News Item
PREP AT THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS
Five members of the St. Joseph ’s Prep community attended the School of Americas (now named WHINSEC) protest in November in Georgia. Nick Rosenberger ’07 reflected on part of his experience during the three-day event which included a conference and liturgy organized by the Ignatian Solidarity Network and concluded with a prayerful protest at the gate of Fort Benning, the home of the school. His reflection focuses on his experience during the tour and question and answer session on the base:
I Sat on the Bus
By: Nicholas Rosenberger
I sat on the bus, anxiously waiting for the signal to disembark and take my first step onto Georgian soil. After a sixteen hour bus ride my anticipations couldn’t be higher, nor could my longing for some firm ground beneath my feet.
We gathered outside of the bus and small groups began to form up. Among the various discussions one of the favorite topics was, “What do you expect?” Whenever the question was addressed directly to me I did my best to dodge the question or give a rather ambiguous response. It hadn’t occurred to me before that I had absolutely no clue what to expect, shivering I wondered, “Why is it so cold in Georgia?”
I turned and waved as a woman dressed in army fatigues furiously snapped photos from behind a barb-wired fence. An army representative, dressed in plain clothes, approached and asked us politely if we would please proceed to the gate. Every face became stern and we marched resolutely toward a security checkpoint, where an army wielding wands stood in wait. We passed a sign welcoming us to the Lumpkin Road access. After emptying my pockets and passing through security without any problems we were herded onto busses that shuttled us to our ultimate destination.
On the bus were two current students and I was surprised when they addressed us in perfect English and welcomed any questions we had. These were two ordinary men, who had families, wives, children, dreams, and fears. These could not possibly be the monsters who committed the atrocities, which I had read about.
We were whisked quickly through a tour of the base having been lead through mostly hallways and lobbies. We then proceeded to a conference room where the question and answer session was to be held. Before they initiated the Q and A we were shown a slideshow presentation. The moderator explained the rules to us and then began taking questions.
During this time I reflected on what my beliefs were and where I stood on certain issues. I thought for a long time, while listening to questions posed by the audience. Eventually I raised my hand to ask my own question. I prefaced my question with this statement: Before I ask my question I would like to say that I am here to protest policy not people. I felt that it was important for me to make the distinction between protesting bad policy and protesting a group of people.
This was a major revelation for me. All around me I saw people who harbored an intense hatred for the staff of WHINSEC, who were only doing what they believed their duty to be. This revelation transformed the entire experience for me and allowed me, personally, to get the most out of the trip.