GRASSROOTS MILITARISM IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

IN YEAR 2000

(From Bentonville and Fayetteville to Harrison)

(under development, send additions to Dick Bennett, 2582 Jimmie Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72703-3420; jbennet@uark.edu)

Militarism

According to one definition, militarism is "the predominance of the military class or prevalence of their ideals; the spirit which exalts military virtues and ideals; the policy of aggressive military preparedness."

In my Grassroots Militarism I list 13 characteristics of a militarized society (adapted from Bender's The American Military, 110-112). Here are 9 of those criteria: 1) chauvinism, 2) domination by military-corporate-congressional-media complex, 3) authoritarian, 4) fears foreign enemies, 5) self-righteous and bigoted, 6) violent, 7) secret and deceptive, 8) imperialist, interventionist in opposition to international law, 9)military has highest priority for national resources.

"Militarization is a step-by-step process by which a person or a thing gradually comes to be controlled by the military or comes to depend for its well-being on militaristic ideas. The more militarization transforms an individual or a society, the more that individual or society comes to imagine military needs and militaristic presumptions to be not only valuable but also normal." Cynthia Enloe, Maneuvers, 3.

The sheer numbers and wealth of military people perpetuate the militarism. There were about 30 million active-duty troops, reservists and veterans in 2000, who earned an average of about $60,000 a year.

The U. S. budget is devoted about 50% to the military. For Fiscal Year 2000, of the total Federal funds of $1,306 billion, $321 billion or 25% went to past military expenses ($44 billion to veterans' benefits, $277 billion to interest on national debt [80% estimated to be created by military spending]) and $306 billion or 23% went to current military expenses (military personnel $75 billion, procurement $47 billion, nuclear weapons $12 billion, etc.). From War Resisters League, "Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes, The United States Federal Budget for Fiscal Year 2000."

Battlefield Parks

Pea Ridge National Military Park

The U.S. Parks system supports numerous war parks, and few parks or monuments dedicated to nonviolent peacemaking. Like the Daughters of the Revolution, the U.S. Parks Department keeps alive the patriotism of past national violence. For example, the historian at the Pea Ridge Park wrote a long article weighing whether slavery as a moral issue was the cause of the Civil War, or was it political or economic. The article does not advocate war or violence, of course, but it does contribute to the pervasive presence and preoccupation with warmaking in Northwest Arkansas, not balanced by peacemaking.

Benton County deputies were investigated but not charged for allegedly shooting at deer in the Park from a sheriff's office helicopter during a training exercise.

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park

The 3200-acre site was bought by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908 for soldiers' reunions130 acres of the battlefield became a state park in the 1950s through the efforts of the local Lions Club and local bankers. Guided tours of the battlefield are available; in addtion the park tells how the war affected civilian life. Annually in December the Park stages a civil war re-enactment involving approximately 1,000 costumed enacters (there were 25,000 in the actual battle).

Battle Reenactments
On Sept. 10, 2000, participants donned costumes for their roles as soldieers in the 4th Arkansas Confederate infantry Regiment during "Reveries by Candlelight" "festivities" at the Peel Museum in Bentonville.

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park Glorification of Military Heroes One deceased former helicopter pilot, Maxey Hall, resident of Springdale, was honored for his combat heroism and for making the Razorback, the Arkansas icon, the call sign for his helicopter platoon in Vietnam. Brief mention in the newspaper of the cause of his death: multiple myloma bone cancer related to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam (i.e., U.S. chemical warfare in violation of international law).

THE FOLLOWING ARE OUT OF ORDER--THROUGH REFERENCES

Commemorative/Study Groups (see: Battle Reenactments) Ozark World War II Roundtable Meets monthly. Northwest Arkansas Civil War Roundtable Meets monthly at the Shiloh Museum in Springdale.

Memorials, Monuments (see: Battlefield Parks)

936th Field Artillery Battalion Memorial A brick memorial to the "Fighting Razorbacks" of the Korean War, the 936th Field Artillery Battalion, was dedicated August 19, 2000, on the front lawn of the Fayetteville National Guard Armory, built partly from the bricks the soldiers stood on while waiting to board the troop train in 1950 at the Frisco Train Depot on Dickson Street. The dedication was part of a three-day celebration of the battalion's deployment to Korea.

ROGERS AND BELLA VISTA AND BENTONVILLE
GRASSROOTS MILITARISM WAR MEMORIALS
In The Unveiling of the National Icons, Albert Boime undertakes to expose "the ideological distortions, misrepresentations, and class interests represented in the ritualistic applications of the [nationalistic] monuments, and the way they have been appropriated by the dominant formations [military-industrial] to engineer memory and create a particular vision of the past."
The City of Rogers plans to expand its Vietnam Memorial at the Rogers Municipal Airport (MN 8-16-02). It displays two figher aircraft accompanied by a ring of US flags. Discussion is under way to include "honor to veterans of other wars," which would involve building "a small park" (MN 8-16-02).
The Morning News Sunday 8-18-02 published its third report in support of the proposed war memorial at Bella Vista, "detailing dates and events of the United States' involvement in major wars, engagements, and other acts to foster freedom and world peace." The planners of both war memorials seem to have read little history, or have suppressed what they did know. The problem is that most or at least many US wars did not foster freedom or world peace but projected the US empire. The invasions of Guatemala? Of Nicaragua? See Noam Chomsky's books on the empire, and William Blum's Rogue State.
Area veterans continue to advance their vision of an imperial nation with their warrior ideology. I have written about this to the Bella Vista vets and to newspapers, and I hope you will write too. If we are trying to build a peace movement and a peaceful nation, we need many people engaged and out front offering and building alternatives to war-asserting memorials like these at Rogers and Bella Vista (and the Bentonville Square with its armed Confederate soldier stature at its center).

Museums

Arkansas Air Museum Drake Field, Fayetteville. Contains various fighter planes: Sponsors Hangar Talk. For example, a former U.S. Navy carrier pilot gave a presentation Nov. 16, 2000. The Ozark World War II Roundtable changed its regular meeting date to coincide with this talk and encouraged its members to attend.

Ozark Military Museum POB 1766, Springdale, AR 72765. Located at the Springdale Municipal Airport (under development 2000). Includes memorializtion of the Max Hall's Vietnam helicopter platoon.

Military Services Organizations

Marine Corps League Nov. 4, 2000, the Northwest Arkansas Detachment of the Marine Corps League honored the 225th anniversary of the commissioning of the U. S. Marine Corps by hosting a dinner and dance for Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri in Bentonville. All marines, retired marines, former marines, and families and friends of marines were invited.

Military Services Bands The U. S. Marine Band visited Fayetteville on 11-4-200. The journalist reporting the event exuded editorial patriotism throughout her article about the "President's own" band that "plays on forever."

Teachers Troops for Teachers, a Pentagon program, provides information to recently discharged troops about teaching certification programs. The program will be transferred to the Department of Education (has been?).

References

Bell, Becky. "Hall, 64, Made Razorback Icon Stand for Hero." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (9-16-2000) 1B, 4B. ____. "Platoon Getting Museum Slot." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (August 19, 2000) 1B. Bennett, James R. Grassroots Militarism. Eureka Springs, AR: Center on War & the Child (POB 487, 35 Benton St., 72632; (501) 253-8900), 1989. Focuses on Washington County, AR, in 1988-9. "Civil War Reveries." Northwest Arkansas Times (Sept. 10, 2000). Cotham, Amy. "United States Marine Band to Visit WAC." Morning News (11-4-00) 3D. "Group's Meeting Rescheduled." Morning News (11-7-00). Litzinger, Beverly. "Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park Has a Lot to Offer." Northwest Arkansas Times (July 26, 2000) 12 (Summer Fun in the Ozarks Supplement). Schlesing, Amy. "'Shootin'-est, nonsalutin'-est' Guard Unit Honored." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (August 20, 2000) 1B. Schuhmann, Sidney. "Veterans Take to the Classrooms." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Sept. 10, 2000) 9B.

The first nine acres of the presently 65-acre site was bought by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908 for soldiers' reunions. 130 acres of the battlefield became a state park in the 1950s through the efforts of the local Lions Club and local bankers. The Park now has 500 acres. Guided tours of the battlefield are available; in addtion the park tells how the war affected civilian life. Every other year in December the Park stages a civil war re-enactment involving approximately 1,000 costumed enacters (there were 25,000 in the actual battle). Reenactors come from all over the country. The Prairie Grove Clothesline Fair was started in 1951 "to revive the old reunions' carnival-like atmosphere," today with over 200 booths, dancing, contests, and other events.

Battle Re-enactments

In April 2000 occurred the Battle of Fayetteville Commemorative hosted by the Washington County Historical Society and enacted by the Arkansas 4th and the Northwest Arkansas 15th Companies Civil War Reenactors. Headquarters House, which served as command post to both Confederate and Union armies in 1863, still stands on Dickson Street. Among the many festive events: children were shown how to use a 69 mm smooth-bore rifle; actors portrayed both the military and civilian side of Fayetteville life; and a new living history script featuring the marriage of a young Confederate girl to a Union officer.

On Sept. 10, 2000, participants donned costumes for their roles as soldiers in the 4th Arkansas Confederate Infantry Regiment during "Reveries by Candlelight" "festivities" at the Peel Museum in Bentonville.

The Battle of Prairie Grove (Dec. 7, 1862), where 2,700 men were left dead, wounded, or missing, was reenacted December 2 and 3, 2000, involving "thousands of re-enactors and spectators," to "honor and remember" the battle of 138 years ago. It was given page-one treatment with large photos by The Morning News. The Confederate cavalry made a charge; the Union forces brought up the colors; and other actions were presented. The newspaper's article was headlined "History Repeats Itself" and "Reliving the Past," reflecting the editor's acceptance of the inevitability of wars. Many parents brought their children to enjoy the spectacle. The day before, the newspaper gave similarly elaborate coverage, including a schedule of events, a list of the concessions (Boy Scouts, Band Boosters) and crafts, a photo of actors firing a cannon, anecdotes about the battle, and an explanation of the significance of the battle. In two days, the newspaper paid three reporters to present three reports on battlefield re-enactments.

On the same day the Dec. 2 re-enactment of the Prairie Grove battle was reported, the same newspaper also had a full-page report with five large color photos on the Pea Ridge Battle and the Pea Ridge National Militlary Park, a 4,300 acre Civil War battlefield memorial northeast of Rogers. A 6-mile tour road takes visitors to 11 stops along the route. The park's visitor center is being enlarged to accomodate the many visitors.

Books

See p. 22-3 Grassroots Militarism

Business Ceremonies for Veterans

A retirement residence in Springdale, The Gardens at Arkanshire, hosted the "No Greater Love" ceremony Nov. 9, 2000, to honor veterans and widows living at the residence. The mayor of Springdale, Jerre Van Hoose, attended.

Columnists

No columnist in any Northwest Arkansas newspaper criticizes militarism or advocates nonviolence. To the contrary, all support the U.S. military budget ($309 billion for year 2001, half U.S. expenditures if you count the debt and veterans) and international interventions. For example, David Sanders in The Morning News, declared Pres. Clinton's visit and "hand of friendship" to Vietnam in December, 2000, to be "sickening."

Commemorative/Study Groups (see: Battle Reenactments)

Daughters of the American Revolution
The Francis Marion Chapter gathered December 9, 2000, to receive a check of $270 to help restore the "Betsy Ross Flag" that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner." A hefty article and large photo in the Springdale newspaper reported the event.

Ozark World War II Roundtable

Meets monthly at the Arkansas Air Museum and other locations..

Northwest Arkansas Civil War Roundtable

Meets monthly at the Shiloh Museum in Springdale.

Sons of the American Legion Post No. 100, meets second Tuesdays in Rogers.

Sons of Confederate Veterans meets third Tuesdays.

Commercialism

Numerous businesses in the area exploited the occasion of Veterans' Day with patriotic sales, as part of the universal commodification which characterizes U.S. culture--Rex ("T-rrific value, T-rrific prices"), Stage (a 4-day sale), Dillard's ("Veteran's Day Savings"), Sears ("Veterans' Day Sale"), Stein Mart, Norwalk Furniture, etc. A large ad listed businesses that joined the newspaper and the American Legion "in honoring our nation's Veterans on Veteran's Day, November 11" (2000). Part of the text reads: "We salute you because you unselfishly answered your country's call to make certain that world freedom and the Ameerican way of life would remain strong." At the beginning of the ad are listed various U.S. wars (Kosovo, Somalia, Panama, Desert Storm, Granada, Vietnam, Lebanon, Bosnia, Korea, and World Wars I & II. Ignored are all the crucial questions. How many of those wars were necessary to protect U. S. or world freedom? (Actually only one.) How many violated international laws, treaties, and the U. S. Constitution? (Most of them.) (See my Victims site.)

Congressional Representative

Senator Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., from Bentonville, co-sponsored a provision attached to the $310 billion military bill to require public high schools to give military recruiters access to students. He claimed that high schools were commonly barring military recruiters.

See Almanac of American Politics

Education

See p. 13 Grassroots Militarism

Conditioning in the schools is a key to militaristic nationalism.

Springdale Central Junior High School celebrated Veterans Day with programs beginning at 9 a.m. Nov. 10, 2000, which included the school's band, choir, and drill team, a procession of flags representing each branch of the armed services, a guest speaker, statements by faculty members, and and reception. Emphasis was placed upon the "bravery and willingness to protect democracy in the United States and abroad," despite the absence of threats to the U.S. from Korea, Lebanon, Vietnam, Granada, Panama, etc. To the contrary, the over 25 invasions of other countries since the end of World War II violated intenational laws, treaties, and our own Constitution. The U.S. did not "protect freedom in every corner of the globe," as more than one speaker claimed, but rather attacked countries that refused to accept U. S. empire or supported dictators. (See my Victims site.)

The Northwest Arkansas Commmunity College ceremony Nov. 9, 2000, included the Univ. of Arkansas Air Force ROTC, singing the national anthem, and an address by the college president.

Teachers Troops for Teachers, a Pentagon program, provides information to recently discharged troops about teaching certification programs. The program will be transferred to the Department of Education (has been?).

Films

Gardens

Heroes

One deceased former helicopter pilot, Maxey Hall, resident of Springdale, was honored for his combat heroism and for making the Razorback, the Arkansas icon, the call sign for his helicopter platoon in Vietnam. Each door of his armed helicopter was emblazoned with a "shiny, snarling red Rozorback." In one newspaper report, Univ. of Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles praised Hall for his fighting Razorback Spirit and for "turning the tide of Communism" in Vietnam. The cause of his death was multiple myloma bone cancer, which is related to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam (i.e., U.S. chemical warfare in violation of international law).

A full page with two large photos was devoted to the search by a Rogers veteran for the remains of his friend shot down during World War II (The Morning News (Jan. 7, 2001)).

An "ace sniper" in the Vietnam War was exalted in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (2-26-99): "93 enemy kills" blared the subtitle (and "more than 300 probable kills" gushes the text). And a strange claim some members of the NRA perhaps didn't like: the hero, Carlos Hathcock II, "honed" his talent for killing "by hunting game for table in Arkansas." The reporter, a woman, reveals an astonishing inability to feel anything for the killed "enemies," possibly partly because of her apparent ignorance of the contexts of the war.

A lengthy page-one story with large photo was devoted to Col. (ret.) Ben Hendrickson, an air warrior in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. In Vietnam he "flew on missions that he's not at liberty to discuss. 'Most of what I did there is still classified.'" In typically uncritical fashion when reporting about the military, the reporter did not ask him to explain. Apparently Col. Hendrickson means--otherwise he would be free to talk about them--that his missions were unconstitutional, violated international treaties, and were horrendously destructive against civilian populations.

Media: Reporting Military News

As the citations below indicate, the media cover military news avidly.

The Northwest Arkansas Times has a long-running weekly column "In the Military," telling about the activities of local people in the services.

The Morning News published an article about the Coast Guard, reminding readers of its duty in wars.
The Morning News also published two articles with a total of 5 photos about some WWII and Korean vets sailing an old LST from Greece to the US (1-11-01): "'Bravery is ageless,'" declared one.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette published an article on the Pearl Harbor memorial and commemoration of Dec. 7, 2000. Emphasized was both a readiness warning (US vulnerability and the necessity of being prepared against new treachery) and reconciliation (Japanese pilots who flew in the attack were present).

Memorials, Memorializing Wars, Warriors, and Warmaking
(See: Heroes).

The annual Memorial Day patriotic ceremony at the Fayetteville National Cemetery glorifies warriors and wars. Flags are placed at each grave to honor those who died in military service or afterward, and their families. An honor guard provides a "Salute to the Dead" rifle volley. More than 5,000 veterans and family members are buried at the 135-year-old cemetery, and around 200 more are buried there each year. The cemetery contains veterans from nearly all of America's major wars since the Civl War. Despite the passage of over 50 years, none of the participants understood that the "enemies" were just like the U.S. dead--sons and fathers, uncles and cousins, who left behind mothers and wives, sisters and aunts.

See Grassroots Militarism p. 12 for monuments in Wash Cnty

World War II Memorial in Washington

In Oct. and Nov., 2000, two funeral homes purchased an ad to publicize the National World War II Memorial Campaign and their "commitment to help create a national Registry of Remembrances" for the Memorial. The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation gave $1 million for the WWII Memorial, made on behalf of WWII veteran Donald W. Reynolds, who established the Foundation. In June 2000, Wal-Mart, based in Springdale, gave $14.5 million for the memorial at a special D-Day presentation to former senator Bob Dole, the largest contribution to the $100 million goal. At a special D-Day presentation to former senator Bob Dole for the National World War II Memorial Campaign, veterans and Wal-Mart Stores employees presented a check for $14.5 million to help build the memorial. Wal-Mart is based in Bentonville. As of June 2000, more than $90 million of the $100 million needed for the war memorial had been raised. Meanwhile, the National Peace Gardens project also in Washington languishes and may never be built for lack of $13 million.

936th Field Artillery Battalion Memorial

A brick memorial to the "Fighting Razorbacks" of the Korean War, the 936th Field Artillery Battalion, was dedicated August 19, 2000, on the front lawn of the Fayetteville National Guard Armory, built partly from the bricks the soldiers stood on while waiting to board the troop train in 1950 at the Frisco Train Depot on Dickson Street. The dedication was part of a three-day celebration of the battalion's deployment to Korea.

In August 2000, George Billingsley, president of International Tours of Northwest Arkansas, donated $250,000 to the Bentonville Public Schools Foundation to continue sending students to Europe to visit World War II sites. The first trip occurred in April 2000 for eight students, one teacher, and a member of the School Board.

In June 2000, a Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Extravaganza organized by the Vietnam Veterans of America Ozark Uplift Chapter in Siloam Springs raised funds to establish and maintain memorials through northwest Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma. The first project is improvements on the memorial to Vietnam soldier, Eddie Bradford, at Baron, OK. Proposed new memorials include flagpoles at the intersection of U. S. 412 and Main Street, Siloam Springs. Festivities began with a pancake breakfast at St. mary's Catholic Church on U.S. 412. Trophies were awarded to the top vehicles.

The absence of peace memorials reflect the militarized mind-set of the country. Until the Fulbright Peace Fountain was constructed at the University of Arkansas, no memorial to nonviolent peacemakers existed existed in the state of Arkansas. Recently a Springdale seller of water-gardens/pool systems initiated a pond ecosystem in collaboration with the Springdale High School agriculture department. It never occurred to them to think in the larger context of world peacemaking. In contrast, many peace gardens exist on school grounds in Canada. There is even a national organization, the International School Peace Gardens (ISPG, www.ihtec.on.ca; julia@ihtec.on.ca).

Plans for Pearl Harbor Day (Dec. 7) in Little Rock were announced on Nov. 28, 2000.

Military-Industrial Complex
(See: web site on)

Northwest Arkansas does not have large military contractors, as in Seattle or St. Louis, or Camden, Pine Bluff, and Little Rock, AR. But the presence of the military-business symbiosis is still widespread. The Fiscal Year 2000 military budget included $429 million for military projects in Arkansas. Arkansas congressmen were enthusiastic about money for the state.;

Twenty-nine executives involving four corporations were convicted of crimes that included conspiracy to defraud the government, procurement fraud, influence-peddling, and bribery. In Fayetteville, John Franklin Van Tassel, head of Whittaker Command and Control Systems, was sentenced to 3 months in a halfway house and fined $3,000.

U.S.A.: Arms Race vs. Human Race

find get(from Ruth Leger Sivard, World Military and Social Expenditures, 19

Military Spending in Northwest Arkansas

In 1989 direct Pentagon expenditures in Washington County were $22,989,000.

Museums

Arkansas Air Museum Drake Field, Fayetteville.
This city-owned museum contains various fighter planes, including three Vietnam War aircraft, and sponsors the "Hangar Talk" lecture series. For example, a former U.S. Navy carrier pilot gave a presentation Nov. 16, 2000. The Ozark World War II Roundtable changed its regular meeting date to coincide with this talk and encouraged its members to attend.

Ozark Military Museum
POB 1766, Springdale, AR 72765. To be located at the Springdale Municipal Airport, a 30,000-square-foot hangar is being developed to display and restore military aircraft and ground vehicles from all four branches of the military and contain an exhibit honoring all military personnel from the four counties of Northwest Arkansas who have died in the line of duty. The new museum will include a tool and work room, an auditorium/chapel, and a library. Supporters have raised $500,000 and hope to reach $650,000. The museum will include memorialization of Max Hall's Vietnam helicopter platoon. The Museum also plans an oral history project to document the experiences of veterans in war and peace

Shiloh Museum
In June 1999 this Springdale museum presented a patriotic memorialization of the Korean War. I wrote the Director, Mr. Bob Besom (5-28-99), cautioning him about the plethora of patriotic war displays and urging him to memorialize nonviolent, nonmilitary peacemakers, "perhaps beginning with Jesus," but I received no reply.
In Nov. 2000, Shiloh Museum offered a Civil War program with tents and soldier actor who "explains the details of the war to students."

A representative of the Rogers Historical Museum in a letter reminded readers that the museum was collecting WWII materials for an exhibit called "We Did What Had to Be Done: Benton Countians and World War II."

Veterans Memorial Museum
Located in Branson, MO, the "country-music capital of Mid-America" opened its Veterans Memorial (the title should be: United States Veterans Memorial).Nov. 10, 2000. The centerpiece of the museum is a 70-foot-long, 15-ton bronze sculpture depicting 50 life-size soldiers storming a beach. The sculpture, created by Fred Hoppe of Malcolm, Neb., out of 5 tons of clay, was donated to the museum by the artist. The museum also boasts an 18,000-square-foot building howing over 2,000 military artifacts, also donated by Hoppe. The museum's main hall is covered with the names of more than 400,000 U.S. men and women killed during WWII. The other five halls honor veterans from WWI, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and other conflicts. The museum also displays a full-size WWII P-51 Mustang fighter plane. www.veteransmemorial-branson.com

The National D-Day Museum, commemorating the Allied invasion of Normandy in June, 1944, is located in New Orleans, but the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette gave it large exposure Nov. 26, 2000.

Parades

The March of the Patriots Veterans Day Parade 2000 in Fayetteville, notable for its number of flags, the Bagpipe Corps, and two high school bands, traveled down Dickson Street to the Walton Arts Center with people joining along the route.

Religion

See p. 14-16 Grassroots Militarism

Schools

The Veterans of Foreign Wars sponsors the 2000 Voice of Democracy Program for audio/essays by high school students. Three area students won honors and one went on to compete at the state level. The topic of this year's competition was "What Price Freedom?" $139,000 was available for scholarships nationwide; the national winner receives $25,000.

Services

Services: Bands

The U. S. Marine Band visited Fayetteville on 11-4-200. The journalist reporting the event exuded editorial patriotism throughout her article about the "President's own" band that "plays on forever."

Services: Reserve Units

In Nov. 2000, The Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program joined the Northwest Arkansas Detachment Marine Corps League on Make a Difference Day to provide a toy for abused children at the Children's House.

The Northwest Arkansas Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol won top honors in December 2000 at the Arkansas CAP conference in Little Rock. The squadron earlier received the Air Force Association Award for being the outstanding CAP Squadron in Arkansas, and the commander was named the Outstanding Squadron Commander.

Services: National Guard

Services: Recruiting

See p. 18 Grassroots Militarism

Services and Veterans Organizations

The Air Force Association held its annual state convention in Fayetteville in 1999. General George Babbitt, commander of the U.S. Air Force Air material Command, and a leading representative of the Military-Industrial Complex was the main speaker. Attendees included representatives of the budding aerospace industry in Northwest Arkansasand the Mayor of Springdale. General Babbitt spoke also at the University of Arkansas as a Distinguished Lecturer at the Donald Reynolds Center at the Walton College of Business Administration.

American Legion

Springdale's American Legion Post No. 139 meets third Thursdays.

Rogers' American Legion Post No. 100 meets third Tuesdays.

On Oct. 26, 2000, The National Commander of the Legion visited Fayetteville. He spoke to members of several local posts at the Natonal Cemetery, where he praised the expansion of military cemeteries in Fayetteville and across the country, since many are reaching capacity. He also focused on the Legion's lobbying efforts in Washington to increase funding for veterans and the military establishment, despite the $309 billion budget for FY 2001. The Legion is pushing its Reconnect program, where Legion members consult with active duty military in order to better lobby Congress and the Executive branch. "'If we keep pushing, we'll eventually get the funding we so desperately need."

Veterans of Foreign Wars meets second Tuesdays at their headquarters in Springdale. (See: Schools).

Marine Corps League Northwest Arkansas Detachment, meets third Tuesdays at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

Nov. 4, 2000, the Northwest Arkansas Detachment of the Marine Corps League honored the 225th anniversary of the commissioning of the U. S. Marine Corps by hosting a dinner and dance for Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri in Bentonville. All marines, retired marines, former marines, and families and friends of marines were invited.

Disabled American Veterans meets in Springdale on fourth Tuesdays.

The Fleet Reserve Association meets third Sundays in Springdale.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart meets first Thursdays in Rogers.

Retired Officers Association of Northwest Arkansas meets every other month in various locations.

The American Legion held a pancake breakfast to raise money for veterans Nov. 29, 2000.

Sports

See p. 21-2 Grassroots Militarism

Telephone Waiting

Instead of the usual music over the phone while waiting to be transfered to another official, the Bank of Fayetteville gave news of Veterans' Day during the week preceding November 11, 2000.

Television

See pp. 17-18 Grassroots Militarism, and 20

Tourism

The Shiloh Travel company in Springdale offered a "WWII Memorial Tour" for May, 2001, 16 days visiting WWII cemetaries and cenotaphs in seven European countries. "For every passenger $100 is donated to the 'National WWII Memorial' fund."

Civil War re-enactors entertained at the first Heritage Tourism event put on by the Rogers Historical Museum--a train trip between Springdale and Rogers.

Toys

University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, has no peace or conflict resolution program or even one course. Nonviolent peacemaking and peacemakers are little part of the curriculum. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday is celebrated.

The University of Arkansas Press has published a series, as one reporter says, of "wonderful World War II and military history" books. In contrast, the Press has published not one book on nonviolent peacemaking. For example, one book is about the Titan II missile program, which was significantly located in Arkansas (17 sites), thanks to the pork-seeking, Sovietphobic clout of Arkansas Congressmen, and which, Arkansans were told, protected the state from the threat of Soviet world conquest. One silo exploded, which cost $20 million to clean up and $225 million to replace. The Press did in the fall of 2000 publish a collection of letters between a young husband and wife during the Civil War, which gives details about the hardships of war.

The University received $889,882 to study and develop optical computers for the U. S. Army. The chief investigator is Prof. Gregg Salamo, who has previously received grants from the Pentagon.

Two journalism professors, Larry Foley and Dale Carpenter, tracked down one of the P-38s of the "Lost Squadron" that crashlanded in Greenland during WWII. Their documentary was shown on PBS. When the P-38 is restored, the professors are excited about participating in reenacting the flight and creating another documentary.

Veterans' Day, November 11

In Fayetteville, 2000, events included: 9a.m. events begin on University of Arkansas Old Main lawn; Blackhawk helicopter on display beginning at 10a.m.; parade 11a.m.; ceremony after parade at Walton Art Center Plaza to honor a WWII Bataan Death March Survivor and a WWII/Korean/Vietnam veteran, with a local celebrity, Carolyn Brewer-Long singing the National Anthem; the "USO/Canteen Starr Theatre" that night at the Walton Art Center.

In Bella Vista, 2000, at the Bella Vista Cemetery, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Arkansas Wing of the Civilian Air Patrol remembered men and women who "made the supreme sacrifice." Legion members also helped rededicate the Blue Star Memorial Marker at the Bella Vista rest stop.

Veterans Reunions

Retired soldiers of the National Guard 936th Field Artillery Battalion met in their annual reunion in Fayetteville in 2000. A portable memorial listed all battalion members who died during or after the Korean War. Ex-soldiers read the more than 180 names. The history of the melody "Taps" was explained and the song played. The battalion dedicate a monument at the Guard Armory to "immortalize its deceased members."

A problem for veterans is fake war stories. According to a veteran dedicated to exposing fraudulent vets, of 2,000 claims he investigated, about 75% contained some fabrication.

War Games

See p. 19 Grassroots Militarism

Springdale's business, War Games, sells Warhammer and Warhammer 40K gaming equipment, plus NASCAR, WWF/WCW, and Pokemon paraphernalia. The Warhammer board game offers an array of scenarios--a castle under siege, a raid on a sleeping camp, an urban warfare invasion into a city's ghetto, etc. War Games hosted the area's first Warhammer 40K tournament in July 2000.

Weapons

See p. 22 Grassroots Militarism

Web Sites

World Wide Web sites catering to U.S. military personnel expanded greatly in 2000. This is a national effort, but localized through subscribers. The sites enable active duty and retired military personnel to trade war stories, get advice, search for new jobs, and read military news. The founders of most of the new sites are former officers. Militaryhub.com has Ross Perot's 48% financial backing. Military.com raised $23 million in 8 months, with two retired four-star generals and a rear admiral on its board. Other sites are: maingate.com, centralhq.com, and Iserved.com. Since there were about 30 million active and retired military, the web companies seem certain to succeed.

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Sources

Among the countless ways the media contribute to U. S. militarism are their generous, favorable reporting of all local military activities.

Affleck, John. "Fake War Stories Nothing New." The Morning News (11-11-00) 3D (AP).

Allison, Julie. "Blue and Gray Battle Again." The Morning News (Dec. 1, 2000) 1E.

Bell, Becky. "Hall, 64, Made Razorback Icon Stand for Hero." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (9-16-2000) 1B, 4B.

____. "Platoon Getting Museum Slot." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (August 19, 2000) 1B.

Bennett, James R. Grassroots Militarism. Eureka Springs, AR: Center on War & the Child (POB 487, 35 Benton St., 72632; (501) 253-8900), 1989. Focuses on Washington County, AR, in 1988-9.

Bixby, Paul. "Fayetteville Veterans Day Parade a Great Success." The Morning News (11-19-00) 3F (letter to the Editor).
Bland, Gaye. "WWII Memoriabilia needed Locally, Too." Morning News (Jan. 21, 2001) 3F (letter to the editor).

"Bound for History." The Morning News (Nov. 13, 2000) 1A.

Brown, James A. "Local Veterans Honored for Service to Country." The Morning News (Nov. 19, 2000).
Caillouet, Linda. "Ace Sniper in Vietnam, NLR Native Dies at 57." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Feb. 26, 1999) 12B.

Childress, Anthony. "Central Junior High Honors Veterans." The Morning News (Nov. 11, 2000) B1.

"Civil Air Patrol Receives Top Honors." The Morning News (December 17, 2000).

Craft, Dan. "National Commander Tours Cemetery." The Morning News (Oct. 27, 2000) 1A.

"Civil War Reveries." Northwest Arkansas Times (Sept. 10, 2000).

Cotham, Amy. "Military Memories Made Immortal." Morning News

"United States Marine Band to Visit WAC." Morning News (11-4-00) 3D.
Davis, Scott. "Group Airs Plans for Military Museum Hangar." Morning News (Jan. 3, 2001) 2A.

Eierdam, Daun. "Official: No Charges Likely in Alleged Shooting of Deer at Military Park." The Morning News (11-23-00) 5A.

____. "Veterans Remember." The Morning News (Nov. 12, 2000) 1A.

"Foundation Donates $1 Million to Memorial." The Morning News (Nov. 1, 2000).
Gore, John. "Gen. Babbit Speaks at State Air Force Convention." Northwest Arkansas Times (August 28, 1999) 1A.

"Group's Meeting Rescheduled." Morning News (11-7-00).
"History Lesson." The Morning News (11-19-00).
Holston, Jackie. "Curtis Is a True Friend, Indeed." The Morning News (Jan. 7, 2001) 6H.
"Honoring Veterans." The Morning News (Nov. 10, 2000) 9A.
Hood, K. "U.S. Coast Guard--Unsung Heroes." The Morning News (11-25-00) 10A.
Jaffe, Greg. "Web Sites for Veterans, Military on the Way." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (March 27, 2000) 2D.
Keller, Doug. "Questions Remain About Civil War." The Morning News (Dec. 10, 2000) 7F.

Kinkade, David. "History Brought to Life." Northwest Arkansas Times (April 30, 2000) 1A.
Kirkland, Joel. "Ex-POW Reminds Listeners of Valor." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (June 1, 1999).

Litzinger, Beverly. "Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park Has a Lot to Offer." Northwest Arkansas Times (July 26, 2000) 12 (Summer Fun in the Ozarks Supplement).

Lovel, Jim. "Making of a Patriot." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (October 10, 1999) G1.

Magsam, Shannon. "$250,000 Gift Aimed at Sending Students to World War II Sites." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (August 23, 2000) 3B.
"Marine Corps League Sets Dinner and Dance." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Oct. 13, 2000).

"Marines on a Mission to Provide Christmas Toys." The Morning News (11-19-00).

Martin, Becca Bacon. "Branson Museum Honors Veterans." The Morning News (11-20-00) 3D.

McClintock, Kevin. "New Outlet Opens for Warhammer Enthusiasts." Northwest Arkansas Times, Business Ink (June 11, 2000) 6.

McGowan, Matt. "Air Museum Seeks Endowment." The Morning News (Dec. 18, 2000) 1A.

"Memorial Rededication." The Morning News (Nov. 12, 2000).

Mero, Robin. "Veterans Unveil 'Forgotten War' Monument." Northwest Arkansas Times (August 20, 2000).
Mitchell, Garry. "Vets' Mission Accomplished." Morning News (Jan. 11, 2001) 1D.

Niese, Jeff. "History Repeats Itself." The Morning News (Dec. 3, 2000) 1A.
____. "Students Take Top Honors in Essay Competition." The Morning News (Dec. 10, 2000).

"Pancake Breakfast for Vets Saturday." The Morning News (Nov. 29, 2000) 7A.

"Pearl Harbor Day Planned." The Morning News (Nov. 28, 2000) 10A.

Raum, Tom. "Congress May Require High schools to Admit Military Recruiters." Northwest Arkansas Times (May 12, 2000) A16.

"Ready to Share Santa's Job." The Morning News

Rice, Maylon. "State's Role in Titan II Program Detailed, Scary." Northwest Arkansas Times (June 25, 2000) F6.

____. "Tribute to the Everlasting Spirit." Northwest Arkansas Times (August 19, 2000) 1A (Max Hall and Frank Broyles).

Rohrbach, Jill. "Prairie Grove Battlefield." The Morning News (Dec. 10, 2000) 6E.

Sanders, David. "Clinton Tries to Rewrite Presidential Legacy." The Morning News (Dec. 10, 2000) 2F.
Saunders, Chris. "Veterans Returning Warship Awash in Memories." Morning News (Jan. 5, 2001) 3d.

Schlesing, Amy. "'Shootin'-est, nonsalutin'-est' Guard Unit Honored." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (August 20, 2000) 1B.
Shane, Wil. "Elkins Is Home for a Soldier, Space Man, and Knight." Northwest Arkansas Times (Jan. 13, 2001) 1A.
Schuhmann, Sidney. "Veterans Take to the Classrooms." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Sept. 10, 2000) 9B.
Song, Jaymes. "Pearl Harbor Branded in U.S. Memory." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Dec. 8, 2000) 2A.
Stamps-Heise, Tammy. "War Makes 'Widows by the Thousand.'" The Morning News (Dec. 25, 2000) 8C.
Tucker, Tammy. "The Flag Was Still There." The Morning News (December 10, 2000).

"2 Plead Guilty to Defense Scheme; Arkansan Among Others Sentenced." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (December 16, 1989) 13A.

"UA Grant to Benefit Optical-Computer Study." The Morning News (Dec. 7, 2000) 7A.

"Vietnam Veterans Revved Up for Car, Truck, Motorcycle Show." The Morning News (Nov. 17, 2000) 7A.

"Wal-Mart Is Largest Contributor to War Memorial." Northwest Arkansas Times, BusinessInk, (June 11, 2000) 9.

Williams, Eugene. "Blood-Stained Battlefield Now Peaceful Park." The Morning News (Dec. 3, 2000) 1D.
Wood, Rebecca. "Documentary Produced by UA Faculty to Be Aired Nationally." The University (Feb. 1998) 3.

"WWII Memorial Tour." The Morning News (11-19-00).

Suggested Reading

Books on militarism, military-industrial complex, wars (see: Victims website).

Enloe, Cynthia. Does Khaki Become You? London: Pandora/HarperCollins, 1988.

____. Maneuvers: The International Politics of Militarizing Women's Lives. Berkeley: U of California P, 2000. How the U.S. government and particularly the Pentagon conditions women to think and act in ways that sustain the military system.

Fussell, Paul. The Great War and Modern Memory. The horror of World War I.

____. Wartime: Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War. The awful human cost to all sides of modern warfare.

Mosse, George. Fallen Soldiers: Reshaping the Memory of the World Wars. The heroic myths of war and nationalism, and their promotion of war.

Sherry, Michael. In the Shadow of War: The United States Since the 1930s. New Haven: Yale UP, 1995. The militarization of U.S. society.

Opposition to Militarism in Northwest Arkansas

Peace Organizations

The Friendly Folk Dancers from Wisconsin danced before the Fayetteville Society of Friends (Quakers). One of the dances involved answering questions about Quaker history, and the article gave information about the founder of the Friends--George Fox.--and about Quakers (egalitarian, sacramental holiness of all life). The last dance in circles was about bringing peace into the world.

Stamps-Heise, Tammy. "Dance Brings Peaceful Feeling." Morning News (Jan. 12, 2001) 1F.