On a creased blackened piece of aluminum foil a soft white mound of powder is laid, than a match is set under the foil while a man bends over the white smoke created and sucks in the undulating smoky snake, losing his pain and his memory.  This man is chasing the dragon, smoking Double O Globe Number 4 heroin courtesy of a Cholon Chinese chemist, protected and dispersed by ARVN (South Vietnamese Army) officers in concert with CIA operatives and USAID employees. 

All of this is extensively documented in Alfred W. McCoy’s book The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade.  The man smoking the heroin is one of over 100,000 American GI’s who became addicted to 99% pure heroin sold to us by our allies and brothers in the War in Viet Nam.  It was an $88,000,000 a year industry.  The absolute corrupting effect of the money made is happening again in Afghanistan.

CIA director Casey in the 1980’s under direction from Reagan administration officers along with Zbignew Brezinski of the Carter administration supported heroin distribution by the Mujahideen to addict Soviet soldiers during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.  The strategy was to have them return home addicted and spread the addiction to undermine the Soviet war effort.  This is what we have become, drug pushing killers.  Gus Hall, a Viet Nam veteran says it best.  “What you do, you become.”

Today in our war in Afghanistan the same history is about to start.  The corrupting influence of opium and heroin is pandemic throughout Southwest Asia.  Pakistan’s military and its ISI transport and traffic heroin and weapons.  The Mujahideen and the Taliban will use heroin as a weapon against the US.  We taught them well. 

Corruption has its own native terminology, in Turkey it is called “baksheesh,” in Mexico “el Mordida,” the bite.  It is the grease on the wheels, it makes things happen, but it also destroys human nature and undermines justice.  During the Viet Nam war heroin was smuggled into the US in the coffins of KIA GI’s.  It was also hidden in the body cavities of the dead and unloaded in the funeral parlors. Those of us in Graves Registration saw this happen. 

My fear is that this will happen to our GI’s in Afghanistan.  A new generation of American soldiers will be used and discarded.  Wall Street will profit and grow fat as it devours the souls of our people.  Time to unleash the dragon of our righteous rage against the war profiteers on Wall Street and in the corporate board rooms.

Dave Ionno
Veteran for Peace