U.S. Army and protestors wage war of words over controversial school

In the front row, hardly a yard from the stage, an elderly woman raised her hand. "How can democracy be taught at the end of a gun?" said Ruth Clark, a pacifist and opponent of the School of America.Thus began the question and answer session in the Burgiss Theater at Nov. 10's WHINSEC/SOA debate. The night's panel pitted supporters of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation against those who called for the institute's immediate disbandment. Lee Rials, a public affairs officer for WHINSEC, was joined by Lt. Col. William Price, the Battalion Executive Officer of Furman's military science department, in support of the institution.

Opposing WHINSEC were David Gandolfo, a philosphy professor, and Clare Hanrahan, a writer from Asheville and long-time protester of the Institute who once served six months in prison after an illegal protest on a military base.

WHINSEC, formerly known as the School of the Americas, is a program run by the U.S. Army that hosts students from North, South and Central America anywhere from two weeks to a year. It teaches courses ranging from tactical and technical military skills to civil military action.

Each side of the argument was given 10 minutes to present their basic case before rebuttals and a question and answer session. First, Rials gave a brief virtual tour of the Institute, which is located at Ft. Benning, Ga. He said democracy and human rights training is a mandatory part of every course.

Then the opposing side made its case. "We need to close WHINSEC for the good of our national soul," said Gandolfo, citing numerous human rights violations by the Institute's graduates.

Gandolfo's personal interest in the Institute stems from his doctoral research on Ignacio Ellacuría, a university president who was assassinated by a death squad in El Salvador almost 20 years ago. Out of the 26 members of the squad, 19 had been trained at the SOA.

Price and Rials explained the beneficial nature of the courses, which include medical training and counter-drug measures. The program also includes a field studies program, which takes international students to "see how our government handles our democracy," said Rials.

The impact of the lessons taught at WHINSEC is questionable. Recent atrocities in El Salvador and Colombia have brought suspicion upon WHINSEC, which trained many from the affected countries. "Either [WHINSEC] is doing something other than what they officially claim," said Gandolfo, "or they are doing what they claim really badly."

"Who at WHINSEC has taught anybody to do anything wrong?" said Rials, who pointed out that less than one half of one percent of the school's students have been accused or convicted of human rights violations.

"We hold individuals responsible for their activities," said Price, who added that blame can't be cast on the Institute for its student's actions. "Why don't we shut down Furman because we graduated a philandering governor?"

The school's name change in 2001 from the School of the Americas to WHINSEC following a congressional vote to shut down the school was also questioned.

"Perhaps the SOA, now called WHINSEC, thinks it can, with just a change of name, put this legacy of torture behind them," Hanrahan said. "We must confront the architects of torture."

Hanrahan had a number of pointed questions for the WHINSEC proponents, asking "How much, Mr. Rials, do you earn in your efforts to put a friendly face on this deadly organization?"

Audience members weighed in heavily against WHINSEC. They asked about the reason behind the name change, called out Rials for never having been to the countries where the atrocities had taken place and questioned their mis-sion statement's validity.

The debate was co-sponsored by International Justice Mission and the religious council, and was moderated by Laura Armstrong, a senior on IJM's leadership team. She, along with around 30 students, will be attending the Nov. 20-22 protests in Ft. Benning, a yearly vigil attended by thousands.

"Nobody knows what the SOA is," said Armstrong, a political science major. "If we're going to get any other support or interest, people need to know what we're talking about.