In April of 1987, I was invited to participate in a fact-finding tour

of veterans to Nicaragua,Honduras, and Guatemala.  A feeling came over

me that this was something I had to do.  My general opinion at the time

of the conflict in Central America was that Honduras and Guatemala were

democratic countries and that Nicaragua was a communist country. 

        I personally am opposed to any oppressive government; but I feel that

each nation has a right to self-determination.  Even if Nicaragua is a

communist country, it is not the business of my government to use my

money and my name to overthrow someone elseÕs government.  We wouldnÕt

want another country to do it to us and we shouldnÕt do it to another

country especially one that wasnÕt attacking us.

So with these thoughts I went on this fact-finding trip, in order to
see what is really being done in my name.

 

Guatemala

        Our first stop was Guatemala.  It is a beautiful country, very

rich in culture. I noticed that soldiers were everywhere, people were not

smiling, people were obviously intimidated and frightened.  I learned of

the lack of respect for human rights or even human dignity.

        I saw American helicopters, but when I spoke to a member of the

Guatemalan Congress, he told me that he did not know of their existence.

We met with General Rojas who is the Guatemalan Chief of Staff, the

supreme commander of the military.  When we spoke to General Rojas, he

knew about the American helicopters.  He said they were on loan from

Honduras to help transport troops to the mountains, and that they were

piloted and crewed by American soldiers. When I asked General Rojas

about the death squads, he said in reference to the people dying, ÒThey

are the worst of the worst and they have it coming.Ó  I asked him if he

was concerned that Guatemala might lose its American foreign aid if that

aid was tied to human rights abuses.  He said ÒNo, our lawyers will take

care of thatÓ.

        After speaking to government leaders, military leaders, business

leaders, religious leaders, human rights activists, labor organizers, an

editor, families of the disappeared, the American Ambassador, the US

Defense Attache, the US Military Attache, and the Acting Deputy Chief of

Mission, it became painfully obvious to me that the military of

Guatemala controlled the country.  This fact is made even more obvious

by the inauguration address of President Vinicio Cerezo, ÒI remind you

that I have received the government but not the power.Ó

        I learned that the Guatemalan government and people have no fear or

thought of an invasion by Nicaragua; in fact, I was told that there was

no historical or factual basis for such an idea.

        At the American Embassy, I was told that the people at the

Embassy had

a better handle on the situation in Guatemala that the Guatemalan

government or people. 

        From the people and the human rights groups, I learned that

there is no

respect for human rights and that in fact human rights violations have

actually grown, not diminished, as reported to the US Congress.  The

American government is lying to the American public and helping to

oppress the people of Guatemala. If a democracy exists in Guatemala, it

is not democracy as we think of it here in the U.S.A.  Neither the

people nor the elected government have any real power.  The real power

comes out the militaryÕs guns, and the military owes its allegiance not

to its own government or people but to those who supply the guns, the

U.S.A. and Israel.

 

Honduras

        Next we went to Honduras. Again we met with members of the American

Embassy, members of human rights organizations, a member of Congress,

religious leaders, a doctor, coffee growers, American military personnel

both on and off the Palmerola Military Base, refugees, displaced

persons, and the leaders of the organizations that take care of the

refugees and the displaced persons.  I was surprised by the number of

different human rights organizations.

        I learned that about 80% of the people live in misery. They consider

their country an occupied country.  They resent the U.S.A. Military and

the Contras occupying so much of their land.  The Honduran people have

been fighting for land reform, but instead of getting land they are

losing land.  And when they complain about it they are jailed, murdered,

or simply disappear.  The people speak of what is happening in their

country as the Lebanonization of Central America.Ó

        One of the questions I asked these people was, ÓWhy does your

government allow foreigners to occupy your land?Ó

        They said, ÒWe asked the same question, and the government tells us

that our land is not occupied by the Americans and that the Contras

donÕt exist in Honduras.  They speak to us as if we are ignorant, but

they know we do not have the power to change this situation.Ó  I was

told, ÒAmerican chemicals are used on our crops, and these chemicals,

because of their danger to humans, are not used in the U.S.A.  Are our

lives less important or less valuable that AmericansÕ lives?Ó

        Everyone asked us to please stop the war that is coming to Central

America.  It hurts the people deeply to see the ÒAmerican machines of

deathÓ that are being stockpiled and will spill the blood of their

children  So many different people asked us and begged us, ÒIn the name

of our children, please help us.Ó  It made me cry to see so much

suffering and to see so many homeless children/.

        I spoke to Nicaraguans at a refugee camp in Honduras.  I asked them,

ÒWhy did you flee Nicaragua?Ó  They answered, ÒWe are fleeing

Communism.Ó  I asked, ÒWhat is it about communism you are fleeing?Ó

They answered, ÒThey make you go in the military.Ó  I asked, ÒWhat else

is it about communism you are fleeing?Ó  They had no answer, they just

shook their heads.

        These men told me that they were Contras.  I asked, ÒWhy are you in

Honduras instead of Nicaragua?Ó  They answered, ÒWe donÕt want to die

and we donÕt want to kill our brothers.  I f we are drafted by the

Sandinistas, we will have to fight; but if we side with the Contras, it

is safer for us here in Honduras, so here we are.Ó

        I saw a child drawing a picture.  The picture was of a person

lying on

the ground drawn in ball point pen.  The person had holes in his body

with blood dripping from the holes which were colored in red crayon.  It

reminded me of the childrenÕs drawings in Southeast Asia.

        I asked a member of Congress, ÒWith all the humanitarian aid the U.S.A.

gives Honduras, why are all your children starving?Ó  He answered, ÒThe

military black markets everything. The officers are rich, the Contra

leaders are rich and live well and there is nothing we can do about it.Ó

 

Palmerola Air Base

        We had a briefing by the American military at the Palmerola Air

Base.

Although we were told that this was a Honduran base, it was obviously

American. It brought back memories of how we claimed in Viet Nam that

the Vietnamese were in charge and we were just helping.  I saw Viet Nam

all over again. 

        They told us that Honduras was a good place for American military

exercises because they didnÕt have to worry about environmental impact

studies.  They told us that since 1984 four Americans had died in

training.  We later found out that the real number was ten times that amount.

        They briefed us on the Contras.  We learned that the military exercises

are conducted within seven kilometers of the border of Nicaragua where

the Contras are. As a former military person with combat experience

including two Purple Hearts, it is obvious to me that these exercises

serve as a back-up force to the Contras.  The strategy seems to be:

strike at Nicaragua and draw the Sandinistas across the border and

involve the Americans.  Luckily, this has not happened yet.

        We went to the city of Coyumagua which is outside of the

American base

at Palmerola.  At the Embassy, they told us that Coyumagua had the best

whore houses in Central America and they were there to serve the

Americans.

        Historically, Coyumagua is in the center of Central America.

When the

Spanish Conquistadors conquered Central America they started from

Coyumagua.  The Honduran people consider it very significant that the

North Americans are starting from the same place. 

        On the streets, I saw dirty, hungry, impoverished street

children with

blond hair hair and blue eyes roaming the streets begging.  It reminded

me of the American-fathered children of Viet Nam.

        There is a street called Ten Lemp Alley, where Americans can buy any

kind of sex for ten lempora which is $5 American.  From a human rights

group, I learned about three boys ages 8, 9, and 10 who had been

sexually abused by American GIs who got them drunk, made them perform

sexual acts and then paid them ten lempora.  I learned that one of these

boysÕ parents had sent him so he could earn money for food.

        Speaking to American GIs in Coyumaga, we learned that they were making

at least five incursions a week into Nicaragua to coordinate the

Contras; but this was being hidden from the American Congress because

the GIs were officially attached to the DEA and this was considered a

drug eradication operation.  They told me that they were also using

defoliation in Honduras and Nicaragua and this was considered a DEA drug

eradication operation.  Two GIs even told me that smuggling drugs to the

U.S.A. to earn money for the Contras was a good plan.

        I came away from Honduras broken-hearted with the suffering and

helplessness of the Honduran people, especially the children who donÕt

know about politics but suffer because of the callousness and brutality

of American foreign policy.  Everywhere I went I saw armed soldiers,

scared impoverished people, and I felt the helplessness of the people. 

        Everywhere we went the graffiti on the walls told the story, ÒContras

go home.  Gringos go home.  Yankee oppressors go home.Ó

        It was easily summed up by a Campesino I spoke to.  He said, ÒBefore

Ronald Reagan we lived in tranquility; now we live in misery. Please, in

the name of our children, tell the American people what you have seen

and how much we suffer.Ó

 

                                                                       

                                                                       

        

        After these two countries, I didnÕt know if I could emotionally handle

going to a communist country.  I was so drained; I had cried every day.

Getting off the plane and walking into the airport, I was completely

taken by surprise and astonished by the cleanliness, the total absence

of armed soldiers, the smiling faces, and the air of freedom.  This is

not what I had expected at all.

        I thought to myself, these ÒcommiesÓ are going to try to pull

the wool

over my eyes, and I was determined not to allow that to happen.  I was

going to see through their propaganda and find the truth. 

        We checked into a hotel and received a briefing from Sexto

Ulloa, a

member of the National Assembly.  He gave us an outline of what we would

be doing, asked us where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see, and

told us that we were free to go where we wanted.  He told us, ÒGo out

and speak to our people, and find out the truth about life in Nicaragua.Ó

        The first place we went was to a military hospital to meet with war

veterans and mothers of the martyrs (who are called Gold Star Mothers in

the U.S.A.).  They thanked us for coming and assured us that they held

no animosity towards the American people.  They told us that they were

Christians, and that they forgave the U.S.A. for what it is doing.  The

veterans told us how humanely they treated their prisoners.  I thought,

ÒWhat a load of bullshit, communist propaganda.Ó  I didnÕt feel that I

was getting answers to my questions, just propaganda.  This upset me.

        Next, we went to a briefing by General Humberto Ortega, Minister of

Defense.  He told us of a Contra offensive that had happened two days

before and how the Contras were defeated.  At the briefing, it was

obvious to me that the Contras had done just what we were told would be

done when we were in Honduras.  Looking at the situation map, it seemed

like the Sandinistas could have decimated the Contras; but Ortega told

us, ÒOur purpose is not to murder our brothers, it is just to defend our

sovereignty.  I thought, ÒThis is not how soldiers act.  They donÕt call

the enemy brothers.Ó

        Throughout the next week, we met with the U.S. Embassy, a newspaper

editor, a mayor, military commanders, top government leaders, an

agri-industrialist, religious leaders, a communist party leader, a

conservative party leader, doctors and patients at a military hospital,

even the prisoners at the main prison where Hasenfus was kept.  We went

to Benjamin LinderÕs grave.  We spoke with the doctor who did the

autopsy on him.  We learned how an American humanitarian had been

wounded and then murdered.

        Not only was I finding out facts, but I was surprised to realize

that I

was also starting to grow spiritually.  Being an agnostic and being very

skeptical of all governments, this new feeling was very strange and

unexpected.  These changes were being caused by the spirituality of all

the people I had met.

        We went to the Apanas Military Hospital in Jinotega.  At the military

hospital, I spoke with 16- and 17-year old soldiers who had become

amputees that week.  Again, it brought back memories of Viet Nam.  I was

hurt, embarrassed, and ashamed that my government was responsible for

this suffering.  It brought tears to my eyes.  When I was in the

hospital in Viet Nam, I hated all the people who were responsible; but

these young soldiers whose lives had been permanently changed smiled at

me, shook my hand, and showed me love.  That made me feel even more

guilty.  How could this be?  They told me that they were Christians and

as such they had learned how to forgive their enemies and how to love

them.  These people were living Christianity, not acting it.  Not being

a Christian, it was hard for me to understand where they could get the

power to live like this.

        When we went to the Tipitapa Prison, I thought, ÒNow I will see how

they really treat their fellow man.Ó  Having been in jail in the U.S.A.

as a prisoner and as a visitor, I knew what to look for and what to ask.

 To start with, we were allowed to go inside the prison with video

cameras, tape recorders, and cameras, and we were not searched.  We were

allowed to ask anyone anything without the presence of guards.   I

asked, ÒHow long have you been here?  What did you do?  What was your

sentence?  Have you ever been beaten, starved, humiliated, or tortured

physically or psychologically?  How many prisoners have disappeared?

Have you ever seen prisoners beaten or killed by guards or other

prisoners?Ó  And finally, ÒIf you could change the conditions in this

prison to make it better, what would you do?Ó

        All four men I spoke to had been there eight years.  They had never

been treated inhumanely, not even harassed by the guards.  Only three

fist fights could be recalled ever and no prisoners have ever died

because of guards or other prisoners, no stabbings have occurred, and

rapes arenÕt tolerated. None of these four had any suggestions as to how

to make the conditions there better.  One of these men spoke perfect

English that he learned from the Special Forces while being trained in

Panama. 

        In Nicaragua, the death penalty is unconstitutional.  The maximum

sentence one can receive is 30 years.  To be paroled early, prisoners

must learn to read and write and learn a job skill so they can become

productive members of society.  The families of prisoners are provided

housing by the government because they consider the family an important

part of the social fabric and their purpose is not to punish the family

or to break the family up.  The purpose is not retribution, but to take

the sin out of the sinner and return him to society a productive

citizen.  Visiting this prison made me see how archaic, ignorant, and

inhumane the prisons in the U.S.A. are.  The prisoners and the guards

consider themselves brothers.  I was awed.

 

>From the religious leaders, and in fact everyone I spoke to, I began to

understand that this was truly a Christian nation, much more so than the

U.S.A.  For the first time, I was hearing quotes from the Bible that I

had heard before but this time they were being interpreted in a way that

I found acceptable to me and sensible.  They believe that Jesus was a

champion of the poor, that he fought for the have-nots and that he was

murdered to stop the spread of his ideas. They believe the same thing of

Sandino. Their whole revolution is based on the liberating powers of

Jesus.

        They believe that the duty of the church is not to sit in fancy

buildings, wear fancy clothes, and tell people how to live. They believe

an injustice to one is an injustice to all.  They believe that life is

the most precious gift of God and to be able to live a decent human

existence is a right of all men. These people are real humanitarians and

IÕve never before met a society so full of love, honesty, and compassion

as I met in Nicaragua.  This is the most spiritual place I have ever

been.  They believe that the ideas of Christ are being reborn through

the revolution in Nicaragua.

        On the political front, I learned that in 1984, there were free

democratic elections, that about 87% of the people participated, and

that they had a choice between seven political parties.  In contrast,

here in the U.S.A., Reagan was elected by 27% of the people and we had a

choice between two very similar parties.  I wonder, ÒWho really has

democracy?Ó

        I learned from the newspapers there is freedom of the press, including

letters to the editor that complain of things like food lines,

transportation problems, housing problems, land reform problems, and

complaints about bureaucracy.  There was a CIA-run newspaper, but it was

shut down because it was considered detrimental to the national security

to allow the CIA to put out a newspaper in Nicaragua that supported the

Contra terrorism.

        As defined by the U.S. State Department, terrorism is Òpremeditated,

politically-motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets

by sub-national groups or clandestine state agents.  International

terrorism involves citizens of more than one country.Ó

 

Molina, DÕEscoto, and Borge

        Three people that I met made very strong impressions on me:

Padre Uriel

Molina, Padre Miguel DÕEscoto Brockman, and Tomas Borge. 

       

        Padre Molina is the director of the Centro Iglesia de los Angeles

Valdivieso (Church of St. Mary of Los Angeles).  Here are some of the

things that he said to me:

        * Historically, no revolution is exported.

            * We have never been free; first, we suffered the brutality

of the Spanish and then the brutality of North America.  Even though we

donÕt like war, we have the right to defend ourselves.  If you say you

are against violence, then donÕt make and export arms.

        * Why canÕt the Pope be like Gandhi?

        * Capitalism as a system does not solve injustice.  Money is

used as a system, not as a necessity which it is.

        * If you use violence as a method of change, the rich will

always rule the poor and it will be the poor that die.

        * You donÕt have to go to church to find God; you can find him

in your neighbor.

        * Christ was in favor of the poor.  If the church is not

faithful to the poor, it must be criticized.  If the Sandinistas are not faithful to

the poor, the people will overthrow them.

        * We should not be against the left simply because it is the

left.

This is not justice.

        * Mary represents the mothers who have lost their children.

        * The church knows church history but does not understand it.

        * The breaking of the bread is to share with all regardless of

who they

are, whether they are rich or poor.

        * We must celebrate love of life over hatred.

       

        Padre Miguel DÕEscoto Brockman is the Foreign Minister of

Nicaragua and

he is a Maryknoll priest.  He was born in the U.S.A.  These are some of

the things he said to me:

        * Half of all our visitors come from the U.S.A. and 80% of them are

from church and religious groups.

        * Any good American would defend what we defend here in

Nicaragua if he

knew the truth.  If you reflect upon what you have seen in Honduras and

Guatemala, then you will know all the people want is peace and justice. 

        * Historically, we have always been with our neighbors.  We know

no hate.

        * Americans are the victims of fear of rejection.  They are

afraid of

what will happen if the system disappears.  The U.S.A. claims that what

happens in Nicaragua is of vital interest to the U.S.

        * This Òback-yard notionÓ means that we are only entitled to a limited

sovereignty.  The U.S.A. is mad at us because we want to be friends with

all nations.  They see this as insolence and they are afraid, ÒWhat if

everybody starts thinking like this?Ó  The U.S.A. acts as if we are

crazy enough to believe that we are equal to them.  Why does the giant

tremble at the thought of equality?

        * ÔGive me liberty or give me deathÕ is OK for the United States

but it

is not OK for Nicaragua -- why?  The U.S.A. punishes us because we

refuse to cry uncle, because we donÕt see the world in terms of good and

bad, black and white, east and west. Our crime is that we want to be

friends with everybody.

        * Ronald Reagan is totally irrational and we will be relentless

in our

struggle to defend our sovereignty, but we will always remain generous

and ready to forgive.

        * I have dedicated my life to the poor.

        * To respect the rights of others is to respect yourself.

        * In spite of all of our difficulties, we have joy from the Christian

point of view.

        * I would be the foreign minister or the doorman.  I want to

work for

the spread of non-violence.

        * I want to change the way of change.

        * It is essential to turn the arms into plow shares and to feed

the hungry.

        * Non-violence is supernatural; it is divine, it radiates from here.

        * What is worse -- to kill or to be murdered?

        * Jesus was a pioneer; we have had 2000 years to learn from him.

 

        Tomas Borge is the Minister of Interior, the sole surviving

founder of

the FSLN (Sandinista Front for the Liberation of Nicaragua).  His mother

and wife were raped and murdered by the National Guard and all his

children were murdered.  Within a matter of days after overthrowing

Somoza, he confronted his wifeÕs murderer as NicaraguaÕs new Minister of

Interior.  He faced the prisoner and said, Ò My revenge is to pardon

you.Ó  When he found out a mob had gathered outside the Red Cross

building where National Guardsmen had found refuge, he hurried to the

scene before the building could be over-run and he stilled the crowd by

saying, ÒTo what end did we carry out this revolution if we are going to

repeat what they did?Ó

        These are some of the things he said to me:

        * Please talk to the people.  It is precious to understand them.

 They

support the revolution, but are discontent.  The poor have not benefited

from the war in material ways such as food, housing, transportation, and

education. 

        * Before the revolution, 200 out of every 1000 children died.

Now 80

out of every 1000 die, but to the people that is 80 too many.

        * We are in defense of human rights; but there have been abuses, crimes

particularly by those who have suffered.  The principal cause is our

victimization.  Fifty thousand people died fighting against Somoza. They

say we are against God, but how many priests have we assassinated?  How

many priests have we jailed?  The answer is none, so now they say that

we didnÕt jail them or kill them because it is a trick.

        * I have been to the Soviet Union and to Cuba.  Does this make

me a

communist?  Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan have been to communist

countries.  Does this make them communists?

        * We get aid from communist nations because the U.S.A. doesnÕt

allow us

to get aid from anywhere else; but the aid we get has no conditions --

not even one commitment.  Conditions equal control and we do not want to

be controlled by outside nations.  Only the U.S.A. attached conditions

to their aid to us.  Because these conditions are unacceptable to us,

the U.S.A. is waging war against us.  We commit ourselves not to invade

the U.S.A.  We will allow no nuclear weapons or foreign bases in our country.

        *  To the U.S.A., small nations are relegated to the positions

of satellites.

        * Because we are a small nation that wants to be independent and

sovereign, friends with everyone, they wage war on us that causes us

death, diverts our resources, our plans for development, our plans for

health, for homes, and it keeps us from being able to be productive.

Our revolution is the result of Christian thought overcoming a brutal dictatorship.

        * We hope you will go home and tell the people the truth of what you

have seen and heard.,  We have made errors and achievements.

        * It is very important to understand that we are a very affectionate

people, and throughout our history we have been subjected to attacks and

invasions by the U.S.A.  In 1856, many people died fighting William

Walker.  In 1912, we were invaded by the U.S.A.  In 1926, we were

invaded by the United States.  In all these occupations, young men died.

 We have not attacked North America or killed North Americans; but now a

North American has died in Nicaragua.  His name was Ben Linder, and he

was killed by North Americans.

        We went to the American Embassy Thursday morning for a demonstration

that happens every Thursday morning for one hour. The demonstration is

by Americans who live in Nicaragua, and its purpose is to say, ÒDonÕt

use us as an excuse for invading Nicaragua the way you used Americans as

an excuse to invade Grenada; we are happy here.Ó

        That afternoon we went to the Embassy for a briefing.  As usual, the

Embassy fed us a line of bull.  For the first time on our trip , the

older and more conservative members of our group lost their composure.

They raised their voices and lectured the political officer, Del Junker.

 They asked him, ÒWhat the hell is going on here?  We have seen the

truth and the truth is not making it back to the United States.  Either

you are totally ignorant or youÕre lying, and we donÕt think youÕre

ignorant, so you better start doing your damn job, and telling the

American public the truth because we sure as hell are.Ó  We were told

our time was up and asked to leave.

        As it was getting time to leave and go back to the United

States, my

head hurt from all the thinking and information.  I reflected back to my

first day in Nicaragua, and how skeptical I was at the military

hospital.  I realized that I was judging these people by my experiences

and my standards, and I felt I was wrong to consider the veterans

untruthful because they didnÕt do what I would have done.

        It is obvious to me that everyone I met and spoke with was really

trying to live the examples of Christ.  The spirituality that I found

here excited me and was totally unexpected.  It changed my view of

Nicaragua and of real Christians.  I have always believed in equality,

justice, fair play, human dignity, and the right to self determination,

and that is what the Sandinistas believe in and they call it the way of Christ.

        At the three embassies I visited when I spoke to the American

representatives off the record, on a one-to-one level, I was told that

they were just career public servants who wanted to keep their jobs and

so they did what they were told.  They said the executive branch is

running its own show here in Central America and there is nothing anyone

can do about it. (By the way, this was before the Contra-gate hearings.)

        In the final analysis, the American government is lying to the American

public and the Congress about what is going on in Central America.  The

governments of Honduras and Guatemala are not real democracies.  The

people in both of these nations are oppressed and suffering.  In their

own words, they live a life of misery. These two countries not only have

no respect for human rights, they have contempt for human rights.  These

two governments are supported by the barrels of American guns and the

money of American taxpayers, not by the consent of their own people, and

the allegiance of these two governments is to those who supply the guns

and money, not to their people.

        In Nicaragua, the people are free, they have a democratic government;

human rights and Christianity are the very foundation of this country.

The Contras are American-supported terrorists who have virtually no

support inside of Nicaragua.  The Communist Party won only 1.3% of the

vote in the 1984 elections, and holds no high cabinet positions.

        As an American citizen, I believe that for our country to be a true

democracy, the public has to know the truth.  A public that makes

decisions based on propaganda and lies is not a true democracy.  I donÕt

believe that the U.S.A. should be the worldÕs police, and it certainly

should not be involved in trying to overthrow other peopleÕs

governments.  We would not accept another country trying to do that to

us.  Our foreign policy should  be based on human rights and if we were

going to try to overthrow any governments, I would put Guatemala and

Honduras at the top of the list.

        We are lucky to have been born in the U.S.A., but in reality our souls

could have been born into bodies in Central America.  It is by the luck

of the draw that we were born here, and had we been born in Central

America, our children would be starving, our husbands and wives would be

being murdered, we would live in misery and suffering, the majority of

our children would die before they were ten years old, and we would be

praying that someone would help us.  These people are suffering because

of their geographical location, not because they are bad people.  They

beg us for our help.