Sunset in the North

If a dictator falls in the North, will the oppressed people hear the rest of the world? Well, probably not. With the recent death of North Korea’s Kim Jong-il there are many in the free Nations of the world with hope for change. That change is unlikely since the new North Korean leadership, regardless of how it is comprised, is well aware of their control over information and its affect on the Country’s population. Some people doubt the sincerity of grief shown in State-run media reports being displayed by the North Korean people over Kim’s death. But there is no question in my mind as to their loyalty to their fallen leader… or to his successor.


In the height of the Reagan-era “Cold War” it could be said there were two fronts: the Fulda Gap in Germany and the DMZ along the 38th Parallel of the Korean Peninsula. With the latter being the only front remaining from that war it’s often forgotten that it is also the front of an ongoing war. (The Korean War did not end in 1953 but merely fell under an armistice that stands yet today) In 1984, I spent a month pulling nighttime shifts as an observer on Guard Post Ouellette that stands just yards away from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) between North and South. What I observed will forever be imbedded in my memory.

The miles of fence lines, concertina wire, barriers, and bunkers leading to the guard post were quickly discarded observations upon arrival at the small encampment. That was because one’s full attention was immediately focused upon the din of noise being blared from speakers located densely on both sides of the border. Propaganda was the ammunition of choice and both North and South had mastered its use. However, it didn’t take long to realize that the visual propaganda along the border was even more prominent than the audio. The ridiculous size of towers used to display the enormous flags from opposing Countries stood as testament to their ongoing battle to outdo one another.

Unlike anything I had imagined the border along the MDL was not a defined east-west line. With the border village of Panmunjom lying to the northwest, Guard Post Ouellette sat right along the actual MDL, which was marked by signs placed sparingly along its path. There was no fence on this line. The actual border, with all its surrounding barriers, had nothing preventing anyone from just walking right across. It was for this reason that PFC Joseph T. White so easily defected to North Korea from that very guard post in 1982. He merely walked down the hill, crossed the line, and was quickly apprehended by North Korean soldiers.

As I sat in the sandbagged tower one evening listening to the PFC Kelly, my sniper-qualified scout counterpart, we watched the daily ritual of the North Korean people that had been bused in to work in the rice paddies along their side of the border. This day they were gathering on and near the roadway as usual but numerous other citizens had come by bus to join them. Many of them were dressed in vivid traditional clothing and the entire group began a celebration for some unknown occasion. As I watched their theatrical exhibition I noticed that the sun had began to sit beyond them. From my viewpoint the sun went down in North Korea. At that moment a chill sat upon me as I realized that for them, the sun rose and sat every day only in the North. Like his father before him, Kim Jong-il is gone and the people of North Korea remain blind to world beyond their borders.

A Gift Of Class

A child can be easily deceived. The misperceptions they already have can be skewed to make them believe any number of falsehoods. There are the innocent lies like making them believe in Santa Claus. And the hurtful ones such as telling them that they will never be worth anything. And then there are deceptions that forever change their lives and last well into adulthood. My Mother, and sometimes my Father, created such a ruse and it made my siblings and me the people we are today.

For me, it started one Christmas. My sisters and brother were treated nicely by Santa and it was the year my folks gave me a new drum set. It made me feel as though we were the richest family in town, although looking back I realize my parents surely went into debt to give us those things. You see, we were far from anything that resembled rich. This isn’t something I would advocate for other parents to do and I don’t recall any other Christmas being so bountiful in our household. It took place just that once… but it was part of the larger con us kids were victims of.

The trickery went on throughout my childhood; although subtle hints were present everywhere. When my Father died, my Mother chose to have the same preacher speak at his service that performed services at my Grandmother’s funeral the previous month. (Dad wasn’t familiar with anyone or anything church related.) I remember thinking it was odd that the preacher spoke of Dad as being open to anyone visiting his house. He said that he found Dad very welcoming when he came there a few weeks earlier and he had him come to the kitchen and sit at our table to discuss details about my Grandmother. I thought “Well of course he did. Where else would you have a sit-down?” I didn’t realize that others didn’t treat people the way we did.

But for the most part, my Mother had me fooled throughout my adolescence. It wasn’t until much later in life that it occurred to me how masterfully she had crafted the deception. Then it hit me: I grew up poor. All those years I remember thinking we were a typical middle-class family, yet all the while it was just that I had been duped by my Mother. I may have been jealous of my well-to-do friends and their homes, but never did I feel inferior. More importantly I never felt, even now, that I was in any way superior to those less fortunate. Mom lied to me, in the best of ways, and made me believe there were no social classes in our society.

It isn’t the gifts we give our children at Christmas that really matter. What is important is the way we make them perceive the world around them. The material things will satisfy their immediate wishes and bring joy to their hearts for only a short period of time. May I suggest that this year, and for many others to come, that we lie to our children and grand-children… make them believe the world has no prejudice, no bigotry, no bias, and we are all of one social class.

Before Christmas

This day has been dark, damp, and dreary.
It’s made me feel feeble, fragile, and frail.
But, I’m home now and feeling much better and Christmas is coming soon.
It’s time for presents, and football, family, friends, and people…all cheery.
Let us set by the hearth and hear the stories we all have to tell.