October
2001
Guest
Editorial
An Open Letter to Our National Leaders
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On September 11, as the world looked on in horror and
disbelief, my husband, Craig Scott Amundson, of the U.S. Army, lost
his life in the line of duty at the Pentagon.
Losing my 28 year-old husband and father of our two young children is
a terrible and painful experience. His death is also part of an immense
national loss, and I am comforted by knowing so many share my grief.
But because I have lost Craig as part of this historic tragedy, my anguish
is compounded exponentially by fear that his death will be used to justify
new violence against other innocent victims.
I have heard angry rhetoric by some Americans, including many of our
nation’s leaders, who advise a heavy dose of revenge and punishment.
To those leaders, I would like to make clear that my family and I take
no comfort in your words of rage. If you choose to respond to this incomprehensible
brutality by perpetuating violence against other innocent human beings,
you may not do so in the name of justice for my husband. Your words
and imminent acts of revenge only amplify our family’s suffering,
deny us the dignity of remembering our loved one in a way that would
have made him proud, and mock his vision of America as a peacemaker
in the world community.
Craig enlisted in the Army and was proud to serve his country. He was
a patriotic American and a citizen of the world. Craig believed that
by working from within the military system he could help to maintain
the military’s focus on peacekeeping and strategic planning—to
prevent violence and war. For the last two years Craig drove to his
job at the Pentagon with a “Visualize World Peace” bumper
sticker. This was not empty rhetoric or contradictory to him, but part
of his dream. He believed that his role in the Army could further the
cause of peace throughout the world.
Craig would not have wanted a violent response to avenge his death.
And I cannot see how good can come out of it. We cannot solve violence
with violence. Revenge is a self-perpetuating cycle. Gandhi said, “An
eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind.” We will no longer
be able to see that we hold the light of Liberty if we ourselves are
blinded by vengeance, anger, and fear. I ask our nation’s leaders
not to take the path that leads to more widespread hatreds—that
makes my husband’s death just one more in an unending spiral of
killing.
I call on our national leaders to find the courage to respond to this
incomprehensible tragedy by breaking the cycle of violence. I call
on
them to marshal this great nation’s skills and resources to lead
a worldwide dialogue on freedom from terror and hate. I call on them
to focus our strength to work for justice and peace around the globe.
I ask them to unleash our country’s immense energy to create a
world in which compassion and forgiveness are possible.
In these dark days of intense sadness, I have been inspired by the
lyrics from a Tracy Chapman album that Craig bought me when our first
child
was born. She writes, “There’s too much fighting, too little
understanding. It’s time to stop and start all over, make a new
beginning.”
I do not know how to begin making a better world. I do believe it must
be done, and I believe it is our leaders’ responsibility to find
a way. I urge them to take up this challenge and respond to our nation’s
and my personal tragedy with a new beginning that gives us hope for
a peaceful global community.
Amber Amundson
Craig Scott Amundson was an enlisted specialist in the U.S.
Army and worked as a multimedia illustrator for Lt. Gen. Timothy J.
Maude, The Deputy Chief of Staff of personnel command.
