Journal Inquirer

To the Editor:

Recently, I had the privilege of visiting Fort Benning, Ga., the "Home of theInfantry". Its purpose: "To produce the world's finest combatinfantrymen." Its motto: "I am the infantry, follow me!" Today ,virtually every army man or woman at one time or another visits thispost. 

Itwas fascinating and rewarding to see young men women trained in theart and science of defending their country and made ready to servetheir nation anywhere in the world in 16 months! During thisintensive orientation program they are introduced to all our weaponsystems and to the means of deploying them. If they also choose to be"airborne" they are introduced to the parachute and its use inaccomplishing their mission. 

Perhapsthe most important message that I brought home was the creation ofthe "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation," whichwill replace the "School of the Americas" whose reputation wassullied by the acts of a few Central American military men who, uponreturning home from training at Fort Benning, joined guerrilla groupsor established dictatorships of their own. One should remember thatthe School of the Americas was created during the Cold War during atime when Soviet and Cuban communists roamed all over Central andSouth America endeavoring to establish their ideology in order toreplace democratically elected governments. Our government, in aneffort to to combat this communist invasion, set up counterinsurgency programs in which we endeavored to train local militaryand government personnel in the Democratic and American Way of Life,and in the need for civilian control of the military . It was a good,sound, and rational program. Unfortunately, the acts of a fewmavericks nearly brought the School of the Americas to itsdemise. 

Accordingto the Hon. Louis Caldera, Secretary of the Army, the WesternHemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation will focus on thishemisphere's needs in the 21st century. It will continue to meet theneeds of our nations to the south for military training andeducation. The expanded program will include offerings in the areasof peace support operations, such as disaster relief, disasterpreparedness, transnational security threats, and advanced counterdrug interoperability. Every course will emphasize the need for HumanRights, the Hague and Geneva conventions in warfare, and a properrole of the military in a democratic society. 

Thenew institute will be at the level of the Department of Defense andwill be under the independent oversight of a Board of Visitors ,consisting of members of the U.S. Congress, the Department of State,the Department of Defense, and civilians from academia, clergy, andinternational non-governmental organizations. Its operations will beopen to the public. 

Thenew Institute, according to Secretary Caldera, will provide thenecessary training to assist the nations of Latin America infulfilling their peace process commitments and in helping Democracytake root and flourish in this new century. Democratic institutionsall over the world are being threatened at this time and it isreassuring to know that our nation is doing its part in preservingthem.
 

Charles E. Jacobson Jr., M.D.
45 Wyllys St.
Manchester, CT