The Power of Love

by Megan Zimmerman

On November 22 and 23 I had the opportunity to participate in the Annual Gathering at the Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia in an effort to close the U.S. Army Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC), formerly named the School of the Americas (SOA). The SOA opened in 1946 in Panama as a training school for Latin American soldiers in counter insurgency tactics. The school quickly became associated with assassinations, military coups, and death squads. In 1984, the school was moved from Panama to Fort Benning. Over 60,000 soldiers have been trained at the school.

The Annual Gathering was an amazing weekend. It was a protest, but it also served as a place to learn truths, celebrate the work that is being done in the name of peace, and be rejuvenated to continue the hard and many times disappointing struggle for justice. Saturday was filled with orientation meetings, teach-ins, nonviolence training, singing, and more. I participated in a mass Saturday night. It was wonderful to be with 2,000 other Christians worshipping, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, the night before taking part in a nonviolent act of civil disobedience.

The Sunday funeral procession is unlike anything I have experienced anywhere. 10,000 people participated. After reading the nonviolent pledge, the reading of the names of SOA victims began. After each name was read, we responded “Presente,” signifying the presence of those who have been killed. People lined up in rows of ten and walked over the white line marking the property of Fort Benning. People carrying crosses with the names of victims, flowers, peace cranes, and signs placed them on the fence surrounding the fort. By the end of the procession the fence has been turned into a memorial. During this time a group enacted a die-in. Periodically there were interruptions of warnings from the military police over speakers as people crossed over the fence, a symbolic act defying the boundaries put up and of grief for what the school has done and continues to do. Over 30 people were arrested including the Rev. Donald F. Beisswenger of Nashville, Tennessee and Father Ben Jiminez from Cleveland. These people will most likely spend three to six months in federal prison.

The funeral procession took close to four hours, four hours to read the names of the victims of SOA graduates. Children, babies, grandparents, priests, men and women violently killed either for speaking up for their rights or getting caught in the fire.

After the funeral procession there was a puppet pageant with giant puppets, people on stilts and drumming. The story of the pageant was of the military making way for corporate power, but the strength and love of people overcoming them. It was love that overcame these giant powers. And how true that is. The high school student participation this year was incredible. It is exciting to see young people taking part in standing up and speaking out for peace and justice.

I encourage you to seriously think about taking part in the November Gathering next year if the school has not yet closed. It is a commitment, but you will gain much from it. If anyone is interested in learning more about the SOA/WHISC, seeing a video, or both I would be thrilled to do a teach-in. Please talk to me. There is a bill in the House of Representative presented by Rep. McGovern (D-MA) to Close the SOA. You can contact your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor the bill and vote to close the school. Go to www.house.gov to find your Rep’s. contact information.