OFFUTT/STRATCOM 2009
Report: 1979-2009 - 30 Years at Offutt AFB
August 6-9, 2009, marked the 30th anniversary of an annual observance of the U.S.-bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The annual witness takes place at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, NE, and is hosted by the Des Moines and Omaha Catholic Worker communities. Sixteen souls joined us for some or all of the 3 1/2 days. This year's closing ceremony included a reading of Thomas Merton's "Original Child Bomb." (See attached doc.) No one chose to cross the line this year. See:
Unfortunately the number of those interested in highlighting the significant dangers of Offut and STRATCOM through this witness is not increasingly at nearly the pace as are the dangers behind the fence. As Tim Rinne from Nebraskans for Peace so cogently presented in his talk "StratCom: the Next Generation in War-fighting" at our Friday night program. Rinne is the author of "Most Dangerous Place in the World - STRATCOM" (See attached doc.)
Rinne reported that in only five years, this Cold War icon shed its "defensive" role as the headquarters of the U.S.’s nuclear deterrent to become the command center for offensively waging the Bush/Cheney (and now Obama) Administration’s international “War on Terror.” StratCom went commanding the unthinkable weapon that was hoped, would "never be used" to being the command being used for everything.
The 8 military missions assigned to the U.S. Strategic Command today are:
1. Nuclear Deterrence;
2. Space;
3. Cyberspace;
4. Full-Spectrum Global Strike;
5. Missile Defense;
6. Intelligence/Surveillance/Reconnaissance;
7. Information Operations;
8. Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction
When the annual vigil began in 1979, the Offutt command was known as the Strategic Air Command (SAC). Then, its stated mission was defensive in character, and its assignment was to serve as the operational command and control of U.S. land and air nuclear weapons delivery systems. Systems which were, at that time, the US Air Forces Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) and B-52 Bombers.
The 1979 group was small. We came together for a day and a half of prayer, reflection, community building and action planning. Our witness consisted of going to the SAC Museum on August 9th. At that time the SAC Museum was buttressed up, right next to Offutt AFB, a few blocks from the Bellevue city entrance of Offutt. About seven or eight of us bought entrance tickets to and toured the museum for awhile. Later, at a designated time, we gathered at the fence that separated the museum from an active air strip on the Offutt base. Four of us climbed over the fence, with a little help from our friends, unfurled our banner and commenced to say a rosary fully expecting the Offutt security people to arrest us almost immediately.
The Offutt security did indeed spot us quickly; but rather arrest us, they stationed their jeeps about fifty feet from where we were located and waited us out. After we completed the traditions five decades of the rosary without being arrested, we decided to say the full 15 decades-, which meant some serious time on our knees on the hot surface of an active tarmac. After we had recited the full 15 decades of the rosary, and no arrest insight, we decided to climb back over the fence and call it a day. We did what we set out to do.
Since then thousands of peace activists have made their way to Offutt AFB to protest SAC, now named the Strategic Nuclear Command (STRATCOM). Air Force personnel were not inclined to ignore us after that first year, and since then, hundreds have crossed the line and been arrested. Years of jail time have been served. Through the years the intensity of our protest and the numbers of people who have joined us has ebbed and flowed. Regardless of our number, we have kept a faithful presence at this same site, August 6-9, each year since.
For the past ten years, the observance has maintained a 3-1/2-day program that has included a daytime vigil at Offutt's main gate. We began billing the program as our annual "shake and bake" vigil and invitation to stand, pray and do penance for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and to share together a hope for peace.
These past four years have included evening presentations as well and included even deeper contemplation of the "god-awful" mission, work and commands incurred by Offut and STRATCOM that have become increasing more aggressive, less unaccountable, and more dangerous.
The path of peace work is long, discouraging and sometimes poorly done. Discouragement however is not the same thing as losing hope. Martin Luther King taught that the long arch of human history bends towards justice. Any cause that is just and true is worth doing.
Corey Zimmer is the Offutt AFC security person who was our contact for many years. And though he retired some years back and now is a civil detective at Offut, Zimmer is still Offutt's assigned point person for dealing with protesters.
For the past several years at some point during vigil, Zimmer asks, "How many people do you think will be joining you?"
Frank Cordaro always answers, "My hope is as many as 100 will be joining us this year but we will count ourselves lucky if we break the double digit mark." And then adds, "Some day Corey, we will show up with thousands, you mark my words. And than you will have lots of work to do."
This year Zimmer smiled and added a new response. "You've got ten years left before I retire pull it off."
A worth while mark for which to aim.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/monashaw/sets/72157 622015905508/show/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/monashaw/sets/72157621891444803/show/
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