Oakland, Calif. - Navy nurse Susan Schnall, active in organising the San Francisco GI march last October 12, pleaded not guilty to two charges brought against her by the Navy - impairing the morale of the troops by dropping leaflets publicising the GI march from a helicopter, and disobeying a direct order not to wear her uniform in the march. After a trial lasting a day and a half, she was found guilty of felony under general court-martial proceedings and sentenced to: dismissal, forfeiture of six months' pay, and confinement for six months at hard labour.
The only evidence introduced by the Navy was films of the helicopter flight and of the march, although [illegible] one film simply showed her emerging from a tiny plane and openly discussing the reasons for the leafletting. The other films showed her speaking to a crowd of thousands in San Francisco on October 12.
The defence introduced [illegible] political nature of the charges, pointing out that they were in violation of Lt. Schnall's constitutional rights. She herself testified that she acted not to damage the morale of other military personnel but in line with legitimately using her right to free speech. The argument was ruled out of order.
The Navy was under government pressure to convict Lt. Schnall on the one hand, and under the pressure of strong public sentiment mobilised in favour of Lt. Schnall on the other hand. She was convicted and sentenced, but the Navy refrained from giving her the maximum sentence of five years at hard labour.
In actuality, women officers who receive less than a year's confinement are simply retained at their jobs for the equivalent period of time, and then dismissed. She has been reassigned to the pediatric ward at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital. At this point her case is under review.
Lt. Schnall's own father was killed during World War II when she was little more than a year old. After being sentenced she reaffirmed her opposition to the Vietnam war as well as her determination to participate in the Spring GI action against the war scheduled for April 6.