CPTnet
25 January 2006

Washington, D.C. REFLECTION: Shining light on the Pentagon

by Gene Stoltzfus

[Note: The following reflection about a 23 January vigil that was part of
Christian Peacemaker Team's "Shine the Light" campaign has been edited for
length. The original may be found at http://www.gstoltzfus.blogspot.com.
To learn about other events in CPT's "Shine the Light" campaign go to
http://www.cpt.org/iraq/shinethelight.php.]

The authorities at the Pentagon had told us that we could not process; we
could not pass out leaflets; that no indiscretion would be tolerated or
arrests would be immediate. Eventually, on 23 January our group of seven
would require twenty-five heavily armed Pentagon Protective Service agents
to stand between us and the people coming and going.

On the sidewalk beside the Pentagon a mass of civilian and uniformed
employees poured throughout the late afternoon. One of our members placed a
hood over his head and was tethered by rope to another member in our group,
simulating pictures of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and secret
prisons that span the globe.

During the hour and a half presence, our time was interrupted when the
Pentagon Protection Service spokesperson pushed us further and further from
the masses of people passing by on the walk way. After twenty minutes we
were pushed off the sidewalk behind a fence into a lawn, like Iraqi citizens
are pushed from their streets in Baghdad by huge tanks. An early promise
that we could carry out our prayer time on the sidewalk suddenly changed and
another round of discussions went on between us as my colleagues stood
silently--prayerfully.

Thirty feet away we watched hundreds of state- supported defenders of
freedom pass by on their way from an office to a meeting, or to a shift
change or . . . to defend the country and make the world order come out
right.

When all twenty-five agents took their positions after we had been there for
about forty-five minutes we knew that our ability to negotiate more time was
limited. But we continued with our little prayer service. As we prayed I
thought I saw a tiny sliver of sunlight pierce its way through the clouds.

The Washington Post had reported that morning a massive increase in
appropriations for secret units like the special forces and Navy Seals. I
was not surprised. As I watched the crowd pass I wondered who was directing
and commanding that process. My mind went from this temple of modern
warriors to their colleagues I had seen clothed in flak vests and armor as
they moved about Baghdad, the 2500 who will never walk these streets again
and the tens of thousands whose lives are broken because their souls were
not meant for warrior campaigns designed in the Pentagon. I thought of their
chances for healing. Then I looked at the hooded one in our midst. I noticed
that the throngs that passed us looked carefully at our signs but their eyes
dropped when they saw the hooded one.

By the time we took our leave, the Pentagon Protective Service had created a
silent, empty space between us and the masses of this day's foot soldiers
that walked just beyond the security corridor. That empty space had a sacred
quality, an interim safe place where the Divine could remind us all, holy
warriors and holy peacemakers of the freedom and hope of the light.