WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000 Greetings 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:08.000 I was trying to think of how to introduce David and mostly what I think 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:12.000 when I think about is work is I think about unrevealed stories. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:16.000 Sometimes Western itself is sort of seen as this little 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:20.000 best kept secret in Oregon which I think is kind of a strange thing 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:24.000 because we'd be better with more attention. But mostly what I think 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:28.000 untold stories I think a lot about the faculty here and the faculty's 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:32.000 various works. And I think the teaching, the students you see 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:36.000 all the time but the research only those lucky people in the PRC 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:40.000 who go to certain things that are presented get to really see that. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.000 So it's really a great honor to introduce 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:48.000 David Doellinger because he's an example of someone 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:52.000 who perhaps many many people have never really known what he 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.000 does. But there's some things about David I want to say. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:60.000 And a good beginning point is if you're very aware of his presence at 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.000 the things he goes to on campus such as faculty senate he's a person 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:08.000 he's a pretty humble guy. But he also can be very 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:12.000 strong and he definitely will stand up for his principles. Not one to 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:16.000 boast but definitely one to say what he thinks is right. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:20.000 I don't know where the modesty comes from but the integrity I think 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:24.000 could be rooted in what he's witnessed and what he bears testimony to 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:28.000 in his research. He's seen a lot of things. He's traveled to Eastern Europe 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:32.000 while the Soviet Empire was just beginning to crumble. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:36.000 He met and shook hands with John Paul II when he was a beacon for 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:40.000 freedom in Eastern Europe. He taught in Czechoslovakia 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:44.000 as the Soviet influence diminished but also 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:48.000 as it started to separate. So he's seen a lot. His interest in Eastern Europe 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:52.000 never flagged. It worked. He was 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:56.000 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:60.000 and was core to his work at the University of Pittsburg in his graduate studies. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:04.000 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:08.000 an aspect of it that's largely unrecognized in America I think. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:12.000 He directly utilizes and incorperates 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:16.000 documents on the activities on religious groups in Eastern Europe that many people 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:20.000 probably didn't even know exist. And I think his 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:24.000 telling this really unknown story can really alter how we understand those places 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:28.000 in times. David takes us 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:32.000 far beyond this image of Ronald Reagan and tear down this wall. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:36.000 He takes us far beyond the notion that somehow we were architects 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:40.000 of the new Europe. Europe was built by Europeans. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.000 And Eastern Europe the same. This is contemporary history 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:48.000 at its finest. He does direct interviews and he unearths previously 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:52.000 unappreciated writings and he integrates them into a compelling story 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:56.000 about how ideals and communities preserve and ultimately 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:60.000 help promote alternative social visions. 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.000 His exploration of these processes have led him to produce many 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:08.000 published scholarly articles and a significant book Turning 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:12.000 Prayers into Protest Religious Based Activism 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:16.000 and its Challenge to State Power in Socialist Slovakia and East Germany. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:20.000 As a speak David's working on a second book and will continue 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:24.000 telling stories worth telling. There's one last point I think is worth 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.000 noting at least for me personally I must say. David 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:32.000 to me represents the next generation. Next after me I think there's three after 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:36.000 him. But anyway being of the oldest generation 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.000 he represents the next generation here from my generation. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:44.000 And they bring a vision of the profession and of our institution 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:48.000 that doesn't look at how far we come but instead looks at where we are 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:52.000 and what we can be. His cohort also has done 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:56.000 something else. They've generally embraced the Monmouth community 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:60.000 and the Monmouth lifestyle far more consistently than my group did. And we're really 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:04.000 lucky people to have David and Erin 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:08.000 living locally and to have their children Henry and Olive play 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:12.000 and laugh in our hallways. So this is a story that's just being 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:16.000 revealed right now perhaps. Okay I introduced you to 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:20.000 David Doellinger. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:24.000 Wow. Thanks. You know just 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:28.000 in the last twenty, thirty minutes seeing everybody come into the room and talking to people it's 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:32.000 this is hitting me in different ways than a couple of weeks ago when 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:36.000 Sue ran into me in the hallway with that letter announcing this award. 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:40.000 It's really an honor to be hear and to accept this award and I'd really like to thank 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.000 the Pastega family to make this possible. And it was a pleasure to meet you today Toby in person. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:48.000 I've seen you at these events many times before. Back when I was a new faculty member 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:52.000 it was always so encouraging to hear Mario Pastega speak about the 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:56.000 innovating teaching and research here at WOU that he was so proud of. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:60.000 I know that he and his wife are missed very much on campus. There's a lot of really exciting 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.000 and interesting research happening here at Western and I would really like to congradulate 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:08.000 all of the other nominees for this award for the accomplishments and scholarships 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:12.000 it's really exciting to hear what's happening on campus. 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:16.000 I really owe so much to my collegues in the social science division and 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:20.000 history department for all of the encouragement, their assistance, 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.000 helping finding resources, trying to make 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:28.000 sense of a document that's in Hungarian and English and with legal implications 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:32.000 to it and really posing great questions in the hallway. 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:36.000 We have an amazing hallway. I love our hallway. No matter how rough my day is 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:40.000 in the classroom or wherever whatever is happening in the world. Walking down 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:44.000 our hallway is so restorative. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:48.000 And so I really appreciate the friendship and the solidarity 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:52.000 in this WOU community. 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:56.000 And I would really like to thank my family. They're sitting over there at that 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:60.000 table I just came from. My parents are here today and you know 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.000 as parents they've done all the things that parents do but I appreciate it so much. They've gone above 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:08.000 and beyond. When we were away in Germany I think my dad repaired our toilet 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:12.000 at least twice and they took care of our dog 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:16.000 a dog who had gotten into pillows and on so many levels 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:20.000 they're a part of this as well. Erin, Henry, and Olive 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:24.000 are sitting over there as well. In many ways my research has really 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:28.000 become a family enterprise and I'm grateful for all their help and their 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:32.000 assistance. Erin is just the best partner you could have. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:36.000 Intellectual curious isn't sparing in her. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:40.000 Her love has always put me fully through help put everything in perspective 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:44.000 and really kept me sane the times where I wondered what I was really looking at trying to make 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:48.000 sense of things or trying to figure out how to approach some issue and trying to make sense of it. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:52.000 She helped me figure it out. She's the best proofreader in the world and 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:56.000 and so many other ways. And Henry and Olive are 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:60.000 experts in European history. I'm not kidding you. They're truly. 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:04.000 In 2011 I was on sabbatical in Germany 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:08.000 through a grant from the National Humanities and a lot of the 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:12.000 archives I was going to were these federal structures. We had to show a passport to get in and go past 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:16.000 the barbed wire and Henry and Olive I'm sorry Henry and Erin could come 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:20.000 bring me up to the gate and I had to say goodbye as I went to checkpoint to go in and Henry 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:24.000 really wanted to see an archive and be part of it. He was actually able to help me on a later archive 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:28.000 one in Leipzig. Let's see if this thing still works. There we go. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:32.000 So I spent 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:36.000 months in this little tiny room as a 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:40.000 graduate student and it was just exciting to go back to this place with my family. 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:44.000 And the archivist there remembered me very well and was excited to see Henry. 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:48.000 Erin and Henry got to help me out for a day in the archive. It was great. I was 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:52.000 fun. It was really a nice cap to all those months of research. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:56.000 And Olive is learning all about 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:60.000 Germany and East Europe and Slovakia and thimgs that happened 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:04.000 on campus as she explores the hallway and gets to meet everybody around campus. 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:08.000 So I can't wait to take her to Germany and she'll love those built in 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:12.000 ground level trampolines they have at all the playgrounds in our favorite 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:16.000 neighborhoods in Berlin. Henry also recently interviewed 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:20.000 somebody who was on a B-24 back in World War 2 so he's doing his own 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:24.000 oral history research. So the tradition is continuing and he has some really 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:28.000 great questions. I used the same digital recorder that I use for a lot of 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:32.000 my research so you see he did a great job. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:36.000 For my presentation today I was really torn on what direction 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:40.000 I really want to talk about the future, about things I'm working on, projects 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:44.000 I'm working on now. And it's a new book project and it's about 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:48.000 conscientious objectors in East Germany. 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:52.000 I gave a social science symposium presentation the day that I 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:56.000 found out about this award. And I found out only after that presentation 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:60.000 that I had referred to the audience as "in this class" several times. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:04.000 And I had no recollection of having done 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:08.000 that and I was so embarrassed. So there will be no pop quiz 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:12.000 at the end of this. If I happen to make that slip again I really really apologize 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:16.000 if I do that. I'm really going to try 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:20.000 not to do that. So what I want to do today I'm going 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:24.000 to move this forward just a little bit is talk 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:28.000 about conscious objectors in East Germany. In 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:36.000 during the cold war to create an alternative to armed 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:40.000 military service for conscripts. The decree that 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.000 created this possibility was issued in September 1964. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:48.000 And it recognized religious belief as a legal basis for a conscientious 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:52.000 objector to refuse to be in an armed military unit. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:56.000 In every other Soviet block state conscientious objectors 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:60.000 faced a lengthy prison sentence if they refused 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:04.000 military service. Clergy and the lutheran church 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:08.000 had been a big part of advocating for this alternative form of service for 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:12.000 conscientious objectors. The 1964 decree 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:16.000 is something I'm really fascinated about in the terms of it. This militaristic 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:20.000 atheistic state creating a way in which 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:24.000 to make for religious reasons a way to not serve 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:28.000 in the military and to be able to have legal status. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:32.000 It's something I'm just fascinated by. It really created a compromise for the men 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:36.000 who pursued this form of service. The 1964 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:40.000 decree created a new type of unit. They were called 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:48.000 on the screen. They preformed maintenance 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:52.000 and construction projects for the military. They didn't carry a weapon 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:56.000 they didn't receive any armed training 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:60.000 but they were essentially soldiers within the military. They wore uniforms. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:04.000 They were subject to political indoctrination as all conscripts were. 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:08.000 They served eighteen months the same length 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:12.000 of service as regular armed soldiers. They received 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:16.000 the same pay. The insignia on their uniform that was 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:20.000 the only distinguishing feature was a little shovel on their shoulder. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.000 This is a blown up version of that. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:28.000 Just to pursue this option it 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:32.000 really became a black mark on their records for their 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:36.000 future career in terms of career in terms of educational possibilities. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:40.000 And also the careers and the possibilities for their children 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:44.000 as well. 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:48.000 The relatively small numbers of conscientious objectors of East Germans overall 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:52.000 really pursued this option. In the first year of 1964 there were only 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:56.000 about 220 men who pursued this path. 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:60.000 By the end of the sixties it was up to about four hundred in a given 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:04.000 year. In the seventies it goes up to about six, seven hundred 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:08.000 depending on the year you're looking at. The 1980s blossom they explode 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:12.000 up to one to two thousand each year. And even then it was 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:16.000 barely less than one percent of the total number of conscripts. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:20.000 The majority of them were Lutheran but there were also a large number 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.000 or a relatively large number of Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah Witnesses 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:28.000 and a much smaller number of Catholics. 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:32.000 In 2001 and actually I was sitting in that room 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:36.000 let's go backwards. I was sitting in 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:40.000 this room doing some research reading some documents probably that same 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:44.000 binder and I went back to look at it again and the archivist came in and says "David I've 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:48.000 tracked down that person you're trying to find." And his name was Heinz Becker. He was 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:52.000 he'd been a construction soldier in 1979. 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:56.000 And I was able to interview him. I traveled to his town 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:60.000 and he was the first construction soldier I was able to interview and talk to. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:04.000 And it was this meeting that really transformed how I thought about construction 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:08.000 soldiers. It helped be really understand really appreciate what they did in East Germany. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:12.000 And he was an amazing guy. I just saw him a couple months ago 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:16.000 in October and we've really become friends. He and his 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:20.000 wife and I got to meet some of his children previously. And back 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.000 in 2001 during his visit he said "Well I have everything that I saved back in my 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:28.000 garage." And we climbed out. We climbed through this much 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:32.000 debris and we were climbing over bicycles in order to get to a file 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:36.000 cabinet he had in the back corner of his garage and he had 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:40.000 saved everything. He created things. He really became an activist and so 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:44.000 he let me come back to his home. I came back a week later and I 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:48.000 photocopied everything. He actually had a photocopier in his home. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:52.000 I went through more than a room of paper in terms of 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:56.000 exploring those resources. And he's moved 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.000 a lot of those materials to an archive since. In 00:13:58.000 --> 00:13:64.000 Leipzig Heinz Becker had joined a group of former construction soldiers that served 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:08.000 in the first two Cold Wars. So he met up with some men who had done this in the early sixties. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:12.000 When he met them he was inspired by the fact that this 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:16.000 earlier generation that had done this had continued 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:20.000 to meet after their eighteen months of service was done. They met privately in their apartments. 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.000 They had found ways to really advocate for 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:28.000 peace within their communities. And he wanted to do something different 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:32.000 with this group really expand their scope of activity. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:36.000 Leipzig became the epicenter of the revolution in 1989. Things were happening in Leipzig 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:40.000 well before the wall came down in November of '89. 00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:44.000 It was in the group founded by 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:48.000 Heinz Becker that was really involved in mobilizing the demonstrations. 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:52.000 There were demonstrations totaling seventy-eighty thousand people gathering in the streets of Leipzig. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:56.000 October of '89 a month before the wall 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:60.000 actually opened up. And it's connected. And this is that ah ha moment. Wow. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:04.000 It's these construction soldiers. And the opposition was stunning 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:08.000 and had all been founded by former construction soldiers. 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:12.000 And nobody had looked at them either. I could just find slight references 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:16.000 in secondary sources to them. And that's 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:20.000 sort of makes the case today. So I've got a little niche here that I'm trying to fully 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:23.000 explode. So my project 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:28.000 is focusing on these early generations from '64 to '69 those who served 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:32.000 in those first couple of cohorts. And in 2011 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:36.000 when this is my first 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:40.000 sabbatical term and we were in Berlin doing some research. 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.000 I was going to these federal archives and I was reading through the East German 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:48.000 Party and military and state documents. East Germany no longer 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:52.000 exists and every bit of documentation is from its entire government is available in these archives. 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:56.000 I found a report that's one 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:60.000 of the most interesting documents that I found. I want to talk about that report. It was issued 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:04.000 in January of 1965 just a few months after 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:07.000 the construction soldier service began. 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:12.000 WOU used to award assessment on campus. We hear it a lot right? And we all have different reactions 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:16.000 when we hear that world. Well this was the East Germany central committee in the military 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:20.000 doing their assessment of these first new brand new units 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:24.000 and the 220 men who were serving in these units. 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:28.000 The report was addressed to a member of the central committee named Eric Honecker. 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:32.000 Eric Honecker became the leader of East Germany in 1971. He was there 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:36.000 until '89 when the wall came down. He was forcibly retired as people 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:40.000 were streaming across the just before the wall opened up. 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:44.000 So I want to talk about some of the things I found in that report. It's really fascinating. 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:48.000 It really describes the lack of preparation that 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:52.000 and it's a very frank report and it describes the lack of preparation 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:56.000 that the regular army platoon leaders in charge of the construction soldiers 00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:60.000 had been given. They had not been fully informed 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:04.000 of the nature of pacifism who these construction soldiers were 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:08.000 what they were allowed to do and what they weren't allowed to do. 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:12.000 The platoon leaders were not intellectually prepared to 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:16.000 handle this group so to speak that's within the military. 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:20.000 And the result was 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:24.000 inconsistent policies for the cohort between the various 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:28.000 units. In contrast the report talks about 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:32.000 construction soldiers themselves how organized they are how coherent 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:36.000 how intellectually critical thinkers they are. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:40.000 During political training sessions they were posing tough questions 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:44.000 the platoon leaders don't know what to do with. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:48.000 And we see that the construction soldiers are really beginning to 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:52.000 challenge many elements of their service. So within the military 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:56.000 we're seeing this space being created for opposition. And this is fascinating to me 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:60.000 how something the Eastern military creates becomes a space 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:04.000 for challenging. And I've got two quotes from this report 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:08.000 that I won't to share with you. One's fairly long and I don't like long quotes but 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:12.000 I thought rather me reading it to you you could look at it as I read to you as well. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:16.000 We're still on Henry. Sorry Henry. Okay let's move ahead to this one. 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:20.000 So there were four stationing points and one of the big 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:24.000 concerns that the construction soldiers had was that they showed pastoral care. What 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:28.000 types of services could they have? What could they do? Could pastors come to them? 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:32.000 And the platoon leaders really don't know how to address this at all. So there 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:36.000 are four different stationing points. And I'll just read 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:40.000 this passage. "In Prenzlau for example the Seventh-day 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:44.000 Adventists are allowed to work on Sundays and on Saturdays pursue religious needs." 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:48.000 And then in another stationing point "In Stralsund those 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:52.000 in charge don't let this happen but the construction soldiers ask the question 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:56.000 why is it possible in Prenzlau? In Garz the 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:60.000 Christians held organized worship services in their quarters based on 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:04.000 the church calendar with 3-5 hymnals. In Stralsund 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:08.000 the comrades did not let this happen but they made the mistake and sent two construction 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:12.000 soldiers to the pastor for Stralsund to ask for 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:16.000 Sunday afternoon services to be held for them." And they get away with a lot of this stuff. 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:20.000 This report attributes a lot of this 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:24.000 activity by the construction soldiers to the Lutheran church. Go back 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:28.000 and advocate for this type of service option. 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:32.000 They treat it with the Lutheran church in courting it some way 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:36.000 but they don't quite know how. The report talks about how they don't quite know who what's going on. 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:40.000 How are these connections being made? So the next line appears 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:44.000 many pages later near the end kind of the summary of this 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:48.000 assessment. Okay and again I'll read this as we look at 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:52.000 it. And these are the only two larger quotes left that I have. And so "while the commanders 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:56.000 and the political deputies of the battalions do not know what's going on 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:60.000 in the other battalions the construction soldiers in Stralsund know exactly what is 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.000 allowed in Prenzlau and prohibited in Garz and which incidents 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:08.000 there were etc." A key issue that 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:12.000 the construction soldiers are presenting to their leaders 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:16.000 and that the high command of the military is forced to face with is they share the oath. 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:20.000 Construction soldiers had to take a specially designed oath of service different 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.000 from the one that regular soldiers took. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:28.000 And a key issue for this first cohort in 1964 was the language of the oath. 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:33.000 And the oath referenced absolute and unconditional obidience to the party state. 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:36.000 And commitment to promoting socialism. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:40.000 And a commitment to the defeat of enemies. And the language in this is very very clear. 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:46.000 The construction soldiers argued that they only owed unconditional obedience to God. 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:49.000 If you took out the unconditional or absolute obidence then they would be willing to take the oath. 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:55.000 An entire platoon of construction soldiers refused to take the oath. 00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:62.000 The Admiral, Admiral Verner the Admiral in charge of political indoctrination of the eastern military comes to this unit. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:06.000 And he is engaged in a debate with them trying to get them to take the oath. 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:09.000 What is wrong with the oath? Why can't you take this oath? 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:12.000 And they just flat out refused. 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:16.000 And other construction soldiers in other units made similar almost identical arguments refusing to take the oath. 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:23.000 And so within these units there were these classes for political indoctrination. 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:31.000 Which yielded some very intersesting discussion, which the assessment reports only two months into services is already beginning to note theses. 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:35.000 The construction soldiers were criticizing, critiquing the nature of their service. 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:40.000 Given its military orientation, after all there's still support in the military's infrastructure. 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:43.000 They're building an airfield, but their still building an airfield for the military. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:50.000 One construction soldier argued that a model for a genuine alternative service was the American Peace Corps. 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:52.000 I thought of you with that one John. (Laughter in background) 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:61.000 So their very aware of what exists in other places with the Peace Corps, in other types of none military type forms of alternative service. 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:07.000 Some of them cleverly pointed out how economically inefficient their work was and argued they would be more efficient, 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:11.000 They quote 'They could prove their skill and their diligence better 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:16.000 If they were transferred to construction projects separate from the military to the administrative structure. 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:23.000 The report goes in all the economic inefficiency of running these contraction units. 00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:28.000 The report also notes, solidarity amongst the construction soldiers. 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:33.000 In one unit there was an effort to try and create divisions amongst the constructions soldiers. 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:39.000 Some cash bonuses were being paid, to try to buy off some of the support. 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.000 So this report talks about what happens and this is only two months into these units. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:49.000 Bonuses were paid to most of the members of a construction soldier unit. 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:52.000 After the bonuses were rewarded and the sergeant left the room. 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:59.000 The construction soldiers in the unit pulled their money together and redistributed equally amongst everybody in the unit. 00:22:59.000 --> 00:22:64.000 So everybody got an equal amount. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:11.000 I've got to many documents to deal with. Having full access to East German military and party state files, I have piles. 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:17.000 But I am finding just in this one document I could do so much with it. And I am very intruiged by this. 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:23.000 The interviews that Mark mentioned this past October I made a return visit to Berlin. 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:28.000 And my goal was to interview with new questions. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:35.000 As many of the construction soldiers as I could track down. I have some pretty good networks and I have gotten to know them really well. 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:39.000 Many of them have networks so they are really good at networking. 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:44.000 And I was able to do this research and try to address some of these questions. 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:49.000 And a lot of the construction soldiers that I interviewed said that when on leave. 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:52.000 They had free time they would go to this Pastor's house and hang out there. 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:58.000 And they could connect with other soldiers from other units. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:61.000 And that was someone who had done this in 1864. 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:06.000 When i saw Hanks Becker again this October, he made the exact same reference. 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:09.000 And it was the exact same person and it took me. 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:16.000 It was my last three days in Germany and I tracked down Peter Mueller who is now a retired Pastor. 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:21.000 And he had a church geographically located between two of the stationing points. 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:24.000 And he opened his home. 00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:28.000 To construction soldiers who were on leave or off duty. 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:32.000 If they were to far from home they could come to his place. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:36.000 And it was also a meeting place for wives and girlfriends. 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:42.000 They could travel there. He would put them up for the weekend and provide that space. 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:48.000 Letters and messages could be delivered there without the military going through them. Care packages could be sent there. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:50.000 He stored civilian clothes for them. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:56.000 It was against the law to be out of uniform but in his home they could wear civilian clothes. 00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:63.000 They could drink a cup of tea. And just relax and be normal outside the constraints of the East German Military. 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:05.000 And he provided Pastoral care. 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:12.000 And he helped them with the theological and moral questions they were facing in their service. 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:17.000 Somebody else I have interviewed I have been meeting this person for several years. He served back in 1964. 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:18.000 His name was Wolfgang Stothouse. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:26.000 And I talked to him and I asked him how were some of these networks formed? How were things so organized early on in these first units? 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:29.000 And for him it was an easy answer. 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:33.000 He said he made a life long friend on the train platform. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:39.000 There were two units in the North and they were traveling to the North on this common train. 00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:44.000 All these construction soldiers that were going to these two units. And on the platform he made a life long friend. 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:48.000 And on the three hour ride North they made an entire strategy. 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:52.000 One of them had access to the texts of the oath. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:56.000 They worked out how to respond to the oath. And they worked out a plan for communication. 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:61.000 They worked out how to respond to the various construction tasks they might be asked to do. 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:05.000 And most importantly the strategy of this would be more than eighteen months of service. 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:13.000 That they would form ties and networks and they would continue their service for peace after their eighteen months ended. 00:26:13.000 --> 00:26:18.000 In their civilian lives. And that is essentially what they did. 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:21.000 And that's why I am so intrigued by them. 00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:27.000 A key objective after they finished their service was to publicize the construction soldier option to other young men. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:36.000 The East German Military did very little to publicize this. They wanted to have it on paper for propagranda reasons but they didn't really want anyody to pursue this path. 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:40.000 So they really wanted to pass on this opportunity or possibility. 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:46.000 They local and regional groups in communities and towns after their service. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:50.000 In 1969 they organized an annual gathering. 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:55.000 Anybody who had ever served as a construction soldier 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:60.000 they would all meet at the annual gathering in Berlin or some church in a different location. 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.000 And they are still active today and that's why I am so intrigued about this. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:08.000 00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:42.000 Applause 00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:51.000 I was asked by a dean in 2001 to over see the transition of the writing center. 00:31:51.000 --> 00:31:56.000 From a very small service of writing intensive courses to 00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:59.000 a full service writing center for all students. 00:31:59.000 --> 00:31:63.000 That would also still support faculty. 00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:10.000 And so we moved across the street and we have this space in the APSC building. 00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:16.000 And at the end of the year I went to the dean and said you have to find someone who can do this professionaly. 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:22.000 It takes dedication, it takes training, and it takes energy. 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:28.000 And the next year we did a search. And I was on sabitcal while they hired Kathryn. 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:34.000 I'm not surprised. As soon as I met her I knew that she was right. 00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:44.000 One of the things I discovered in looking through files as I was preparing to do this is that 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:50.000 A lot of the things she has engaged in here 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:55.000 Are an outgrowth of just who she is. 00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:60.000 As a graduate student she worked with Upward Bound. 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:07.000 As a graduate student she did research for her disertation with adolescent at risk girls. 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:11.000 And all of this related to how people can use writing. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:18.000 To enhance their self esteem, enhance their life and that's Catherine. 00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:24.000 So I'll let her say the rest. (Applause) 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:34.000 I would like to thank the Pastega committee, thank you again. It's just a surprise. 00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:39.000 It's such an honor, it's very humbling because most of my colleagues they teach just as well as I do. 00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:45.000 To be recognized like this is amazing. So thank you Tom, and thank you Henry, and thank you Maria. 00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:49.000 And thank you Julia, and also thank you Carrie I haven't met you, where are you? 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:53.000 No Carrie okay, Carrie is a student representative. 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:57.000 I'd like to thank David too, I don't know why I'm thanking you. 00:33:57.000 --> 00:33:61.000 David and I started the same year, our Milestones have been the same. 00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:07.000 We earned tenure the same year, we became full professors the same year, our children are staggered. 00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:12.000 But a lot of things we celebrate and so today is just a big day too that we're celebrating. 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:21.000 I just want to thank my family, my mom flew here from Los Angels, so thank you for being here mom. 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:26.000 And my daughter Waverley who is amazing. You can't see her but there she is. 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:31.000 My colleagues and friends who are here just thank you. Heidi, thank you for coming. 00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:39.000 And the Pastega family, thank you for representing the family. You give all of us you plant aspirations within all of us. 00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.000 It's just such an exciting thing to know that this exists and you value what we do here, So thank you. 00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:48.000 So I'll begin. 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:59.000 If you don't understand what I do, I'm a writing center director and an English professor. 00:34:59.000 --> 00:34:63.000 I straddle two worlds and it's like having two full time jobs. 00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:10.000 But what I do is I work with a range of students, I can't even describe to you the type of students that I work with. 00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:13.000 What I do is when I meet a group of students, I ask them; 'Are you a writer? 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:19.000 Now over 90% of students when I ask that, they're very reluctant ever say yes. 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:25.000 The reason they do that, is because when I say writer this is what they're thinking about. 00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:28.000 They're thinking about major literary figures. 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:34.000 Or they're thinking about literary or popular genre writers, and I don't mean Time but I mean Morrison. 00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:40.000 Or they're thinking about somebody who appeals to all types and ages. 00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:46.000 They're thinking about wide circulation and money, and so that doesn't fit what they understand writers to be. 00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:48.000 Or it does fit, I'm sorry. 00:35:48.000 --> 00:35:52.000 What they are not thinking about is what is inheriting our college life as writers. 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:56.000 They are doing writing all of the time, but they don't see it as writing. 00:35:56.000 --> 00:35:60.000 Right now we're bridging up social media and acadamia. 00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.000 By incorporating blogging and emails, but we're doing the blogging in class. 00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:11.000 Where learning to use social media in new ways, students though are also using it constantly. 00:36:11.000 --> 00:36:19.000 It's for a personal use both production and consumption. It's for the other, so they have another audience other than them self. 00:36:19.000 --> 00:36:24.000 But then they are also doing things that the audience itself and these are things that are functional and transactional. 00:36:24.000 --> 00:36:30.000 They're therapeutic even, the audience itself. So when you look at this the students are ready all the time. 00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:34.000 But they are reluctant to say, yes I'm a writer. 00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:39.000 So why the reluctance? And this is where i think is fascinating. 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:46.000 In the early 90's there's someone named Debra Brant, when i read her work it was just mind blowing for me. 00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:50.000 She interviewed individuals of white demographic. 00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:58.000 00:36:58.000 --> 00:36:61.000 00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:09.000 We read to our kids. It's a family ritual, it's independent of the school. 00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:15.000 There's positive and pleasurable associations, it's encouraged because there seems to be a parental obligation. 00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:20.000 00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:29.000 We do it together and so of course as our children age their finding it pleasurable to read, even if we don't see them doing it, they're doing it. 00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:35.000 On the other hand, students don't have the same kind of associations of it ready.