Scott Camil (born May 19, 1946) is an American

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

. He first gained prominence as an opponent of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, as a witness in the Winter Soldier Investigation and a member of

Vietnam Veterans Against the War Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) is an American non-profit organization and corporation founded in 1967 to oppose the United States policy and participation in the Vietnam War. VVAW is a national veterans' organization that campaigns for ...

Early life and education

Camil was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, to

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

parents with origins in Romania and Russia. His parents were divorced when he was four years old. His mother remarried and he, his mother, stepfather and sister moved to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, where 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 to go into the military to serve his country after high school. He enrolled in the

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

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 (often abbreviated as MCRD PI) is an military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina, approximately south of Beaufort, the community that is typically associated with the installation. ...

three days after graduating. He served with the Marines from 1965 to 1969, earning two

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) is a United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or surface combat." Coast ...

, two Presidential Unit Citations, Good Conduct Medal,

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

, 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 The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine (military), Marine Division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine E ...

, he acted as a

forward observer An artillery observer, artillery spotter, or forward observer (FO) is a soldier responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire support onto a target. An artillery observer usually accompanies a tank or infantry unit. Spotters ensure that ...

for

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

. 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 The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...

and later transferred to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

. In a 2005 interview with UF's

Samuel Proctor Oral History Program The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP) is the official oral history program at the University of Florida. With over 6,500 interviews and more than 150,000 pages of transcribed material, it is one of the premier oral history programs in ...

, he recounted that as a student he went to see

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

speak "to see what a movie star looked like." Fonda spoke on the importance of an informed public in a democracy, and said, as paraphrased by Camil, "that it was the duty of every patriotic Vietnam veteran to make the truth known to the public." Camil agreed with that. He also felt that his sacrifices as a soldier had gone unrecognized in contrast to those of soldiers in past wars, saying, "I got two Purple Hearts, I was wounded, I killed lots of people ndwhere was my thanks?" He soon learned about the Winter Soldier Investigation and became active in the

, later becoming a chapter leader. He graduated from UF while on trial as one of the "

Gainesville Eight The Gainesville Eight were a group of Opposition to the Vietnam War, anti-Vietnam War activism, activists indicted on charges of conspiracy to disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. All eight defendants were acqu ...

Vietnam war activism

Recognized by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

as an "extremist and key activist," Camil was on President Nixon's "enemies list." On December 22, 1971, FBI Director

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American attorney and law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau o ...

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." Camil was shot by federal agents on March 31, 1975, in a drug 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 Investigation in which returning personnel recounted the atrocities they had been induced into committing against combatants and non-combatants alike. Camil (also referred to as "Camile" in the transcripts) testified of:

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 that he would return on Friday. In the documentary "A Seasoned Veteran," Camil stated: "''The throwing away of the medals, for me, was the cutting of the umbilical cord between me and the government. I was now independent."''

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 for 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.United Voices for Peace: Scott Camil
/ref> *In 1990, observed elections in

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. *In 1994, went to Vietnam for the Vietnam Friendship Village Project. *He supported

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

for

U.S. president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

in 2004 and objects to the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

. * GI Rights Hotline Counselor. *In 1987, Present, President of Gainesville Veterans for Peace Chapter 14. *In 2002, Suwannee St-Johns Group Sierra Club Executive Committee *In 2010, Elected Political Chair, Suwannee St Johns Group Sierra Club. *In 2010, Steering Committee, United Voices for Peace. *In 2014, Founder and Steering Committee member, StandByOurPlan.org. *In 2017, Outstanding Citizen, League of Woman Voters, Alachua County. *In 2020, Alachua County, Charter Review Commission, Member. https://www.alachuacounty.us/CharterReview/Pages/default.aspx

Personal life

As of 2015, Camil lives in Gainesville,

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.

Miscellany

Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is a British and American musician, singer and songwriter. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills ...

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''.

References

External links

*Winter Soldier Investigation testimony, 1st Marine Division. Transcript sponsored by VVAW

David Rhea, Orange & Blue,

Fall Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemispher ...

1997/Spring 1998 * 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. WGBH Open Vault. Accessed July 22. 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Camil, Scott 1946 births Living people University of Florida alumni American anti–Vietnam War activists American people of Romanian-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent American shooting survivors People from Gainesville, Florida Florida local politicians United States Marines United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War