for the country over here." Six months later at a November 1971 meeting, after recruiting participants and describing his weapons training range, Camil proposed to the VVAW his idea about the assassination of the members of Congress who showed the most support for the war. The proposal was voted down.University of Florida activism
At the 1971 UF homecoming parade, Quakers, Unitarian Church members and VVAW members, including Camil, created a spectacle. Dressed as rifle-carrying soldiers, some of them carried a coffin draped in an American flag, and carried a sign that read "The Impossible Dream - No More War." People panicked after smoke bombs were ignited and VVAW members pretended to stab civilians (VVAW actors) in the crowd who had packets of fake blood hidden beneath their clothing. They then passed out leaflets to the crowd informing them that if they lived in Vietnam, this could really be happening to them, their friends, their family, and their children.It was during this period that the Orange County (FL) Young Democrats chose Scott Camil as their "Person of the Year" causing a rift between the Young Democrats and the more conservative Orange County Democratic Committee.
Gainesville Eight
Camil explained in an interview that the group received information that during the 1972 Republican National Convention, the government was going to shoot someone and blame it on the anti-war protesters. They were also going to raise the five drawbridges so that antiwar demonstrators would be trapped on Miami Beach and shot by police and soldiers. In response, Camil's group planned to draw those police and soldiers away by attacking federal buildings, police stations, and fire stations in the two adjacent counties to occupy the government forces, then reopen bridges to aid escape of the demonstrators. These plans were typed up and distributed among the rest of the group by a member who was also an FBI informant. The eight members of Camil's group were charged with conspiracy to disrupt the Republican National Convention.The jury got to read the letter containing all the plans on attacking the federal buildings, but they also got to read the constantly repeated admonition, "This will be done for defensive purposes only." The jury determined that their goal was to protect the rights of the protesters, and they found the eight men not guilty. In Camil's words, "We had no conspiracy to disrupt the convention. Our conspiracy, if you want to call it that, was to go down to the convention and exercise our Constitutional rights as citizens and to defend those rights against anybody who tried to take away those rights, whether it be the government or anyone else. And the jury sided with us."
The jury acquitted all eight after a long trial in 1973, taking only a few minutes to do so.
Ongoing activism
- In 1987, represented the Veterans for Peace organization on a fact-finding trip to Central America
- In 1989, represented the Veterans for Peace organization on a fact-finding trip to the Middle East.
- In 1990, observed elections in NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. - In 1994, went to Vietnam for the Vietnam Friendship Village Project.
- He supported John KerryJohn KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
for U.S. president in 2004 and objects to the Iraq War. - GI Rights HotlineGI Rights NetworkThe GI Rights Network is coalition of nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that provide free and confidential information to United States military servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Most of the work of the Network is done through the GI Rights Hotline, but the Network also provides...
Counselor. - 2010, Coordinator of Gainesville Veterans for Peace Chapter 14.
- 2010, Suwannee St-Johns Group Sierra Club Executive Committee.
- 2010, Steering Committee United Voices for Peace.
Miscellany
Graham NashGraham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
wrote and recorded the song "Oh Camil! (The Winter Soldier)" in tribute to Scott Camil after hearing his testimony in the documentary "Winter Soldier". The song appears on Nash's 1973 album 'Wild Tales'.
The song is also on the DVD "Winter Soldier"
Further reading
- Nicosia, Gerald (2002). Home to War: A History of the Vietnam Veterans' Movement. CA: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-609-80906-7
- Doyle D. Glass (2007). "Lions of Medina" Coleche Press, ISBN 978-0-9785861-0-2 ISBN 0-9785861-0-7
Bud Schultz, Ruth Schultz (1989). "It Did Happen Here: Recollections of Political Repression in America" University of California Press. ISBN 0520071972,ISBN 978-0520071971
- 1972 - "Winter Soldier" Winterfilm Collective
- 1989 - "Peace Platoon" Produced and Directed by Heike Amelung, Gainesville Veterans for Peace
- 1996 - "Protest: The Story of the Gainesville" WUFT-TV, University of Florida
- 2002 - Seasoned Veteran: Journey of a Winter Soldier. Directed by Benito Aragon, Melinda Kahl, and Michael Kirschbaum. Short film contained in the extras of the Winter Soldier DVD.
- 2007 - "Cracker Crazy: Invisible Histories of the Sunshine State". Director:Georg Koszulinski Associate Producer and Narrator Scott Camil. Substream Films
- 2007 - "Gainesville Green", A film by Ana Paula Helal Habib & Joshua James Woltermann. The Documentary Institute, University of Florida
- 2008 - "Warriors Against War" Produced by Matthew Hennessy
- 2009- "PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, The Invisible Wounds of War". John Clower & Reid Jenkins
External links
- Winter Soldier Investigation testimony, 1st Marine Division. Transcript sponsored by VVAW. http://lists.village.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Resources/Primary/Winter_Soldier/WS_03_1Marine.html
- Freedom Fighter, David Rhea, Orange & Blue, FallAutumnAutumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
1997/Spring 1998 - Gainesville Citizens for Police Review community activism
- http://www.afn.org/~vetpeace/articles/nixon.pdf
- http://www.afn.org/~vetpeace/articles/mcnamara.pdf
- http://www.afn.org/~vetpeace/articles/iraqnam.pdf
- http://www.afn.org/~vetpeace/articles/Supporting%20Our%20Troops.pdf
- http://www.afn.org/~vetpeace/articles/Wintersoldier.pdf
- http://www.afn.org/~vetpeace/articles/Right%20to%20recruit.pdf
- http://www.afn.org/~vetpeace/articles/Obama-FirstYear.pdf
- http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090524/COLUMNISTS/905249993?Title=His-long-war
- Scott Camil in 1981 talking about his experiences in Vietnam and his decision to join the anti-war movement. WGBHWGBH-TVWGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
Open Vault. Accessed July 22. 2010.