(MILITARY--VIET NAM.) Billy Dean Smith * Join the Billy Dean Smith Defense Committee. Pamphlet, 14 pages with Volume II, Number I of Up From the Bottom, 12 pages. Each in excellent condition. San Diego, 1972
Billy Dean Smith was an African American G.I. accused of the "fragging" murder of two white officers in Bien Hoa, Viet Nam in 1971. The term "fragging" comes from the use of a fragmentation grenade, rolled into the tent of an unpopular officer and was peculiar to the Viet Nam War. Fragging most often involved the murder of a commanding officer, ("C.O.") or a senior non-commissioned officer perceived as unpopular, harsh, or overzealous, especially if he was deemed to be seeking glory for himself at the expense of his men. Dean's case became a rallying point for many black G.I's and the cause was taken up by the Panther Party.
