The Comity Advisors: Roberta Medina, George Warden, Beverly Kim, Mel Shipp, Roger Wong, Mary Thomas
An Op-Ed in the New York Times by Carol Giacomo the day after Memorial Day resonated with us. It reviewed the speech of Paul Bucha, retired Army captain and Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War. In his speech, Captain Bucha asked us to remember the soldiers he led, noting that they “were largely from river cities, country towns, ‘black, yellow, red, white,’ and considered ‘losers and dangerous.’” Many were so poor that they joined the military because they had no other choice. Yet they served in Delta Company, Third Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, one of the most decorated companies in the war.
Captain Bucha recalled the anti-war protests that occurred while he was leading men in battle during the Vietnam war and compared those protests to today’s protests that are demanding police brutality and racial inequality be addressed. In both cases, he called our attention to the wrongs that protestors then and now want corrected. He reminded us that he and his men were “fighting for the right of Americans to speak their mind.”
Bucha recollected the social status of his men, noting that many were from “poorer sections of our society.” This is also true of today’s military force; many who “wear the uniform today joined the military because there were no jobs at home.” He urged us to “listen to the kids like my men who are from poorer sections of our society,” rather than condemning them for being disrespectful of American values or crying out about current circumstances, conditions or injustices.
Giacomo quoted the former Captain who “suggested that thanking troops for their service is an insufficient, perfunctory gesture if you’re not concerned with their lives at home.” Captain Bucha reminded us that “after Vietnam, the country eventually came together,” and became “stronger than when we started because we opened our hearts to the concerns of others.”
Captain Bucha is a “white ally,” like those in various civil rights movements who worked along with movement leaders and citizens to expose injustices in our society and demand those injustices be addressed.
We are grateful for the white allies among us in PebbleCreek. We know there are efforts by allies in our community to support inclusiveness and tolerance. We are excited about upcoming programs in PebbleCreek to provide allies with tools to strengthen the promotion of inclusiveness, mindfulness and tolerance. We look forward to working closely and deliberately with our allies.
The upcoming film series, which is approved by the HOA, will be our opportunity to start the conversation. Save the dates: July 12, 19 and 26, 2:00–4:00 p.m., Renaissance Theatre. Free and open to all.