What is the precedent for soldiers to refuse illegal orders? On Sunday, February 8 at 6 pm, two soldiers who refused orders during the Vietnam War (and suffered the consequences) are speaking at Busboys and Poets at 14th and V St. NW in Washington. We chose February 8 because this was the day Bob Chenoweth's helicopter was shot down and he was captured while on his second tour in Vietnam. Writing in the Washington Post in 1978, Peter Arnett said Chenoweth told him that, though most POWs celebrate the day they were released, he celebrates the day he was captured: the day he got to know people of another race and culture. This allowed him to understand why the Vietnamese people were committed to fighting for their independence. Chenoweth was one of eight POWs who became the Peace Committee at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" POW prison. The American POW officers incarcerated with him ordered him to stop making antiwar statements that undercut Nixon's claim that the war must continue to support the POWs. He will be joined on the 8th by Susan Schnall, a Navy lieutenant court-martialed for leading an antiwar march and denouncing the war while in uniform. She is now the national president of Veterans For Peace, which is launching a national billboard campaign to let soldiers and National Guard troops know that they can refuse illegal orders. The event will include a screening of a stirring 40-minute documentary about Chenoweth, A POW Redefines Patriotism, produced by award-winning filmmakers from Vietnam. You can view the two-minute trailer below. https://vimeo.com/1154900775?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci It is not necessary to RSVP, but it helps for planning. Here is the link to register for the event. https://action.ips-dc.org/a/two-soldiers-who-refused-orders