The Rocky Mountain Collegian

WHISEC doesn't promote democracy

To the Editor:

How does the United States promote democratic values in the world? This is one of the fundamental questions the travelers to Fort Benning, Ga. asked themselves as they called for the closing of the School of the Americas during the SOA protest Nov. 21. A November 18, 2004 editorial written by Dr. Mark Hull of the history department questioned the preparation, education and purpose of the SOA protesters from the SLU community. Before we respond, we would like to acknowledge Hull's service as an Army officer and thank him for his sacrifice.

In Hull's Letter to the Editor he noted correctly that the School of the Americas was dissolved, in name, in 2000. It is presently named Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Our concern is not with the name of the school...our concern lies in what the school teaches and promotes. An Intelligence Oversight Board (IOB) Report issued June 28, 1996, in Washington, DC discredited SOA and Pentagon officials that have promoted the SOA as "[only seeking] to professionalize Latin American armies and strengthen democracies." The IOB found that the "School of the Americas...used improper instruction materials in training Latin American officers from 1982 to 1991, with certain passages appearing to condone practices such as execution of guerillas, extortion, physical abuse, coercion and false imprisonment."

The SOA has trained more than 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people.

Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders and others who work for the rights of the poor. They are the majority of the population in these countries, yet have unequal and inadequate voicing in these "democratic" governments run by and for the wealthy and powerful. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, "disappeared," massacred and forced into exile by those trained at the SOA.

This is what our tax dollars have supported!

The role of a university is to evaluate these facts in light of what values we want to promote as a democratic society. As a Jesuit University we are called to take this evaluation a step further. We must evaluate the existence of a school like the SOA, not only through the lens of reason and academic rigor, but also through the lens of faith. Our faith calls us to be a voice for the voiceless, promoters of justice and agents of peace.

We traveled to Fort Benning not just as citizens promoting democratic values but as people of faith calling for justice. Knowing that this year marks the 15 anniversary of six Jesuits and two women martyred at the hands of SOA trained soldiers, a tragic event that prompted the United Nations Truth Commission to refer to the SOA as the "School of Assassins," our responsibility to publicly witness at Fort Benning becomes all the more important.

This yearly trip is not just a remembrance of history. We gather to call on our government to live up to its democratic foundations. The recent news of prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib becomes one of many examples of why this sort of public demonstration is important.

At one point in the march a litany of those who have died at the hands of SOA graduates was sung as we processed towards the gates in prayer and silence. As each name was called, we cried out "presente" and raised crosses reminding us that those who have died are with us today in our desire for peace and justice in our world. It is a powerful experience-a peace-filled experience.

We would like to invite Dr. Hull and the rest of the SLU community to next years' SOA gathering--come meet the people, hear the stories and participate in the march.

Part of the weekend is the Ignatian Family Teach-In, where Jesuit schools and institutions gather to share stories, desires for peace and support. The weekend is an opportunity to learn from our history as a country as well as to strengthen our resolve that our influence and presence in the world must be used to promote democracy and peace.

James Hannibal, S.J.,
Philosophy and Letters

Drew Kirschman, S.J.,
School of Public Policy

Matthew Kunkel,
S.J., Philosophy and Letters

Matt Moser, S.J.,
American Studies graduate student

Mike Rogers, S.J.,
Philosophy and Letters

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