This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

Dissidents: Veterans Speak Out for Justice Main Menu Racism in the US Military Veterans Against War Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the US Military Dissidents Veterans Speak Out

Ari Sesu Merretazon, At War

The first interview with Ari Sesu Merretazon recounts his early life in Washington, D.C., with his family. Ari discusses how his parents, his upbringing, and the historical protests that occurred during his childhood shaped his outlook on the military and the United States. In 1966, Merretazon was drafted for the Vietnam War and served from 1966 to 1968.

The protests surrounding civil rights, Dr. King's assassination, and racism significantly contributed to the division. Ari’s occupation in Vietnam was as a recon infantry soldier and emphasized ‘search, kill, and destroy’ missions. A major connection between soldiers within the war was the solidarity among Black soldiers. Ari emphasizes how the only way they survived was through their blood love. 95% of the stockade in Vietnam was Black soldiers, further enforcing solidarity. Ari also stated that this solidarity transferred into sympathy for the Vietnamese people. The power struggles made both groups gravitate towards each other. Search and destroy operations and measuring body counts were brutalizing and dehumanizing features of the American war in Vietnam. Black veterans leaving Vietnam in 1968 returned to a nation afire.

Time Index
[00:00:00] Introduction and biographical information
[00:03:10] Family life and history
[00:06:13] Family connections to the military
[00:07:35] Childhood and school experiences
[00:13:55] 1966 war draft and its implications
[00:17:45] Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina
[00:20:25] Relations between black and white people in the military
[00:22:10] Search, kill, and destroy missions during the Vietnam War
[00:25:28] Beginning experiences of the Vietnam War [00:30:00] Experiences during a typical mission
[00:35:07] Solidarity among black soldiers in the war
[00:43:44] Punishment to black soldiers in Vietnam
[00:46:33] Culture of black soldiers during the war
[00:48:05] Sympathy between the Vietnamese and black soldiers
[00:51:17] Morality and expectations during the war
[00:55:43] Plans after the war
[00:56:25] Experiences with historical figures
[01:00:00] Coming home from war
[01:04:57] Identifying as a veteran
[01:07:28] Quality of the interview
[01:10:10] From Haywood Kirkland to Ari Merretazon
[1:15:00] Richard Brookshire and the Black Veterans Project

This page has paths:

Ari Sesu Merretazon Jason Higgins
Contents of this path:

Contents of this path:

This page references:

Ari Sesu Merretazon, interviewed by Jason A. Higgins, Part 1 Ari Sesu Merretazon, interviewed by Jason A. Higgins, January 10, 2023 remotely from Blacksburg, VA. This interview is part of a series of oral history interviews with Merretazon, documenting his memories and experiences as a Vietnam veteran, formerly incarcerated veteran, founder of the Incarcerated Veterans Assistance Organization, and activist for racial justice and reparations. Formerly known as Haywood "the Kid" Kirkland, his story is told in Wallace Terry's Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History and a fictionalized account of his experiences is told in the film Dead Presidents. Part 1 focuses on his childhood, teenage years in Washington D.C., his path to the military, experiences in Vietnam, and his homecoming. This interview is supported by a 4-VA Collaborative Grant, "Crossing the Military-Civilian Divide," the Virginia Tech Center for Humanities, and special thanks to my research assistant Leena Alsayab, a recent graduate of Virginia Tech.