Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Saturday, March 08, 2008

Armed forces handle protests without force

By Daily News staff

It’s a kinder, gentler U.S. Army and Navy.

It’s also wiser.

While we expect our armed services to be tough, we also expect them to have a heart. And from a protest that took place outside the recruiting station last week, it’s obvious that those working in the armed forces are both.

While we didn’t expect the army to respond with a tank, the situation seemed like it was ripe for a confrontation. But the only confrontation happened when a group of overly zealous and misguided protestors tried to chain the doors shut.

Free speech is great. Protest is important. But, creating a fire hazard and interrupting business seems uncalled for. In fact, the protestors who were arrested Wednesday seemed to undermine their own mission: They tried using force to drive home the point that using force in the military is wrong.

Interesting technique.

On Monday and Tuesday, though, protestors were generally well behaved. They picketed the Winona recruiting station. They attempted to put up signs stating, “closed for business” and they handed out anti-recruiting literature to passers-by. On Tuesday, they even handed out brownies and cookies.

For the most part recruiters watched the business from the office, only objecting to a sign the protestors tried to hang that stated the office was closed.

During the first few days, protestors were concerned about the treatment of women in the military, citing concerns about sexual abuse and proper mental health care available as well as the way women are treated by their male counterparts in the military.

There isn’t a citizen — civilian or enlisted — that shouldn’t be concerned about those issues, whether we’re at war or during a time of peace. We should always be concerned with taking care of those who have chosen to serve their country in the military. To many, this has nothing to do with gender. Instead, it’s about doing what’s right.

So, we share the aspect of the protestors’ concern. And we admire the courage it takes to stand up strongly for closely held beliefs.

However, we also admire the class, professionalism and the wisdom of the recruiters who were at the station.

In another time, we might have expected the armed services to bristle — quickly trying to shoo-off the protestors or yell back.

But that wasn’t the case now. Nor was it the case about a year ago when protestors picketed outside the local armory center.

Instead, one of the recruiters, Sgt. Gary Lacouture, said, “My own wife is in the Army.”

Lacouture’s beliefs were just as strongly held as the protestors, and it’s obvious that those in the armed services have some points of commonality with the protestors. Both groups expect a lot from our military.

One other point by Lacouture is worth pausing on: He’s served in the Army for 19 years. He’s fought for the freedom they’re exercising.

It’s indeed important to understand our military isn’t opposed to protesting — even if it’s protesting against them. Soldiers understand the importance of our civil rights and our Constitution.

Whether you love the Iraq war or disdain it, protesting — like the kind that happened in Winona on Monday and Tuesday — could have never happened in the Saddam era of Iraq.

Last week may have been the right time and the right place to question the military’s treatment of women. But, it might have also been equally important to give credit to soldiers whose sacrifice ensures our right to peaceably assemble.

By Darrell Ehrlick, editor, on behalf of the Winona Daily News editorial board, which also includes publisher Rusty Cunningham and online editor Jerome Christenson. To comment, call (507) 453-3507 or send e-mail to letters@winonadailynews.com.