Susan Schnall was born on March 9, 1943, joined the US Preparatory Navy in June 1967. She attended Indictrination School in Newport, Rhode Island and was sent to work at Oak Noll Naval Hospital in Oakland, California where she cared Marines returning from Vietnam.
Here she witnessed the young soldiers returning from the war grappling with pain, screams that sounded all night and their horrible reminiscences of the war. Gradually, she realized that she and many people were serving for an unjust war. Thereby, she thought she needed to take practical action to wake up the soldiers, to appeal to the voices of conscientious people in the United States, to mobilize them to stand up against the unjust war that the US army was conducting in Vietnam.
Navy nurse Susan Schnall, wearing a hat and military uniform, led the anti-war demonstration group in San Francisco Bay in 1968.
On October 12, 1968, in San Francisco Bay, Ms.Susan Schnall that wore a hat and Navy nurse military uniform led an anti-war parade for peace. Also on 12/10/1968 she caused a shock event in the US public opinion at that time. She and her friend working as a pilot hired a helicopter on which there were many anti-war leaflets. From the helicopter, she spread leaflets down on San Francisco Bay military bases, USS Enterprise aircraft carrier and Oak Knoll Naval Hospital where she worked for.
Navy nurse Susan Schnall spoke at the parade for Peace at San Francisco Bay, October 12, 1968.
Ms. Susan Schnall khew that wearing a military uniform was against US Navy regulations, and the US military banned wearing military uniform upon expressing views about religion or political parties. At that time, she thought, if General Westmoreland could wear a military uniform to Congress to apply for granting money to the war in Vietnam, she could do so as a member of the army to express her anti-War viewpoint.
Because of that action, in February 1969, she was sentenced to six months in prison by a military court and fired from the army. After serving her sentence, she had to move to New York and struggled to get a job because she had a criminal record. However, she continued to participate in activities that opposed the Vietnam War. She worked for the Indochina Medical Relief Fund that specialized in providing relief supplies and medicines to victims from American war in Indochina and a number of Vietnamese hospitals. In 1975, she joined New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation as a community organizer and then spent 31 years on serving in New York City's pubilic hospital system as an administrator to improve clinical quality. She worked for 8 years at Bellevue Hospital in an executive administrative posifion before retiring. She is currently a professor at New York University, majoring in health care policy and planning.
On May 26, 2018, Ms. Susan Schnall presented a navy hat to the War Remnants Museum. Ms. Susan Schnalls Navy Hat was a fedora with a wide brim from front to back. lts brim was black, its body and cap is white. The front of the hat was attached with a US Navy badge that was made of metal in shape of eagle spreading white wings while standing on the white shield engraved with 13 stars and 7 stripes. Two sides of the shield were fwo sword hilts and two yellow cross anchors.
Inside the top of the hat, there was a light yellow hard piece of paper printed with name and workplace of Ms. Susan Schnall in the middle of the lining fabric layer and nylon layer with the content:
Susan Marina Le Vine
Ensign
Nurse Corps
United States Naval Reserve
Ms. Susan Schnall presented a naval hat to the War Remnants Museum - May 2018.
In many documentaries and images of Ms. Susan Schnall, we will see the image of a small woman in a military uniform with a US Navy hat on her head participating in demonstrations or in press conferences.
The Navy Hat is a memento accompanying her throughout the journey to fight for justice and human peace. The biggest concern of Ms. Susan Schnall is looking forward to contributing to the future of the country and people in Vietnam.
Ms. Susan Schnall attended the Opening Ceremony of "Wave of protesting against the unjust war of the US in Vietnam" at the War Remnants Museum - March 2018.