The Winter Soldier Investigation, sponsored by Vietnam Veterans Against the War, aimed to expose war atrocities and encourage military policy reform. Testimony from soldiers, contractors, academics, and medical personnel was recorded and legitimized, but mainstream media largely ignored the event. A similar event was held in 2008, receiving more media coverage. Critics questioned the credentials and testimony of those who testified in both events.
The Winter Soldier Investigation was a three-day series of hearings held in January and February 1971. The primary sponsor of the event was an organization called Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), although other organizations also participated. The hearings were designed to draw public attention to the events of the Vietnam War, in hopes of exposing war atrocities and encourage reform of military policies that organization members say contributed to the high rate of war crimes in the Vietnam War.
The crux of the Winter Soldier investigation was that events such as the Mai Lai Massacre were more common than many realized, and that military doctrine did indeed support the commission of such crimes. VVAW hoped to get a great deal of media attention to educate the public about the Vietnam War, and there may also have been a desire for formal hearings about the war’s events. Critics of the Winter Soldier Organization felt that the testimony failed to prove the point and that the qualifications of the individuals who testified were questionable.
In addition to soldiers, the Winter Soldier Investigation also included civilian contractors, academics, and medical support personnel. All people who testified were required to present their credentials, as VVAW wanted to legitimize the event as much as possible. The testimony was recorded on film and video, and numerous transcripts of the Winter Soldier Investigation are available for those who wish to read the testimony for themselves.
Much to the chagrin of VVAW, most of the mainstream media either ignored the Winter Soldier investigation, or wrote brief and often after-the-fact critiques. While the event was reasonably well covered in the alternative media, the media exposure fell far short of the organization’s goals. In 1972, however, Winter Soldier Investigation testimony was read into the Congressional Record, triggering hearing requests that were used to support several war-related legislative proposals.
In 2008, Iraq War Veterans sponsored a similar event, Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan, which featured testimony from a variety of people associated with the Iraq War. This event received much more media coverage than the original Winter Soldier Investigation, possibly due to increased public awareness and interest in war crimes committed in Iraq. As in 1971, opponents have criticized the credentials and testimony of those who testified in an attempt to discredit them.
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