Readers react to Pax Christi
Letter to the Editor
Contrary to Ben Peters and Kyle Smith, who's May 1 letter expressed the view that ROTC on campus is a cause to mourn, it is indeed something for which we at Notre Dame have cause in which to take great pride.
Like Peters and Smith, I pray for our University, that it will continue to infuse Christian moral sensibilities into all who study here, so that they will carry those values into whatever endeavor they undertake. And, I also pray for our students in ROTC, because for whatever period of time they serve in the military, they carry significant responsibility for maintaining our peace.
But unlike Peters and Smith, I do not mourn. I take great pride.
Dick Fremgen
Mendoza College of Business
NROTC, Class of `60
May 2, 2000
It is very simple to find fault with an institution that one clearly does not know anything about and it is very evident in their letter that they know nothing about our nation's military or about what it takes to defend the very basic rights and freedoms that every man and woman deserves to enjoy.
You owe your freedoms to the men and women who have gone before you and worn the uniform of our country. It is with great pride and honor that in two weeks the very men and women you mourn will pin on those gold bars and defend our freedoms against the Hitlers and the Milosevics. As for not caring about life and property, every military mission is planned to be carried out with a minimum loss of life and destruction of property. So, Mr. Peters and Mr. Smith, tonight when you go to bed, stop and think about why you have the freedoms you do. Think about the thousands of men and women who are still awake and protecting you and your families from injustice.
Do not mourn your brothers and sisters, your roommates, your classmates and your colleagues for performing a service that so many are unwilling to do. Instead, I suggest you thank them. Sleep soundly my brothers. Sleep soundly.
Daniel J. Logisz
Senior
Off-Campus
May 1, 2000
I remember my father me setting me down one day and telling me, when I asked him why he joined the military, that he hoped he never had to do his job but that he would do so that I could grow up in a country where I did not have to live in fear of oppression and have the aforementioned rights. Do those sound like the words of a man who is simply a killing machine programmed by the U.S. government to kill? A man without morals? Where you mourn these men and students, I salute them. Where you see the F-16 as a symbol of violence and destruction, I see a symbol of pride and freedom. So as you mourn, I salute, congratulate and take pride.
Patrick Esper
Freshman
Dillon Hall
May 2, 2000
I would like to commend both Ben Peters and Kyle Smith for exercising their right to voice their opinions, while reminding them to thank the ROTC cadets for the freedom of speech that they love to use.
As for `God, Country, Notre Dame,' if the people in Pax Christi spoke to some of the cadets and midshipmen, they would realize that for us it is not just a slogan. Each and every one of us deals with how to balance our faith with our sense of duty and patriotism. Each one of us integrates these two, bringing to our services the very moral sensibilities that Ben and Kyle mock in their letter.
In the end, while Ben and Kyle mourn for us, the ROTC cadets of Notre Dame, I mourn for them.
I mourn for them because they trample on the memory of all the ND Alumni who sacrificed their lives for this country, and I mourn for them because they bite the hand that ensures their freedom. As for the F-16 fly-by, well, I thought it was kind of cool for a `big gun' that is.
Melissa Lou
Freshman
McGlinn Hall
The annual Pass-In-Review that Notre Dame ROTC performs is a sign of appreciation to Fr. Malloy and the entire Notre Dame community for hosting our program throughout the years and magnifying the highly ethical training that ROTC students receive. The ethics and morals taught by ROTC professors in addition to the spiritual environment of Notre Dame is the ultimate situation to train moral leaders for tomorrow's military.
ROTC students continue this proud heritage and do so having developed their own perspective and morality. I have developed my own ideals and ethics and consequently, I will also make that vow to defend you. I will commit my life to serving my nation's military so that people can set their priorities however they want to. Thank you for providing another opportunity for ROTC students to reassert their belief in what they are doing.
Brian Holinka
Senior
Off-Campus
May 2, 2000
There would be no need for war in a perfect world. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world by any stretch of the imagination. As Christians we must discourage war whenever possible and promote peace.
Our Armed Forces and ROTC do just that. They do not glorify violence as Ben Peters, Kyle Smith and a very small majority would have you believe. Such ignorance can be attributed to the comfort zone we live in. We do not have to worry about warring factions killing each other in front of our homes. We have fire alarms in our houses instead of gas masks. We do not have to line our baby cribs with plastic to prevent exposure of chemical weapons to our children. Such occurrences are quite common around the world.
The men and women in ROTC make sacrifices in order to stand up for what they believe in. They will have the awesome responsibility of safeguarding America's sons and daughters. They are not afraid to make the ultimate sacrifice like so many have done before them. We pray they will never have to use force and, together, we praise and thank them for their selfless service to each and every one of us. We salute them.
Matt Graziano
Junior
Carroll Hall
Army ROTC
May 1, 2000
Kudos to Notre Dame's Pax Christi. After centuries of disuse, Notre Dame has finally restored an official ministry of mourners to its campus. The only problem is that the mourners limit their ministry to ROTC students, Father Warner and Monk.
Even more disturbing is the exclusion of the millions of people who suffer due to the evil tyrants around the world. Does Pax Christi mourn these people as well?
I stress the witness to life since I understand the Christian call to non-violence as a special calling to live and help the oppressed. Non-violence is a calling that may threatens your life as well because it necessarily places the Christian on the firing end of guns and other weapons. And then from this position work towards solutions that resolve conflict.
I only here protest, "Get ride of the military." What about the violated and disempowered? Pax Christi-ND is silent on working out creative solutions to conflict. Rather they simply want to protest. And mourn.
Chris Culver
Masters of Divinity
May 2, 2000
All Viewpoint Stories for Wednesday, May 3, 2000
