[Peace-discuss] Fwd: Leisa's story: Leisa Faulkner Barnes

[Jay Mittenthal]

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>To: j-gilpin at uiuc.edu, cszoke at uiuc.edu, mitten at uiuc.edu
>From: Mariellen Gilpin <m-gilpin at uiuc.edu>
>Subject: Fwd: Leisa's story: Leisa Faulkner Barnes
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>>To: j-gilpin at uiuc.edu. cszoke at uiuc.edu, mitten at uiuc.edu
>>From: Mariellen Gilpin <m-gilpin at uiuc.edu>
>>Subject: Fwd: Leisa's story: Leisa Faulkner Barnes
>>
>>
>>>Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 14:23:21 -0800
>>>From: PegMorton NewsandInformation <PegMorton_LettersFromPrison at comcast.net>
>>>User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.4) 
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>>>X-Accept-Language: en-us, en
>>>To: undisclosed-recipients:;
>>>Subject: Leisa's story: Leisa Faulkner Barnes
>>>X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by 
>>>datasrv4.cso.uiuc.edu id i1GMMUlT021889
>>>
>>>(Forwarded by Peg Morton.)
>>>---------------------------
>>>
>>>February 13, 2004
>>>
>>>Dear Peace Friends,
>>>
>>>Last night I accidentally met up with Mirna.  She is
>>>an old friend whose son went to preschool with mine.
>>>She asked me what was new and I began by telling her
>>>that I was making plans to try to visit El Salvador in
>>>March to observe the elections there.  I left out the
>>>part that I was trying to make sure I could fit it in
>>>before I reported to Federal Prison out of actions I
>>>took to try to close the SOA/WHINSEC; some things you
>>>have to work up to.  She was excited because she was
>>>born in El Salvador, and pleased that I was trying to
>>>help her country.  I couldn’t help but to ask her what
>>>things were like for her growing up there.
>>>
>>>She told me that November 1989 seemed like a long time
>>>ago, and that there were things that were painful for
>>>her to remember.  She looked down and to the side a
>>>little as she began to speak in her soft,
>>>Spanish-toned lilt
she started slowly at first, not
>>>sure I would believe her story.  I told her I knew
>>>many stories of El Salvador.  She was encouraged, and
>>>went on.
>>>
>>>“It was night time when they came in to my university
>>>to kill the priests.  They turned off all the lights
>>>so that they would not be identified, but the next
>>>morning when I saw them, I knew
we all knew.  They
>>>stood at the door to my school and searched our school
>>>bags and told us they were there to protect us.  They
>>>called those who were resisting them, guerillas.  They
>>>asked us many questions, trying to get us to give them
>>>information.  They killed our priests because they
>>>were teaching the poor.  One of the priests was my
>>>teacher.”  I told her that I knew of the massacre and
>>>that I believed her.  Was it an accident that this was
>>>the first story I heard about when I learned about the
>>>“School of Assassins”?  Nineteen of the twenty seven
>>>Salvadorian soldiers that came into her school that
>>>night were acknowledged by the United Nations Truth
>>>Commission Report of 1993 as being graduates of the
>>>“School of the Assassins”, formerly called the “School
>>>of the Americas” (SOA), now named the Western
>>>Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
>>>(WHINSEC).
>>>
>>>When I first heard about the SOA/WHINSEC, the account
>>>of the six priests killed was the first story I heard.
>>>  Was it an accident that I met Mirna again last night,
>>>after all these years?
>>>
>>>Her eyes glazed over as she began to tell me more of
>>>what she knew.  She told of the women raped at El
>>>Mozote before they were run thru with knives, and of
>>>the children and babies that were small enough to toss
>>>up into the air and catch coming down with the sharp
>>>end of a sword.  “They took pleasure in it, that is
>>>what I don’t understand”.  Tears swelled up as we held
>>>each other with our eyes.  I have read the UN report
>>>revealing ten of the twelve officers responsible for
>>>El Mozote were trained at Ft. Benning, Georgia, where
>>>I was arrested in protest.  Was it an accident we
>>>found each other to tell our stories to?  Her mother
>>>told her never to speak of these things, even though
>>>she is in the “Golden Cage” now that she is in
>>>America.  She calls it that because it is so beautiful
>>>here, but it is like a cage.  She was not able to
>>>return to El Salvador all these years, because her
>>>citizenship would have been at risk.  Her mother fears
>>>her safety is at risk, when she speaks of these
>>>things, but I can speak up.
>>>
>>>I asked her if she knew of the school that used to be
>>>called the “School of the Assassins”.  She said she
>>>knew.  She said everyone knew that these soldiers who
>>>dressed up like guerillas that night were Salvadorian
>>>soldiers mostly trained in America.  That is when I
>>>told her I was going to prison because I am trying to
>>>close SOA/WHINSEC.  She thanked me.  It was that
>>>simple.  We looked at each other, and she said thank
>>>you.  I can do what she cannot.  It is not a brave
>>>thing; it is a necessary thing.
>>>
>>>When she spoke about the torturing and murders, she
>>>did a brave thing.  She shared her story with me last
>>>night, the night I had to decide whether to try to go
>>>to El Salvador before I get called up to serve my
>>>prison time in a few weeks.  I don’t think it was an
>>>accident.  She looked those killers in the eye the
>>>morning after she knew what they had done; she had to
>>>speak to them and answer their questions after they
>>>had dragged her priests, their maid and her young
>>>daughter out of their beds and left them lying in
>>>pools of their own blood.
>>>
>>>I get so angry and ashamed for the murders that have
>>>been done under our training, most often with weapons
>>>we provide, so that more people can make more profit
>>>off the backs of the poor.
>>>
>>>I signed up this morning to make the trip to El
>>>Salvador; the Bureau of Prisons will have to send my
>>>notice to me there.  I have some work to do.  I don’t
>>>think any of this is an accident.  I am proud to stand
>>>up for change.  It is time we recognized that not
>>>everything our country does in our name is good.  We
>>>are used to thinking that we are the influence for all
>>>that is good and just in this world.  We have
>>>something now to be ashamed of.  We have something to
>>>change.  Help us make a change.  Stand up for what is
>>>right.  Stand up and speak up for those who cannot.
>>>Help us anyway you can.  If you can help with money,
>>>that is great but if you can help us get the word out,
>>>that is better.  I am not here for long.  Please make
>>>my time here count for something.  Peace, Leisa.
>>>
>>>"Patriot's Passion" revised 11/26/03
>>>
>>>In passion
>>>Artists hold on to sanity
>>>Lovers fall
>>>Poets rise
>>>Above the mist of ambiguity.
>>>A patriot's passion
>>>Poisons the world.
>>>
>>>
>>>*********************************************
>>>NOTE:
>>>
>>>This email account and address list will be used to distribute Peg's letters
>>>from prison, and occasional pieces of information. If you received this note
>>>from <PegMorton_LettersFromPrison at comcast.net>, then you are already on 
>>>the list.
>>>
>>>If this was forwarded by a friend, you can be added by sending an email to
>>><PegMorton_LettersFromPrison at comcast.net>
>>>with a subject line saying "YES! ! ! I support Peg and want to hear her 
>>>witness"
>>>or some reasonable equivalent. If you have made it on this mailing list by
>>>mistake, just respond with a subject line that says "drop me."
>>>
>>>This mailbox will not work for 2-way communication with Peg. Please use her
>>>personal email address.
>>>
>>>     --Michael
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>