Ryan LalondeProfessor ElsmoreEnglish 1017 April 2014The Power of Protests“While I was in high school I remember talking to my friends about the Vietnam War. I had friends who were enthusiastic about the war, and I had friends who, like me, believed that the Vietnam War was unnecessary and not worth fighting for. I remember hearing about the protesters at the Lincoln Memorial in 1967. There were over 100,000 protesters present, and I remember thinking how great it was that so many people had the courage to march up to the leaders in Washington and express their frustration. Then there was my father who said all those protesters were anti-American. I guess I can't blame him, he fought in WWII and served his country honorably, taking great pride in it. For me, though, war is not always the answer. That's where the difference was between people at that time, you were either fully in favor of American involvement in Vietnam, or you were against it, I don't remember much in between. As for me, I could not support the Vietnam War” (Lalonde). The Vietnam War protests were opportunities for disgruntled anti-war Americans to make their voices known, to speak out against the injustice of the draft, while at the same time helping to contribute to the end of the war and providing a beneficial spark for the end of the war. draft.While the battles of Vietnam began in the 1950s, America did not become involved until 1965, under the command of President Lyndon Johnson. The decision was immediately met with mixed reactions. World War II had ended about 20 years before the deployment of American troops to Vietnam, and many weren't exactly thrilled about jumping into another war. Protest groups immediately formed across the nation, and many people began to let... middle of the paper... people and friends finally go home. Many were also happy to hear that the project was finally coming to an end. “I thought it was a win for all Americans. I thought the draft was an injustice to Americans, and I was happy to know it was over” (Lalonde). “Because I didn't fight for what I didn't believe in, and because I still loved my country, I felt it was my patriotic duty to protest what I and many others saw as something bad for our country” (Lalonde). Many others who protested the war felt they had done a great thing by standing up and protesting. Protesting against the war was a battle in itself. It is not always easy to oppose something that has already been decided and many have already accepted it without asking questions. This shows that everyone has a role in wartime and that one individual's actions can make a difference.