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Mary Kay Meyer, CSJ Associate, Participates in Iraq Peace Walk

They met at JFK airport in New York. When they assembled, Dr. James Jennings, organizer of the 16 member delegation told them they needed to know within their own hearts why they were going. Mary Kay Meyer, an associate with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas, did not even have to think about that. She knew. "I believe we are all one human family. To bomb and starve our brothers and sisters is wrong. By going, I am making that statement. I also felt that going was a prayer." The 7-day Iraq Peace Walk was intended to call on the international community to 'go the extra mile' in averting the war being planned by the Bush Administration.

Called to be a voice for those who cannot speak, this was Mary Kay's second trip to Iraq to see firsthand the pain and suffering caused by the U.S. sanctions and the effects of the Gulf War. Walking in the Iraqi desert where temperatures reached 110 degrees, the members of the Iraq Peace Walk were accompanied by Bedouins. Mary Kay says, "The Bedouins stayed with us in the desert at night. They would build a campfire, and make sweet tea. The young people in the delegation were excellent musicians and would play guitars and sing. The Bedouins, wearing long, white cassocks, would sing and dance with the guests.

They would walk ten to twelve miles a day depending on how many people came out to the road to meet them. The delegation had begun walking from the Trebil border and wanted to cover as much ground as possible between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, but knew that the contacts they made among the people were much more important than the number of miles covered. The delegates carried signs written in both Arabic and English with slogans such as, "Stop the Bombing," "End the Sanctions" and "Let Iraq Live." Villagers would come out of their homes and greet them saying, "Welcome to people of peace and humanity."
Children brought them flowers. Farmers gave them cold drinks and fresh dates. If there were a soccer game going on in a town, the delegation would stop and play soccer with them. The Iraqis always let the Americans win. It is considered good manners to let visitors win.

Mary Kay never experienced fear or anxiety for herself, saying, "The Iraqi government let us do whatever we wanted. Kathy Kelly, founder of Voice in the Wilderness, had been to Iraq enough times to know what was acceptable and what was not allowed, such as taking pictures of police officers. I loved the Iraqi people. We encountered no anti-Americanism. Instead, the Iraqi people love Americans, saying, 'We can separate the American people from their government.'"

"The spirit of the people impressed me most," said Mary Kay. "They had a spirit of life. I would ask them 'What do you think of the threat of a new war?' They shrugged their shoulders and said, 'What can we do? We can't do anything. We just have to go about our daily life.'" Yet, Mary Kay noted, "a pall would come over them."

Iraq is a country of 23 million people and many are hungry. One third of the children are malnourished. Mary Kay visited a pediatric hospital she had visited in 1999. The physician in charge remembered Mary Kay and took much time giving the delegation a comprehensive tour. As the tour went on, the frustration in the doctor built. She said, "Your delegation, your people, come and look, take pictures, go back and nothing changes." Childhood cancer has increased 242% since the Gulf War. Doctors are seeing diseases such as polio and chicken pox that were virtually unheard of before the Gulf War. Proper medicine is not available. A member of the delegation had brought stuffed animals. One 8-year-old girl was visibly in much pain. As the woman gave her a stuffed animal, she brushed it aside because of her pain. The doctor said sharply, "What she needs is medicine, not toys." Mary Kay says she cannot get one scene out of her mind. She met a mother in the hospital corridor who was holding a "mouse of a baby." The baby had lots of dark hair but was shriveled up and scarcely looked human. "I can't go back again," says Mary Kay. "I can't look at those mothers any more." Since the Gulf War there are also multiple malformations. A child is born with a nose above the eyes or with two faces. The doctors tell her they had not seen this before the War.

Diarrhea and waterborne disease are increasing. There is open sewage in the streets. The doctor states, "The health of the people will not get better until the sanctions are lifted and we can fix our water." The doctors are conducting an extensive study to show the link between the depleted uranium contamination from the Gulf War and the increase in leukemia. They are using the same scientific methodology used to connect smoking with lung cancer. Some of the effects of the Gulf War bombing are just now showing up because there is about an eight year incubation period. The Iraqi doctor says, "If the sanctions were lifted, we could clean up some of the radiation. Lift the sanctions and let us do what we can. Let us get parts and fix our water. We are not looking for handouts."

Mary Kay remembers one evening which she thoroughly enjoyed. They met an older woman in Baghdad whose childhood home had been badly damaged during the Gulf War. With a great deal of effort, she restored the house and converted it into a Cultural Center for Women. She encouraged women to hold on to their traditions in art, weaving, music, dance and so on. The woman invited the delegation to spend an evening with her and some friends at the Cultural Center. Mary Kay recalls, "The evening was so fun and so civilized - people just sitting around talking. The Presbyterian missionaries used to have American schools throughout the Mideast and in Iraq so many of the people were educated by Americans and spoke English flawlessly. They said, 'We know something about what your country was founded on because we studied it when we were young. We've always admired the principles upon which your country was founded and we like Americans. What happened?' They told story after story of such great sadness, mainly due to the sanctions. Yet we also heard their connectedness to the rest of the world."