The White Falcon - 05.02.1993, Page 5

Marines seek
Story andLnhoto by
J02 Colleen “Ghostwriter” Casper
The snow was gently wafting down over
their heads, as it had been for weeks before on
the Naval Air Station, Keflavik. It was al-
most as if Mother Nature had been working
with them to provide such weather condi-
tions for winter weather survival training. As
18 members of the first platoon from the
Marine Security Force Company, Keflavik
approached the area beside the Navy Com-
puter and Telecommunications Station, a
snow and ice mountain loomed 20-feet in the
air. This was where the Marines were to
reside for a chilly 24-hour period.
Starting early in the morning, three six-
man teams set out to conquer the snow
mountain with shovels in hand. They hol-
lowed out a few areas, as snow could be seen
flying in all directions. Marines lugged huge
shelter in hand-dug caves
chunks of ice out of the newly burrowed tun-
nels. They cleared the snow and ice any way
they could, carrying, kicking, or shoveling
anything to help speed the tunneling.
“We worked for 12 hours. It started earlier
that morning when we began to dig an en-
trance way for at least six to seven feet deep,
then moved up and towards the right,” LCpl.
Steven F. Moser said. “We have to get the ice
removed and smooth out the floor,” he added.
PFC. Mark Perez stated, “It was an experi-
ence. I had never done anything like this
before. It was a great break from guard duty,
it was fun and I learned a lot.
“The cave provided shelter from the wind
and gave a great deal of insulation,” he said.
Conquering the environmental elements is
not necessarily something that can be done
alone. Perez stated, “It was teamwork which
allowed us to make the snow cave. Everyone
worked together to accomplish the task. It
could not have been done alone.”
LCpl. Joseph P. Alshefski breaks through a
wall of snow, letting sunlight into the cave.
Making a difference during Black History Month
Story and photo by
JQ2 Carlos Bongioanni
*
WE
The poisons of prejudice, discrimination
and injustice have permeated the cultures of
the world throughout mankind’s history. The
ill effects of these poisons have produced the
maladies of anger, alienation, mistrust, mis-
understanding and a profoundly deep sense
of hurt
Finding solutions to these psychological
ailments takes individuals with a vision of
healing and unity. TSgt. Kevin Brown, Wing-
Ground Safety Manager, Air Forces Iceland,
believes Black History Month is a good time
to focus our attention towards these goals.
“We need an awareness program that fo-
cuses on the real enemy,” says Brown. “Too
often, blacks and whites are on the opposite
sides of the fence. Instead of fighting a
common foe - such as prejudice and discrimi-
nation - we’re fighting each other.
“I like when we focus on the Martin x. -ther
King, Jr. rallies. They were multi-cultural,
multi-racial efforts. Whites, as well as blacks,
died for a peace movement. It wasn’t a black
and white issue. I think we’ve regressed to a
point where we’ve made it a black and white
issue,” says Brown.
During his 16 years of Air Force duty,
iwn says he’s experienced his share of
;judice and discrimination. However, he’s
made it a point to overlook past offenses and
move towards forgiveness and reconciliation.
J 9k
0 iflir'j \ 4 «*
TSgt. Brown emphasizes the importance of good relationship skills at a recent youth meeting.
“Are we going to rehash this thing year
after year, Black history Month after Black
History month?" asks Brown. “Are we going
to pull out the knives and re-open our wounds
and say, ‘Oh, I’m bleeding! I’m hurting!
You guys did this to me!’?
“That’s dead. That’s empty. It’s going to
lead to nothing. It’s just like that little gerbil
in the cage going around in circles and getting
nowhere... I think there’s a time for forgive-
ness, and if there’s ever going to be healing,
we need to start letting go of some of this.
“I would hate to think that the black people
as a whole would say, ‘Well, we’re never
going to let you forget what you’ve done to
us...’ It would be a shame if we enter the year
2000 still running around in circles with the
same issues.”
Brown says during Black History Month,
he’d like to see more seminars, lectures and
campaigns that focus on loving one another
and that promote unity. But ultimately, he
recognizes we need help in these areas.
“My solution is based in Christ, because
the healing we’re talking about comes only
through God. Certain injustices and wounds
are just too deep for people to mentally and
emotionally get over by themselves.”
February 5,1993
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