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The Army in the Southwest

Guest Author Steve Szeghi

On July 28 I noticed a broken down Humvee with its door ajar alongside the road know as the border highway, highway nine, in New Mexico. About a half of a mile later I encountered three army soldiers with rifles in hand alongside the road. They waved me down and I wound up taking one (all three would not fit in my car with all my traveling gear) to a checkpoint down the road. It is not like I really had a choice, but they were courteous and quite amiable. Of course they were part of a look out or observation unit for border crossers. I drove about 60 miles on highway 9, saw two border patrol cars besides this particular army observation unit. I am certainly no supporter of all the efforts to keep people from crossing the border, particularly the descendents of the indigenous peoples of this continent. Then there is also the issue of whether the United States has the right to keep Mexicans out of lands that were unjustly taken from Mexico in the US war of aggression against Mexico in the 1800's.

I spent a lot of time looking at the vast expanse of desert between highway 9 and the Mexican border, which on this particular rare day was inundated in rain and flash floods streaming across the roads. It is a barren landscape, yet full of vegetation. How hungry and thirsty people must be as they cross this expanse but how much greater their hunger and thirst for what they see as economic opportunity to drive their attempt.

One country so rich and another so poor, side by side, but separated by this harsh and unforgiving landscape. It can easily be forgotten just how harsh and unforgiving ,while traveling a road in an air-conditioned automobile, listening to a CD. How could it be otherwise than for the poor to burn with a hunger to survive economically? How dare the US try to keep them out, with all of our fences, observation posts, and border control agents. No matter what the US does, the people will still come, they will find a way to cross. A hunger and thirst which compels people to cross such an expanse of desert on foot will compel them to overcome any barrier.

The next day on July 29 th while walking through the Gila ruins in the Gila National Forest, with it raining, female rain the Dine would call it, for the first time I really came to see how these cliff dwellings would have provided remarkable shelter from the elements. It was the first time I had been to any type of cliff dwelling of the many I have visited in the southwest, when it wasn't warm and sunny. The other times I took comfort in the shade of the cliff, but this time I took comfort from the rain, the dampness, and the cold. At the end of July with overcast skies and a persistent downpour, the morning air was chilling. So I was really getting into these cliff dwellings like never before, and then about 24 members of the US Army showed up in civilian clothing but bused in on government vehicles. I thought oh wonderful, this is going to be great, no more peace and quiet. I thought they would be quite loud and clowning about, a bit of R and R and a chance to let loose. And just when I was totally into the place! I was not happy.

The National Park Service must have arranged a special guided tour for these soldiers all of whom but one were male. Later I found out they were all from Fort Bliss, had all been recently in Iraq, and all had been injured there. Quickly I discovered to my pleasant surprise that all of them were deeply interested in the culture and history of the cliff dwellings. They were very quiet and respectful of the place and were full of curiosity and questions. Their guided tour was taking a lot longer at the initial stops than the ones I had seen previously. I tagged along to hear what I could hear.

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