A True Story: How to approach the troops?

["Craven, Jim" <jcraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

About two years ago or so, I was teaching a night class in Econ 101 (Intro)
and one of my students was a full-time Marine Sargeant Major (E-9) who was
in charge of Reservists at Swan Island. For some strange reason, I say
strange because he had heard my rap in class, he approached me saying that
they had to do a workshop on "multiculturalism" with reference to "cultures
and sensitivities of Native People" for his Reserve Company. He asked if I
could recommend someone or, better, do it myself. Well of course a smile
came over me and I agreed to do it.

I came down to the Marine Reserve Unit and here were all these very friendly
and very interested Marines. I started out talking about the Navaho (Dine)
Code Talkers, about the Triple Code they employed (Navaho, Navaho dialect,
code words in Navaho dialect) and how they produced one of the few codes
that could not be broken. I explained that one Dine Marine had actually been
captured in the Philippines and brought to Japan for torture (in which he
died) but couldn't and wouoldn't give it up as he had not been to
"Codetalker School". I then went into the "Navaho Code Talker Paradox":
Navaho language was so effective as a code because it--along with Dine
People--had been made so "rare" (read genocide) and that it was being used
in the service of the very flag and system that had made Dine People and
language so "rare." Actually they all got it and seemed genuinely
sympathetic and hadn't thought of it that way.

Then came the real fun. Every Marine, no matter when or where, is taught in
boot camp to literally revere Maj. General Smedley Butler. General Butler,
was three times awarded the Medal of Honor (1905, 1914, 1917) but could only
accept it twice since it was not awarded to officers until 1914. He actually
tried to return his second Medal of Honor, first fully awarded, in 1914
saying that he really felt that he didn't deserve it. I then drew some
parallels between some typical Indian concepts of honor, duty, "Semper Fi"
etc that paralleled with what Maj Genral Butler had demonstrated. Then came
the surprise.

I told them about (and left a film from the History Channel about) the plot
to overthrow FDR in 1934-35, to set up a fascist dictatorship in the U.S.
supported by an army of 500,000 dispossessed and pissed-off veterans from
the Bonus Marches of 1931. I told them why General Butler had been selected
(the overwhelming respect he enjoyed from veterans in general), why Douglas
McArthur (deeply involved in the plot) was not selected--universal hatred of
this demagogue, fascist and narcissist--and about how General Butler
pretended to go along with the planned coup until at the last minute, held a
public news conference outlining the dimensions and plotters of the plot. In
most cases they had never seen Geeneral Butler on film or speak and it was
an eye-opener. I also mentioned the names of some of the plotters: Irenee Du
Pont, J.P. Morgan, Prescott Bush, George Herbert Walker, heir to the Singer
empire, etc. My all time favorite was General Butler saying that if they
wanted to raise 500,000 veterans to set up fascism in America, he would get
another 500,000 plus to oppose fascism in America--he was doing a real
"Semper Fi" in the best not worst traditions of the Marines.

Well I got people asking for my address and wanting to write, I got a bunch
of leters thanking me for the presentation and even the Sargeant Major was
happy--he said his C.O. was a little disturbed about some of what I was
saying but also found it very enlightening.

Jim C