It's a bird, it's a plane, oh, it's a helicopter

What a week. I lack the energy for eloquent telling of all that has passed but at the same time want to get it out there, so here goes, accompanied by pictures taken from my window or very nearby the caserio or clump of houses that is La Unión.

The excitement continued to build after last Tuesday’s combat. We decided to extend Janice’s stay by a few days and get Mireille back up a day earlier as we continued to wait for confirmation on two involved accompaniments and didn’t think it wise for me to be on my own up here. The next day a helicopter passed overhead a little before 6 am but we were still sound asleep and didn’t stumble outside to see it with our own eyes. But not to worry, we had another chance as around 2pm that same day, my now awake and helicopter-ready ears heard a sound coming from far off. I went outside and quickly saw the little black dot approaching from northeast of the community. I shouted at Janice to get the binoculars and we watched as it came straight towards the caserio. It flew over and then looped around back towards us. We stood frozen to the spot as the big black helicopter once again circled and came straight overhead. My heart dropped as I felt sure something or someone was about to drop out of that bird and onto our heads. My penchant for the dramatic is always best kept in check here, so I did my best not to freak out and the helicopter did another circle and flew off to the south, towards the site of last week’s combat and San Josecito.

This was most likely a US Black Hawk Helicopter. Of course, my only reference points for this are the previews for the movie “Black Hawk Down” and the fact that I know that the US sells these helicopters as part of the Plan Colombia aid package. I’ve heard that in past years more time has been spent in Congress arguing over the number of Black Hawks to be purchased as opposed to real debate on the validity of fueling this war. US involvement on the ground here is actually heavily infused with private contractors to do things like pilot said Black Hawk helicopters. According to the Center for International Policy’s Colombia Program: hundreds of civilians working for private US corporations work with Colombia’s security forces as spray-plane and helicopter pilots, search-and-rescue personnel, mechanics, logistics personnel, radar-site operators and instructors among other duties. Due to concerns over their proximity to the armed conflict, a provision in the 2000 “Plan Colombia” package restricted the number of US Contract Personnel on the ground to 300 while at the same time setting a cap of 500 military personnel. So, there is a good chance that the helicopter hovering over my head was piloted by a fellow US citizen – I might have shouted up to ask his opinion on bubble teams for the NCAA basketball tourney. But I didn’t.

That night we were told that there were about forty military on the path between La Unión and San Jose. A group of men had gone down with a very sick woman from the community – she was so sick she couldn’t mount a horse, so eight men carried her down in a hammock, alternating turns at bearing the load. They left after 9:00 at night and when we caught word of the military’s proximal presence to the community and the path we called up the Brigade to let them know there were civilians on the path late at night. The officer told me that as long as they had flashlights there should be no problem. Not very comforting, if you ask me.

The next morning I had to wake up with the sun to go down in time to meet the arriving Mireille and get to a morning meeting of international NGOs. I didn’t like the prospect of passing lots of men with guns in the early morning dark and by myself, so I waited until the sun was cracking through the dark and started down. I didn’t see any sign of military as I passed by the spot that had been described, although it was still early light at 6:15 and I was practically running down the mountain due to my later start.

When Mireille and I came up later that afternoon we stopped to chat with the older woman who lives nearby where the military had been the night before. We thought we’d ask her if she had seen any sign of their presence. As we chatted with her, one of the consejo members came by on his horse, going back down to San Josecito. I walked over to talk with him about the same thing. He started clearing his throat and sort of throwing his head back up the path. I was apparently having a rather dull moment because it took a few guttural sounds and obvious head tossing for me to pick up that the military were right there in front of me. Slowly what I thought were rather strange looking sticks, turned into well-camouflaged men. Oh. We said our farewells and began our final ascent into the community, first going through these ominous looking files of Colombian army. Most were lining the path, looking attentively towards the clearing and hills that rise up from it. This intent, collective gaze was quite unnerving. Others were partially hidden in the dense trees and others still were scattered further up the path, at least forty in total, easily more. From that point it is about a twenty-minute walk to La Unión and we hurried along up the path.

In the past couple of days the presence has continued but recent details are best not given out. We are headed out tomorrow for the commemoration of the February 21, 2005 massacre of 8 people, including 3 children and community leader Luis Eduardo Guerra. It took place about a 12-hour hike away from La Unión and even though witnesses hold that the Colombian Army carried out the brutal massacre, charges have yet to be filed. This event also served as the impetus for the police post in the village center of San Jose, which in turn displaced all Peace Community Members to San Josecito. Tomorrow we head out for Mulatos, a vereda 8 hours away, and on Wednesday we walk the four hours to Resbaloza, the massacre sight and then back to Mulatos. We’ll spend Thursday coming back. I am sure to be physically and emotionally exhausted but I’m really looking forward to accompanying this rite of remembrance.

There are events organized in the US to be in solidarity with this grim commemoration. FOR along with other NGOs geared towards US policy change on Colombia are trying once again to spark some real debate around the annual US aid package. If you are in DC (and I know that some of you are, ahem, little brother: get thee to this rally) you can join folks in decrying current US policy towards Colombia and encourage them stand up for human rights and non-military social aid as well as to funnel more money into drug treatment programs in the US instead of fighting a “War on Drugs” here in Colombia.

For more info on the noon DC rally: http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/colombia/colombiarally.pdf

For more info on the National Call-In Day: http://www.forcolombia.org/takeaction/call-in

For more info on the Nobel Peace Prize Nomination:
http://afsc.org/news/2007/2007-Nobel-Peace-Nomination.htm

These are not just ways to be in solidarity with the Peace Community, but also to support the work I am engaged in here. So if you are in DC, pack a lunch and take your hour at the rally. If you are somewhere else, take ten minutes to call your congressperson. I would really appreciate it if you could add your voice to this debate. Thanks in advance.