Army school protest, déjà vú The Presbyterian Layman Volume 34, Number 1 Posted January 24, 2001 Some Presbyterians make periodic trips to Ft. Benning, Ga., to protest the U.S. Army School of the Americas, which they dub the “School of Assassins.” The last such trip was Nov. 20, when at least five Presbyterians were arrested. It was also the last time that they can protest the “School of the Americas.” On Dec. 15, the training program officially became the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. The Department of Defense says it will operate the school under the guiding principles of the Organization of American States. Presbyterians who have been involved in the protest against the school said before the latest change became effective that it was in name only, and not in mission. They accuse the School of Americas of training assassins and terrorists to support conservative governments in Latin America. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has twice approved resolutions to close the school. However, some Presbyterians say the General Assembly’s resolutions have been answered by major changes at the School of Americas, including humanitarian training. They say the accusations against the School of Americas are exaggerated. One supporter of the school is the Rev. Jim DeCamp, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Oostberg, Wis., and an Army chaplain with the rank of lieutenant colonel. After spending time at Ft. Benning on reserve duty, he wrote an analysis of the school that was published in the May/June 2000 Presbyterian Layman. “With the savage treatment the school has received in most of our religious press, it’s not surprising that the truth seems stranger than fiction. And the truth is that SOA is a top-notch institution, exerting a positive influence throughout Latin America among military officers, noncommissioned officers and government civilians,” he wrote. “SOA promotes the democratic values of freedom of religion and press, respect for human rights and the subordination of the military to civilian rule. It also preserves peace in the region by training military forces to deal with drug-trafficking, teaching humanitarian de-mining, building trust between officers of neighboring armies and introducing Latin Americans to our nation’s good will.” Karl Lundstrom, a retired Army colonel and a Presbyterian in Arlington, Va., said the General Assembly’s policies seeking to close the school are “way out of date. The times have changed. Past problems have been corrected.” Lundstrom has taught a number of courses on Christian faith and war. During the recent protest, some protesters wore white “death masks” and carried crosses and coffins to symbolize the alleged victims of SOA violence in Latin America. Thirty-two activists staged a re-enactment of a Colombian massacre and were arrested. For Ann Huntwork, a 69-year-old member of Westminister Presbyterian Church in Portland, Ore., and a long-time opponent of the School of the Americas, this arrest was her fourth in connection with protests at Fort Benning. Huntwork faces federal charges including resisting arrest, trespassing and destruction of federal property. She was detained after she and five others, including her husband, Bruce, dug shallow graves on the post in which they intended to bury dolls representing alleged School of America victims. She speculated that she might be sentenced to at least three months behind bars. “I feel very, very committed to continue working on this,” she said. “I’ll probably get out (of jail) and go back and do it again.” An estimated 3,500 protesters ventured onto the post during the protest. A total of 1,766 were detained and issued “ban and bar” letters, then processed and bused to a Columbus, Ga. park, where they were released.

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