Orange : Opponent of U.S. Aid to Contras to Be Speaker
A Vietnam veteran and former Army chaplain who returned a Medal of Honor to protest U.S. aid to the Nicaraguan contras will make his first county appearance Friday during a talk at Chapman College.
Charles Liteky, a former priest who carried 20 wounded men to safety while under enemy fire, will launch what local organizers call a “campaign of conscience,” against U.S. involvement in Central America.
In July, Liteky put the gold medal, the nation’s highest military honor, in a large Manila envelope and placed it at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial with a statement outlining his reasons for renouncing it.
Liteky was quoted as saying that the question is no longer “Will Central America become another Vietnam? Central America is another Vietnam.”
Liteky’s talk is sponsored by Witness for Peace and the Interfaith Peace Ministry of Orange County. He will speak at 7:30 p.m. in Hashinger Hall. A $3 donation is requested.
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