My work on nuclear abolition took me to Bellevue, Nebraska and Offutt Air Force Base which is the home of the U. S. Strategic Command. It is known as STRATCOM, whose mission is to “detect, deter, and prevent attacks against the United States and our allies and join with the other combatant commands to defend the nation should deterrence fail.” Primary among its missions is to “deter nuclear attack with a safe, secure, effective nuclear deterrent force.” It is a command and control center where a nuclear war may be monitored and acted upon. It is often a target of demonstrations.

Demonstration at Offutt Air Force Base

In its simplest terms, the Franciscan Order of Dubuque, Iowa organized a gathering of people in the Midwest to assemble at the entrance to Offutt in a “public prayer and peace action.” A member of the order, Sister Marian Klosterman OSF, was prepared to commit an act of civil disobedience by crossing the line into the base and getting arrested. Two others, Gil Landolt, President of Veterans for Peace Chapter 163 and Marilyn Ryan, a retired teacher, were prepared to do likewise. There was public prayer, speaking, singing and dancing. After a talk by Martha Hennessy, granddaughter of Catholic Worker Movement co-founder Dorothy Day, and others, the three assembled, rehearsed their speeches and prepared to approach the entrance.

Gil Landolt, Marilyn Ryan and Marian Klosterman OSF

There was an aspect of theatrical performance to the events, and despite the large group of demonstrators and presence of civilian and military law enforcement officials, the events were preordained. The three approached the gate, Captain Williams warned them of the consequences for trespassing, Sister Klosterman left a statue of Saint Francis at the line and the three crossed and were arrested.

Captain Williams Issuing a Warning

One of the priority missions of the United States Strategic Command is to “prepare for uncertainty.” There was no uncertainty that day among any of the participants, about what would happen, that the three would be arrested, or about the future of a nuclear deterrence in the United States.

Detained

Our demonstration did not bring the nuclear complex to its knees, but without a small group of people gathered to wage peace from time to time, we may forget places like STRATCOM and their mission. Places that in a post-Cold War era could be dedicated to purposes other than nuclear deterrence if society had the will.

~ Paul Deaton lives in rural Iowa.