EXPRESS SOLIDARITY
By Lew Jones
Statements supporting Pfc. Howard Petrick have been received from Stokely Carmichael, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; Floyd McKissick, chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality; James Bevel, national director of the Spring Mobilization Conmittee; and Pedro Juan Rua of the Movement for Puerto Rican Independence.
They were among the first to rally in behalf of the GI who sought to exercise his democratic right to express his socialist views inside the U.S. army, in particular, his opposition to the war in Vietnam.
Other expressions of support have come from a broad spectrum of Americans who. want to defend the civil liberties of soldiers, including many local university campus committees opposing the war in Vietnam. Soldiers at Fort Hood, where Petrick is stationed, have also rallied behind hin.
The case began when army authorities at the Texas army camp conducted an investigation, seized antiwar and socialist literature in Petrick's locker and searched and questioned other GIs to whom he had spoken about his ideas and given literature.
The local army officials set in motion proceedings pointing to courtmartial, then abruptly changed their minds and turned the case over to the Pentagon, which-is now making up its mind what to do. : :
A "Provisional Committee to Aid Pfc. Howard Petrick" was set up at once. This has now been superseded by a stronger body, the "Committee to Defend the Rights of Pfc.