History - U.S. Marshals and the Pentagon Riot of
October 21, 1967
Anti-Vietnam war protestors rallied to Washington on Saturday, October
21,1967, in the first national demonstration against the war. The
Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam organized the protest
to get national visibility for the anti-war movement. Nearby, military
policemen stood at ten-foot intervals around the Pentagon. Within the
circle of MP's, 300 U.S. Deputy Marshals spent the day waiting. The
Deputies were on hand to make any necessary arrests, a civilian power
not normally bestowed on the military. Hidden inside the Pentagon and
other government buildings were five to six thousand Army troops armed
with rifles and bayonets.
Saturday, 6:00 a.m. U.S. Marshals Arrive at Pentagon:
Throughout most of the day the Marshals relaxed. Many stored their
nightsticks and small field packs along the Pentagon walls and lay in
the grass, their heads pillowed on their white helmets.
No one knew what form the anti-war protest would take, whether
peaceful or violent. The picnic mood at the Lincoln Memorial
changed during the long day of speeches and demonstrations. At 5:40
p.m., a determined crowd of 35,000 headed for the Pentagon. A
smaller segment at the front
stormed forward, scaled the walls, and forced their way into the
Pentagon. The Deputies and soldiers were taunted and assaulted with
vegetables, rocks, and bottles. The troops inside the Pentagon rushed
outside as the violence escalated. A full-scale riot erupted.
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