55 lines
2.7 KiB
Plaintext
55 lines
2.7 KiB
Plaintext
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FOXHOLE CONVERSIONS
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By M.L. Verb
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One of the most poignant ways to view the upheaval in the Philippines was
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through the eyes of bewildered soldiers. At some point each one had to decide
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whether to continue to fight on behalf of Ferdinand Marcos or to join rebel
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military officers supporting Corazon Aquino.
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Individual soldiers found their system of military discipline breaking down all
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around them. No longer could they rely on orders to know what to do or how to
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behave. They were facing what eventually each of us faces in some way--a
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decision about where they stood, about the direction of their own lives.
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As the country dissolved into chaos, soldiers who supposely were members of the
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same army were dividing their allegiances and trying to display in public which
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side they were on. The pro-Marcos forces tied multi-colored ribbons on their
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bayonets. The pro-Aquino troops hand-sewed distinctive patches on their
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uniforms.
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It was an untrustworthy system, of course, as such systems always are in fluid
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periods of social disintegration. It no doubt was easy for soldiers to carry
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both identifying marks with them and to wear whichever one would, at the
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moment, help them survive.
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But the vagaries of this ad-hoc method of loyalty identification did not,
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ultimately, prevent soldiers from having to make a choice. And when it came to
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that moment it was too late for them to ask for more time to think it all
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through or to ask for more information on which to base a rational judgment.
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For the hired guns it was election day.
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When the chaos descended on Manila--when freedom finally became not just an
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ideal but an irresistable force--the soldiers, who until then had been employed
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to keep order for an oppressor, already had to know in their hearts and minds
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what they thought about the Marcos regime. They had to know whether they felt
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guilty enough about being part of the means of state violence to change sides.
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They had to know whether they felt owned by the Marcos regime and, thus,
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responsible to its leader.
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TV viewers were treated to scenes in which pro-Marcos troops were ordered to
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break up a crowd, for instance, only to have the whole operation end with
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befuddled individual soldiers, jeering in their ears, walking away from their
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assignment and talking to camera crews.
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Soldiers throughout history are sworn to loyalty, are indoctrinated to take
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orders, are trained in the benefits of strict discipline, are taught to respect
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authority.
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Which is why it was so moving to see whether soldiers, in the turbulence of the
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moment, were discerning enough to choose whom they would serve.
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It must be some comfort to the Aquino government now to know that--at least
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once in a while--foxhole conversions are the real thing.
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