Dancing the Dance to Freedom - activities of the School of the Americas

Humanist, July, 1999 by Marge Eilerman

If the constituent mentioned the behavior of one or more SOA graduates, the response was that one doesn't throw out the whole bushel of apples because of a few bad apples. According to one response, "If one serial killer graduates from Yale, you wouldn't close the university down." If the constituent didn't mention the graduates, the responses contained something about the school's goal of establishing democracy in the twenty-six countries of Latin America from which SOA students come. These were the same arguments used by SOA officials.

The argument about the serial killer from Yale never made much sense to me. Of course we wouldn't request closing the university, but you can be assured that, if that serial killer were given an honorary degree or asked to deliver the graduation address, Yale's enrollment would quickly plummet.

This was a disappointing time for me. I had hoped for a much more open attitude on the part of elected officials, especially since Representatives Joseph Kennedy of Massachusetts and Esteban Torres of California were working hard to get a bill passed in the House to stop the funding of the SOA and close it down.

I felt compelled to do more to bring to the consciousness of the American people how many innocent victims were dying at the hands of SOA graduates. I became particularly concerned about the growing unrest in the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico, where I had been a missionary. Shortly after the 1994 indigenous resistance began, Mexico became the largest SOA client. It was time to step up nonviolent action.

I entered into an open discussion and prayer with the sisters of my Franciscan community. Everyone was very supportive. I believe they all realized that this was something deep inside of me. During this period of decision-making, I was also reading about civil disobedience--or, as I prefer to call it, civil initiative. John Dear, author of several books on civil disobedience, inspired and challenged me to speak my truth. His books were important to me during this time, especially Sacrament of Civil Disobedience.

Traditionally, on November 16 SOA Watch commemorates the anniversary of the assassination of the six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter. A prayer service, speakers, and a demonstration to protest the ongoing training at the SOA are staged at the entrance to Fort Benning where the school is located. I was there in November 1996 and joined in the demonstration. Sixty people silently and reverently crossed onto the military base. Each person carried an eighteen-inch white wooden cross bearing the name of a victim of the SOA and the name of his or her country. I carried the cross of a child from El Salvador--a victim of El Mozote.

All we wanted to do was to walk quietly and peacefully to the entrance of the school and to place the crosses in the ground there. It was a ritual of honor, of healing, of respect. This was not to be, however; as soon as we protesters rounded a bend out of sight of the media, the military personnel moved in and arrested us. For taking the step onto the military base, each of us were given a "bar and ban" letter that prohibited our return for one year. In May 1997, this ban was upped to five years.