Jeff Berger

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Penn State

America, to me, was highly moral and the land of opportunity.  The Vietnam War just seemed like an unjust war, something that our country should not be doing.  I was at Penn State starting in the fall of 1966 and joined SDS, Students for a Democratic Society, in 1967 after attending anti-war demonstrations in Washington, D.C.  It was the only anti-war organization on campus.  We fought for a world of equality, and we still are fighting for a world of equality.  This meant gender equality, black equality, and the way the United States treated the rest of the world.  This was all very important to us.

I don't have any hostility towards the people who supported the war.  The people I am opposed to are long gone from politics, the government officials who were promoting the war.  Those are the people who I can't forgive.  As for the soldiers, I don't feel any anger towards them.  I think, in the end, fighting for these causes has made my life a lot better.  It has shaped me into a better person, and I've never had a single regret.