Remember the Past

It seems Mike Peters' influence has reached South Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Arizona. I don't believe he has very large congregations in these states, but from what I have been able to learn, they are very loyal.

One of the reasons I wrote and have revised The Ghosts of November was to warn people about the proliferation of dangerous doomsday cults and alternative religions, like the Peoples Temple. Jim Jones had a sign over his throne in the Jonestown pavilion from which he directed the deaths of 913 of his followers and their children. It read "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it."

I believe it is imperative the members of Mike Peters' Churches around the country are made aware of what happened in Jonestown Guyana 29 years ago. Please make this your priority as well. You may be saving lives.

Reunion?

I went to the Military.com URL today, researching the whereabouts of some of the people involved in the Joint Humanitarian Task Force to Guyana. I was researching the veracity of one of the alleged minor figures in the conspiracy controversy that has grown up around the Jonestown Massacre. I will have more on that later in the week.

But while seeking out my former comrades, I came up with the thought of having a reunion of task force members. November 18, 2008, will be on a Saturday and that will make it exactly 30 years to the day of the unprecedented mass murder/suicide. What better way to commemorate this horrific event than with a reunion of men and women who haven't seen each other in three decades?

I envision having it in my adopted hometown -- Indianapolis. After all, this is the city that Jim Jones first preached in and the original home of many of the followers that left the Hoosier State for California and eventually Jonestown, Guyana. I have emailed the men from my unit who had email addresses in the Military.com site, but that was only two former soldiers. If anyone knows the whereabouts of MAJ Victor Burgos, the 193rd Infantry Brigade Surgeon in 1978, CPT Richard Skinner, the commander of the 601st Medical Company at the time and SP$ Randy Fielder, SP4 Clifford Yoder, and SP6 Sam Bernal, I would appreciate it. I already know how to contact the other two members of our medical team -- SP4 Eric Vega and SP4 Mike Sanborn.

Any other members of the task force, no matter what branch of service, are invited to join us from November 17 thru 19, 2008, as we gather in Indianapolis to keep alive the awful experiences we shared so long ago. Perhaps then we can alert those who were not born then that "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Email me at JeffBrailey@military.com or by calling (317) 627-0359 and leaving a detailed message of how to contact you, if you want to be part of this historic reunion.