Amongst the Combat Papers

Some aspects of this interactive presentation remain inside the rare book room. I strongly recommend you tuck in and see them the next time you are in the library. A group of veterans came to Mills, shredded their uniforms, made paper from them and printed various forms of anti war expressions on that paper. The most power moment of the lecture for me was when one veteran read his poem as two fellow veterans cut his uniform from his body. Hearing the ripping, the tones of his voice, seeing the tension in their hands and arms was so visually and emotionally powerful. They urged for national accountability with our purchases, behavior, and votes. I cried intermittently through the lecture and felt it some how productive. Before they began they acknowledged that feeling of discomfort could arise but encouraged the audience to feel those feelings deeply and let them move us toward simple actions in our lives.