Montclair History Center

Today is June 5th, and in it is the anniversary of the riot and subsequent mass protests at Fort Dix outside of Trenton during the height of the Vietnam War in 1969.

In Fort Dix, 747 soldiers were held in a stockade, or military prison, and the vast majority of them were accused of going AWOL. Soldiers were overcrowded, starved, physically hurt, and forced to give confessions, true or not. Soldiers spoke of the cruelty and racism of their prison guards. On the day of the riot, prisoners were forced to stand in the sun for hours; and when it was over, they were returned back to their cells without water for the rest of the day. The tension reached a breaking point and over 250 soldiers began to riot. Later, they would call it a rebellion.

38 soldiers at Fort Dix were specifically blamed for the day's events and were placed in solitary confinement for months, in cells that were only 8 by 6 by 4 feet. They did not receive trials and many of them were starved, losing up to 60 pounds by the time of their release.

News of the rebellion and subsequent confinement of the 38 reached the general public, becoming a cause for the anti-war movement. Between 4,000 and 10,000 individuals marched on Fort Dix demanding the release of the "Fort Dix 38." This included such disparate groups as The Black Panther Party, the Catholic Peace Fellowship, the Medical Committee for Human Rights, and even a battalion of Quakers from Philadelphia. Fort Dix staff responded to the march by using tear gas and threatening them with bayonets.

The military had little evidence to convict most of the 38; only five soldiers faced a formal general court martial. These five had all made political statements against the Vietnam War. Two were acquitted; the other three were sentenced to hard labor for a number of years.

Do you remember the Fort Dix 38?



Image 1: David Fenton
Image 2: Shakedown, Oct. 17 1969 Issue

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The Montclair History Center and Aging in Montclair have teamed up to present two live interview events where longtime residents share their stories and the impact they've had on the Montclair community.

Join us June 11th at JAZZ HOUSE KiDS. This event is free and made possible by Partners for Health Foundation. This event is offered in person or through zoom. Registration required in advance, available here: https://events.humanitix.com/everyone-has-a-story-with-mhc-and-aim-june-2026

About Melsissa Walker
Over the past two decades, Melissa Walker has led transformative change in arts education as Founder and President of JAZZ HOUSE KiDS, building the organization into a nationally acclaimed institution serving tens of thousands of students through world-class education and performance. A GRAMMY Award-winning jazz vocalist and graduate of Brown University, she has been recognized as one of NJBiz’s Best 50 Women in Business and received honors including the Jazz Journalists Association’s Jazz Hero Award, the Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award, and the 92nd Street Y’s Extraordinary Women Award. Walker also serves as Executive Producer of the award-winning Montclair Jazz Festival, the largest free jazz festival in the NYC area.

About Our Interviewer
After retiring from the diplomatic service, Nancy LeRoy resumed her acting career in film and theater in Washington, DC and New York City. She moved to Montclair to be near her children and grandchildren.

Everyone Has A Story with MHC and AIM June 2026 Get tickets on Humanitix - Everyone Has A Story with MHC and AIM June 2026. Jazz House Annex (Main entrance is through the rear parking lot on North Willow near Bloomfield Avenue), 347 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair, NJ 07042, USA. Thursday June 11th 2026. Find event information.

The Montclair History Center is thrilled to announce that Executive Director Angelica Diggs has been accepted as one of nineteen fellows from across the country to participate in the American Association for State and Local History’s History Leadership Institute Seminar.

For more than six decades, the History Leadership Institute has helped strengthen the leadership capacity of the history field by bringing together practitioners from museums, historical societies, historic sites, and related organizations across the country.

This year’s cohort will gather for an intensive two-week seminar in June led by HLI Seminar director Andrea Jones and hosted by the Minnesota Historical Society. Fellows will explore major issues facing history organizations today, build relationships with peers from across the field, and develop the skills, perspective, and confidence needed to lead in a rapidly changing environment.

This opportunity is possible with the support of generous donations to the Making History Matter Campaign, Denny O’Toole Scholarship, and Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko Scholarship.

Learn more about the program online here and meet the other fellows at https://aaslh.org/meet-the-2026-history-leadership-institute-seminar-fellows/.