Peace, War, And Social Conflict – The School of the Assassins

In the late afternoon of December 4, 1980, an unmarked grave was found in a field in El Salvador. When it was opened in the presence of the U.S. ambassador, it revealed the bodies of four women: Maryknoll Sisters Mara Clark and Eda Ford, Ursaline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and lay missionary Jean Donovan.

Of the five officers later found responsible for the rape and murder of these women, three were graduates of the United States Army School of the Americas. According to the Pentagon, the mission of the school is to train the armed forces of Latin America, promote military professionalism, foster cooperation among multinational military forces, and to expand the trainees’ knowledge of United States customs and traditions. – From the documentary School of the Americas: School of Assassins

Beginning in 1946 the School of the Americas (SOA) sat within the canal zone of Panama and in 1984, under the Canal Treaty, was moved to Ft. Benning, Georgia and renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. The school has trained over 60,000, primarily Latin American military commandos, in the art of combatting insurgency. In order to deal with insurgents, graduates of the SOA have been taught everything from basic military training to psychological warfare and yes, even torture techniques.

But just “who” are the insurgents which pose such a serious threat in Latin America? Teachers, union organizers, students, religious workers, farm workers, and those who work and support the rights of the poor have all fallen victim to the numerous US supported military juntas throughout Latin America. Since 1946 the death squads trained at the SOA have been responsible for the deaths of thousands and thousands more have been tortured, raped, or simply disappeared at the hands of the graduates of the School of the Assassins.

Why would the US military invest US taxpayer’s money to train combat units in Latin America when there is no apparent military threat? All of the evidence points to cheap labor and economic control by American corporations. Democratically elected governments in Guatemala and Honduras have been overthrown under the guise of being “communist threats” for simply wanting to establish a minimum wage for those working for major US fruit companies. Many of the countries in Latin America have incredible resource wealth, and that wealth is funneled out of the region into the pockets of American corporations as the millions sit in abject poverty watching the wealth of their nations disappear. When they exercise their right as human beings to voice their objections all to often they receive a visit from a graduate of the SOA.

The greatest threat to world peace has become the American military and the American military has evolved into nothing more than a street gang designed to protect the cash flow of corporate America. American citizens watch in frustration, as corporations gain more and more control over the US government, they may begin to understand that this same game has been played out around the world, but primarily in Latin America, for decades. And the game has all too often has ended in the deaths of thousands.

This past weekend I had the honor and the privilege to meet and listen to Father Roy Bourgeoise. Several years ago Father Roy established the School of Americas Watch (SOAW) and the organization has made huge strides in their efforts to inform the American people of the truth regarding the SOA and close this training facility down. In fact every year there is a demonstration at Ft. Benning which goes unnoticed by the media but draws thousands of supporters. Please help Father Roy and the people of Latin America close this school.

I encourage you to learn more at: http://www.soaw.org/