USA RoF: SOA, School of the Americas; now called WHINSEC. My personal experience (Mary Gleason, IBVM) of marching for peace and justice to close the SOA/WHINSEC at Fort Benning, Georgia had finally happened.  On November 18, 2005, I participated in the nineteenth annual protest to close this school.

I was with five close friends and members of the CRLN, Chicago Religious Leadership Network.  Thousands were there of all ages ranging from infants in arms to seniors like myself.  Many of the thousands were youth from Jesuit schools/universities all over the United States.

Presentations consisting in hearing from a few surviving victims of beatings and torture made stories I have heard
take flesh, and my soul shuddered.  Jesus words: “Take up your cross and follow me…” became real when each of us carried a small wooden cross with a victim’s name printed on it to the fence surrounding the gate at the Fort.

As the procession slowly moved in a very simple way with about 7 or 8 persons per line this opportunity to take a stand in protest of injustice became a very powerful experience.  During the six hour march demonstrators carrying the crosses took part in a “litany of saints”... or, if you will, present day martyrs for peace.  After each name and age was proclaimed all marchers lifted their crosses and prayed, “Presente.”  Sadly, many named were new born children and young that cause me great
personal pain. It was this ritual form of litany of the saints that gave a human face to murdered people throughout the world and impels us to continue to pray and work for peace in our world. I am very grateful to friends for support and to God and our IBVM community for having made this protest march possible for me.