Families of 9/11 Victims Report on Their Visit to Afghanistan
On January 27th, several hundred people crowded into the Park Slope United Methodist Church, in Brooklyn, New York, to welcome back some of the family members of 9/11 victims who had returned the previous day from a trip to Afghanistan. Their delegation was organized by the human rights group, Global Exchange, to connect the experiences of families who lost loved ones on September 11th with families who have lost loved ones to U.S. bombing in Afghanistan. Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! hosted the welcome back event, which also served to kick off fundraising for a new Afghan victims' relief fund.
Two of the four family members who made the trip, as well as Medea Benjamin, founding director of Global Exchange, spoke about their experience in Afghanistan. Rita Lasar, a 70 year old New Yorker, lost her brother, Abe Zelmanowitz, at the World Trade Center. Also present was Kelly Campbell, whose brother-in-law and long-time friend, Craig Amundsen, was killed at the Pentagon. Kelly went to Afghanistan representing Craig's widow, Amber, who has passionately spoken out against the U.S. government actions in the aftermath of September 11th. Kelly and Rita were accompanied on the trip by Derrill Bodley and his stepdaughter, Eva Rupp. Derrill's 20 year old daughter, Deora, was a passenger on Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania. He decided to participate in the trip because he knew his daughter would've wanted him to go.
Medea Benjamin began the evening by explaining the genesis of the plan to bring the families together. Global Exchange had sent a delegation to Afghanistan in late November. Surprised by the number of civilians whose lives had been devastated by the bombing campaign, they came back determined to increase American consciousness of what was actually happening to people as a result of the "war on terror." They also came back determined to find out why there has been such a high civilian casualty rate in Afghanistan. Estimates of civilians killed have ranged from 2000 - 4000 and the actual number may be much higher. When the Global Exchange delegation returned from Afghanistan they received a tepid response from a press not eager to cover stories that seemed to place blame on the U.S. government. It was then that Global Exchange devised the family meeting plan, knowing that it would be a once in a lifetime experience for all involved, as well as irresistible to the press. When they began calling up victims' family members, they talked to many people who considered the idea a good one, but were themselves too distraught or who were concerned about the dangers inherent in such a trip.
The first person to commit to go was Rita Lasar. Once she came onboard, they were able to enlist the remaining three family members in the delegation. They spent nine days in Afghanistan visiting people who'd been affected by the bombing, visiting schools, and meeting with government officials. Their goal: to send a message to the world that there are Americans who care about the Afghan people and that there is a response to the tragedy of September 11th that doesn't involve dropping bombs on people.
Amy Goodman welcomed the "return of real heroes" before introducing Kelly Campbell. Kelly spoke about her brother-in-law, Craig. She spoke about his memorial service, which was held the same day that the U.S. started bombing Afghanistan, and about how she was torn on that day between wanting to focus on Craig's life, while at the same time being concerned about what was happening to people on the other side of the world in the name of avenging his death. She thought about all the people in Afghanistan who would be affected by the bombing and whose stories would never be told. When the chance to go to Afghanistan came, she considered it a "gift."
As she spoke about her experience in Afghanistan, she held up photos of some of the people she'd met. The first photo was of a 6 year old boy whose sister had been killed and who had refused to speak or walk since. She held up a photo of a young man who had lost a leg in the bombing and was now unable to work and support his family. She held up a photo of a young woman whose house had been bombed, which killed several members of her family. Kelly ended by noting that they had only visited Kabul, which was not one of the most heavily bombed parts of the country.
She also spoke about visiting a girls' school in Kabul. Kelly's mother is a teacher in Iowa and had enlisted her class to write letters to children in Afghanistan. While there, Kelly delivered the letters to a class at the school for girls. The children there wrote back to the American children and Kelly returned with cards, most expressing sympathy for what had happened on September 11th. As Kelly noted, "These kids understand terror."
Rita Lasar also spoke. She talked about being handed pieces of paper with the names and addresses of people killed by their families desperate to have their grief recognized. She also spoke about meeting a woman whose husband and 5 children had been killed in the bombing. As a result, she'd been reduced to begging. She came to the US embassy to deliver a letter to the American families that she'd had translated, but was turned away by officials at the Embassy who told her "We don't accept beggars." This reminded Rita of the outpouring of sympathy she had received from politicians and from people around the world after her brother was killed. "I lost one person, she lost 8," she said.
Now the family members are traveling around the country to promote the Afghan Victims' Fund. Kelly and Rita, along with other victims' families, are also starting an organization called "September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows." Determined to turn her personal tragedy into something positive for the world, Rita declared, "We're committing the rest of our lives to this cause." The evening raised more than $7000 for the victims fund.
photo: Amy Goodman, Medea Benjamin of Global Exchange, Rita Lasar, and Kelly Campbell
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[posted 2/2/02]
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