Peace & Social Justice Forum / Waldo County

Vietnam Veteran Doug Rawlings, President of the Maine Chapter of Veterans for Peace and an award-winning anti-war poet will speak of his recent return to Vietnam.

In August 2023, Doug returned to Vietnam after a 53-year absence when he was invited to speak of G.I. resistance to the war and to present his poetry, at the 14th annual ” Engaging With Vietnam” conference in Hue City. Doug’s son Josh, traveled with him. After the conference, they travelled to the DMZ, to Khe Sahn, Danang and Dong Ha. Their journey took them to the VFP programs RENEW ( dedicated to the disposal of unexploded ordnance) and the Vietnam Friendship Village, a residential facility for the victims of Agent Orange founded by veteran George Mizo. Rawlings will share slides from this journey and some of the poetry he shared at the conference.

In 1985, Doug co-founded  Veterans for Peace, an organization that now has thousands of members worldwide and is a prominent player in the growing opposition to war as an instrument of foreign policy. There is no issue more relevant in today’s world, and no one who can address this more authentically  than someone with Rawlings’ experience. Join us. All are welcome