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Cluster Forum
LTC. Brambila:
A Military Viewpoint
I iculrnent Colonel Robert M.
HramhiLi the hum we nil know as
the ( 'olonel u in bo third and final
year at Mercer as Professorof Military
Si i,-nr.*. H is views on the military
reflect n> arlv a </uarter of a century t
experien- >■ as well as educational
ct/n-rieo' e including a H. S. from the
I nu ersity of ")evatla and a Masters In
h dotation to be awarded shortly by
Men er I nieersity.
I he CIISTh.R interview is a
weekly feature of this newsftafter,
condui ted and edited by the ( luster
Staff, \H letters cirncernin# an
interview shttuld address thernseh'cs
In the ftarty ban# questioned in care
of the (It ST HR
CLUSTER What. sir. is the purpose
of an ROTC program at a Chris tain
University?
BRAMBILA Before bringing the
question down to a Christian
University we must first agree that
the military performs a necessary
function in a Christian society. Based
on this agreement, it then follows
that since a Christian University
prepares a student for lifc in a
Christian society, the student should
be exposed to all aspects of that
society. One of the greatest tragedies
that could occur in our American
society, or any society for that
matter would be a separation of the
military and the civilian. I believe we
can both agree on the need and
desirability of having the military and
civilians thinking alike.
CLUSTER: Granted
BRAMBILA Now. where can the
military gain this knowledge best,
and where can the civilian gain it
best? Right at the college campus.
This I think, is the practical purpose,
coupled, or course, with the obvious
purpose of providing a source of
capable officers for the armed forces
in lime of war I he college campus is
the best source because the students
who will become the officers and the
leaders of the military will have the
same background and the same
associations as the leaders of the
communities.
CLUSTER: What you arc saying,
then, is that in order to have dialogue
and understanding between the
civilian and the military, you take the
leaders of both from the same source.
And. this carries with it inherent
advantages over. say. exclusively
taking officers from West Point.
BRAMBILA I think this is a very-
vital question and I think it's a vital
reason for having ROTC on the
campus
CLUSTER It s a point well taken.
Now within this framework, the
civilian mentality of students across
the nation seems to be rebelling
against our involvement in the Viet
Nam war and several campuses are
taking this out on their ROTC”
programs What's your reaction to
this?
BRAMBILA Well, first, my personal
reaction is one of dismay that people
do not have enough faith in their
country and in their system of
government and that they listen to a
few radicals and I use the term
loosely who. I do not believe, have
•caJly thought out the question or
have the facts in mind to know what
they're talking about Now this is a
personal thing, of course. They are
presuasivc individuals and I take
exception to the statement that
students across the land.'
CLUSTER I should say there arc
students in every part of the land.
BRAMBILA There are individuals
across the land. And. some of them
are students and you know an awful
lot of them a majority of them are
notsrudents. And. a good number of
them were students and couldn't
make it as students.
CLUSTER Well, we re dealing w.th
an awful vocal minority, then.
BRAMBILA. This is not something
new. of course. This has been present
in the United States throughout its
history. The problem now that has
brought it to a more vocal minority is
the immediacy of communication
everybody knows immediately what
is happening, at the moment, through
television radio, and so on.
Historians say the Mexican War in the
t 800's was a great deal more
unpopular than the present Viet Nam
war. But. by the time folks got to
know about it. the war was all over.
CLUSTER Would you comment
more specifically on the student
reaction?
BRAMBII-A Certainly. The student
reaction is a manifestation, at the
moment, against the Viet Nam
involvement. Somebody said
recently, and I agree with him 10O%,
that it is the greatest tragedy that the
present generation of students did
not live through a period of patriotic
fervor such as we went through
during World War II and our fathers
went through during World War I.
This is really a tragedy not having
experienced this and not being able
to comphrend this. The student
antagonism is a part of the larger
feeling of antagonism toward the
involvement in Viet Nam. It's
something we can't get out teeth into
except through our elected
representatives. But on the campus
there is something to represent the
war the ROTC program and this
they esn get their teeth into. We
must realize that all of this turmoil
and ferment is certainly prolonging
the war and giving encouragement to
those on the other side.
CLUSTER I cannot accept the
position that to dissent from the war
effort is un American or unpatriotic.
BRAMBII A Who said that?
CLUSTER Though it may lend
comfort to the enemy. one mav
suffer from deeper convictions than
those that led Senator Crittendon to
cry out. "My country, right or
wrong'* during the Mexican War.
BRAMBILA: Well, you know, there's
one little adjective that should be
used in here. That is responsible
dissent.
CLUSTER: What, in your estimation,
constitutes responsible dissent?
BRAMBILA: Knowing the facts,
knowing what you're talking about
and not basing everything on
emotion.
CLUSTER There is some very
intelligent dissent from the war in
Viet Nam
BRAMBUS I still use that word,
responsible” as intelligent.
CLUSTER: And you seem to
describe "responsible" as intelligent.
BRAMBILA: No. I didn’t say that. I
know intelligent people, I'm talking
about intelligent dinent.
BRAMBILA: No. I didn’t say that. I
know intelligent people who are
utterly irresponsible.
CLUSTfcR; I'm not Hiking ebout
intelligent people: I'm talking about
intelligent dissent
BRAMBILA I'M going back to
responsible
CLUSTER What do you call
irresponsible dissent? What do you
call responsible dissent? Take a man
like
BRAMBII-A What I’m getting it is
that s person certainly has the right
to dissent, but it must be responsible
and he must recognize what the end
result of that dissent will be. This is a
part of the responsibility of
responsible dissent. Responsibility
requires the thoughrfull awareness of
the end result for society as a
whole not just fot the individual or
minority group.
CLUSTER It seem* that from your
viewpoint, disagreement with the war
would be irresponsible because you
view the war as justifiable But if an
intelligent person were to view the
war as unjustifiable with the result of
dissent being withdrawal or damage
to the war effort, he would consider
his conduct to be most in order.
BRAMBILA What’s his end result?
To get out of the war? Well, his end
result is the same as mine: To get
done with this war and get out of it.
That's what we all want. The military
too believe me. We're the greatest
pacifists in the world We don't like
to get shot at But you recognize
what these action arc doing towards
the attaining of this ultimate goal
that all of us want. Now through'his
actions, the irresponsible dissenter is
giving aid and comfort to the
enemy thus prolonging the war.
CLUSTER: You keep bringing up
this word "responsible.” I get the
impression that there really aren't
any dissenters that you respect What
are your thoughts about draft
dodgers and anti war protestors as a
You can eat
like a boss
at
Bonanza
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No Tim
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whole, including the responMe
ones, as you call then), the tnteffigent
ones?
BRAMBILA: Well, of course, you
must recognize that I'm prejudiced
and have very firm thoughts and
beliefs on the responsibility of a
citizen and I feel that these
individuals are shirking their
responsibility. I've been brought up
in the tradition that if you have to do
something, and this has been vested
in the majority posters of die society
to decide that this is what has to be
dooc, then go ahead and do it and
complain afterwards. Recognise your
respons&ilities. accept them. And,
after you have fulfilled your
responsibilities as a citizen, in this
case is the time to make moves and
efforts to correct situations dial you
feel strongly should be corrected.
Conscientious objectors? The
difficulty here really lies in what
determines a conscientious objector.
Now if a man in full conscience,
sincere conscience, has an objection,
that's Tine. I respect him for voictqg
his sincere convictions. But in this
ares where it it so difficult to
determine how sincere these
convictions arc. we must recognize
that there arc an awful lot of people
who use it u an out and these
people, of course, put a bad name on
the sincere individuals. I just don't
know how you can determine one
from another Of course, the Army
recognizes thst there are people who
in all conscience find thst they
cannot kill another human being and
there's still a place fot them in the
Army. The image of the military
from time immemorial it that its
function is to kill. It would be foolish
to deny that this doesn't enter into
it but, do not lose sight of the main
function of the American
military that of insuring the defense
of our nation. Tbit function involves
a mulitude of roles and missions, the
vast majority of them carried out in a
peaceful manner. The role of the
military in civic action program or if
you will, the military veraion of the
Peace Corps has historically been a
major role of our military and
continues throughout the world
today.
CLUSTER: A lot of students have
charged that the ROTC lessons in the
classroom arc, for the moat part.
geared to the rinky-dbUt mentality
Do you think there's any or dm re to
this?
BRAMBILA: Oh. ye*. I —peer amt
is. Of course, I Vr also noticed that
this rinky-dlok mentality ham'r
always responded and there’s an
awful lot thst just don't undaratmd
what it's all about. The cl—nntn
philosophy la changing a bit, thongb.
It’s been a slow change over the
years. There are many major
citriculum changes that me coming
about in the ROTC program. The
new curriculum wfll bar gram
primarily to the political aritnrt
areas, the historical areas, the
new curriculum will be gamed
primarily to the political science
areas, the historical areas, the
humanities areas. And the peoyam is
so be taught by teams of ndhary and
tegular faculty.
CLUSTER: Do you think the war in
Viet Nam can be iron militarily?
BRAMBILA: Of course, any tear can
be won militarily. Okay I let's get all
the politics, all the aid programs out
of it, Let's just start at ooe end and
sweep right on through. But - a war
that is woo by purely miliary effort
does not provide the desired cod
result of preventing recurrence.
CLUSTER: Can the military win it
through pure military meant?
BRAMBILA: No. The military can
establish a climate whereby the
politicel, economic, culteral.
psychological, and social needs can
be fulfilled and the country
stabilized You can't ever accompbah
what sve’rc hoping to accomplish in
Viet Nam by purr military meant
The military is jttet m adjunct The
military is just one of the mesiy
sources of national power and alt
muat be integrated and work
ragrtber.
CLUSTER: What do you think about
the volunteer Army?
BRAMBILA: What volunteer Army?
CLUSTER: The concept of a
volunteer Army as espoused by our
humble President.
BRAMBILA: Humble?
CLUSTER: He’s humble all right.
BRAMBILA: Wdl. I have mixed
e morions about it. Baric ally, the
draft system should never be done
(Continued on Page 7)
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WHAT HAD BEEN A SPRINGTIME
OF HOPE BECAME...
WAS THE TERROR OF ARMOI
AND GUNS ENOUGH TO KILL THE
PEOPLE'S WILL TO FREEDOM?
Filmed by photetraphen who t-nln mmgmmn
...banned in the countries whmb they wen made.
TO BE SHOWN WITH...
THE PAMS
II
r
^THEHBHT TO 8PEAIC
From THE KINETIC ART
Universal Educational and Visual Arts
6 • THE MERCER CLUSTER • Tuesday, April 29, 1969