John F. Kerry

The Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) organization was formed in 1967 to protest the war in Vietnam. In February 1971, about 150 members of VVAW met in Detroit to hold hearings about the violence and crimes they committed or witnessed in Vietnam. Although the media paid little attention to this gathering, it paid more attention to their weeklong meeting in Washington, DC, in April 1971. Over one thousand VVAW members took part in this meeting, which culminated with a protest on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. There, one by one, they made a statement, then threw their medals for valor and bravery—Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Purple Hearts—onto the Capitol's steps. Millions of Americans watched this demonstration on television, and President Richard Nixon was unnerved by the veterans' very public antiwar protest.

John F. Kerry...