Military personnel lamented the lack of activism during the ongoing war in Iraq last night, comparing it to eras when citizens rallied for causes in different wars at Marsh Chapel.
Sponsored by the School of Theology’s Christian Activists United for Social and Economic Justice, the panel met in honor of last week’s four-year anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq.
Panelist Norm Faramelli, an STH lecturer, pointed out the lack of community involvement in the war in Iraq, as opposed to how U.S. citizens joined together during World War II.
“There is disengagement now,” Faramelli said during the discussion. “There’s no community unification. Regardless of our views on the war, we need to be engaged supporters [of the soldiers].”
STH graduate student Ami Sawetelle, an Army reservist of 20 years who served in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, said the country must treat veterans with respect.
“No matter what our political position is, we need to put it aside and be providers [for veterans],” she said.
The panel also discussed how the United States will be affected by the war and how it will impact future generations.
“At the end of the day, [the war] has happened, there will be Iraq veterans,” said CAUSE member Kathryn House, an STH postgraduate student. “How are we going to care for the people of our communities?”
“I want to see and hear the voices of the living who have experienced conflict,” said event coordinator and STH postgraduate student Anthony Zuba, who is also a CAUSE member. “How do you live with the experiences of war?”