Oral History/Richard Howard - KnowledgeExchange@Southern

Southern Adventist Univeristy
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Cold War
Oral History
Fall 11-12-2015
Oral History/Richard Howard
Caleb Howard
Southern Adventist University, [email protected]
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Recommended Citation
Howard, Caleb, "Oral History/Richard Howard" (2015). Cold War. Paper 2.
http://knowledge.e.southern.edu/oralhist_coldwar/2
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HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
StudentInterviewer’sName: CalebHoward
IntervieweeName:
RichardHoward
TimeandLocationofInterview:
TheinterviewwasconductedinonesessiononNovember8,2015,andlasted
approximatelyanhour.ItwasconductedoverthephonebetweenCalebHowardat
SouthernAdventistUniversity,andRichardHowardathissonMark’shomein
Vestaburg,Michigan.Nooneelsewaslisteningtotheinterview,althoughsome
membersofMark’sfamilyoverheardpartsofitashewasinanadjacentroom.
AboutRichardHoward:
RichardHowardwasbornonOctober17,1938,inColumbus,Ohio.HejoinedtheAir
Forcein1959andservedduringtheCubanMissileCrisis.Afterconvertingto
Seventh-dayAdventismin1964,hewascourt-martialedfornotattendingAirForce
meetingsonSaturday—whichhisconsciencewouldnotallow—butfoundinnocent.
ShortlybeforetheVietnamWar,hereceivedhishonorabledischargefromtheUS
AirForce.HelivedinColumbus,Ohio,formanyyears,untilhemovedtoCherry
Valley,California,wherehecurrentlyresides.
Interviewer:CalebHoward(CH)
Interviewee:RichardHoward(RH)
RH:Ithinkyougotacertaintrainofthought,sojustfireaway,man.
CH:So,likeinthefirstplace,whatmadeyouwanttojointheAirForce?
RH:Oh,well,whenIwas,youseeIwasborn,Iwasborn,theyearthatWorld
WarIIstarted,theyearHitlerinvadedP—Poland(hesitation).AndwhenIwas
akid,uh,youknow,youcanlookupinthesky,tome,themostamazingtime
inthehistoryoftheworld,andoneofthemostamazingbattlesthatevertook
place,tookplacetwoyearsafterIwasborn,orthreeyears,andmybrother
wasbornjustaweekbeforeit(unintelligibleword),andthatwasthebattleof
Britain,youknow,England,EnglandstandingupagainstHitler,andthatwas,
thatwas,thatwasthebattlewherepeopleweresaying,Lookslikewe’regoing
tohavetorewriteDaniel2.Hitlerwasalreadyconqueredeverycountryover
there,andtheonlythingthatstoodinhisway,uh,tobasicallyunitingthatold
world,wasEngland.AndEnglandstood,youknowafterFrancefell,England
stood,andChurchillsaid,youknow,thebattleofFren—Franceisover,the
battleofBritainisabouttobegin.Well,that’swhenIwas,I,Iwasreally,even
asalittlekid,planes,airplanes,werealwaysflyingoverthehouse,andthey
were—therewasnosuchthingasrestrictedairspaceorcontrolledairspace,
andtheywoulddogfight,rightoverthecities,rightoverthefields,and
everythingelse,andyou’dsee‘emuptherewheelingandsoaringand
swingingandallthatsortofstuff,andjustwayup,highaltitude,andnext
1
HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
thingyouknowthey’dbebuzzingthefield,orbuzzingdownwherewewereat,
andyoucouldwaveatthepilots.Soyouknow,Igotfiredup.That’swhat
happenedwithme,Igotfiredupwithairplanes,andalwayslovedthose
things,wantedtofly,souh…afteralotofyears,usualhighschool
preparations,tookacademiccourseandsoforth,andIjusthappenedtogoby
thepostoffice,Iwasonlyoutofhighschool,Ihadanacademiccourse,andso
forth,butIwasontheNationalHonorSociety,Ilikedscienceandmathandall
thatsuch,Isawthisadonbecomingacommissionedflyingofficer.AndItook
thetestandpassedit,youknow.WellthentheysentmetoDayton,andyou
hadtogothereforthreedaysandtakealotoftests,andImanagedtoget
throughallthat.However,Iwas,Ididn’treallygetwhatIwanted.Igot
navigatortraining,whichwasstillanofficer,officerprogram,butthething
aboutitis,youknow,Iwentinattheworsttimeyoucouldpossiblygoin,I
wentinaftertheKoreanWarwasover,andbeforeVietnam,sothedemand
waslow,andtherewasonlysixoutofahundredandtwentygettingthrough
theprogramIwentin,andonlysixofusgotinoutofhighschool,therestof
‘emwerecollegeboysandstufflikethat.Soitwaskindofabaddeal,but
that’s,asfarasthatgoes,asfarascompetitionandallthat,but,that’swhy,
when,Iwasn’tintheAirForcetoflybecauseIwantedtofly,Ilikedairplanes,
butIdidn’treallygettobecomeapilotbecauseyouknow,theytookthesame
test,buttherewassomethingsIjustdidn’tknow,therewassixquestionson
airplanes,andifIdidn’tknow‘em,Icouldhavepassedthatthen,Iwould’ve
probablystayedintheAirForce,butasitwas,Iwentin,anduh,Iwentin,and
justservedmybasictime,Imean,Ididn’tmakeacareerofit.Mybrother,my
brotherwentthroughthesamething,andcourseheflewallkindsofplanes,
buthewasanavigatoralso,andheflewbigcargoplanes,andallthatsortof
stuff,andhewoundupinVietnamandallofthat.SoIwoundupgettingoutof
it,becauseIdidn’twantreallymakeacareerofbeinganavigator,Istill
wantedtobeapilot.AndafterIgotout,ofcourse,Iwoundup,uh,Iwoundup,
tomakealongstoryshort,gettinginvolvedin,withSeventh-dayAdventists
Biblestudies,andsoforth,and(notsurewhathesaidhere),ImetDiane,you
knowDi,andweweresittingtheretalkingoneday,andwewentouttovisit
mymom,andtherewasawomanwhowasanAdventistthatwasvisitingher,
andIstartedarguingwithherandsoforth,butshesaid,Well,that’snotthe
wayitis,myboygivesBiblestudiesandallthat,andwhatyouneedtodois
justtakealookwhattheBiblesaysabouthellfire,causethat’swhatwasreally
buggingmeabit.Andsowewenton,wewentonthestudy,CarolandBill
Paulson,andthat’swhatstartedthetrainrolling.Imean,whenIgotbackhere
outoftheAirForce,Ibecame,IgotintoaerialphotographywiththeOhioState
DepartmentofHighways,bigcamerasandallsortsofstuff,andIwentfrom
aerialphotographytoOhioStateUniversitytobeamedicalphotographer,but
thattransitionrightthere,wetooktheBiblestudiesandthat’swhatwewent
through,aconversion,bothofus,anduh,justsortofairplaneswentinthe
backgroundforalittlebit,sothat’sbasicallywhathappenedtomeintheAir
Force.TheAirForcewasuh,youknow,itwasaboutfiveyears,butwhenIgot
outoftheregulars,Iwentintothe,likea,programyouhavetogothrough
2
HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
afterthat,andthat’swhenIsortofranintothecourtmartialdeal,youknow,
so.IbecameanAdventist,andsoforth,andtherewastheproblemofthe
Sabbath,andnormally,Imean,andIwentbeforelieutenantcolonels,majors,
andeverybody,andyouknow,theylikedmebecauseIwasn’ttryingtogetout
ofanything,basically,IjustfeltconvictedonkeepingSaturdayandsoforth,
andItoldthem,itwouldn’tmatterwhetheritwasSaturdayorSunday,Isaid,if
I’mgoingtodothis,Igottobeserious,andifitwas,well,ifitwastimeofwar,I
wouldn’thesitate,butwhatweweredoing,Imean,theywerejustsettingupa
program,andguyswouldsitintheroom,andtelljokesallday,soIjustsays,I
can’tdothat,butIsaysbutlook,IfyouguysletmehaveSaturdayoff,andwhat
I’lldois,I’lljustcomeeverydaythroughthemonth,I’llmakeupforit.
Anyway,theyhadoneoftheguysfromourgeneralconferencecamefromDC
andhetalkedlieutenant,theyscheduledahearingandIhadtogotoahearing,
anduh,itwasreallykindofamazing,causeyouknowallbighigh-ranking
officers,anduh,youknow,Ijusttold‘em,theyaskedmealotofquestions,and
amazingly,thatday,Pastor(Cale?)hadbeenontheradio,andIrecordeditat
work,andalmostallthequestionspeoplephonedhimandaskedhimhadto
dowithourchurchandmilitaryservice.Andman,hegavesomegood
answers,andIplayedthatagainandagain,andthatnight,almosteverything
theyaskedmewasthesamething.Theyhadgoodanswers,andIcouldbring
up,youknow,likeDossandsomeofthoseguyswhoreallydidsome
unbelievablethings,theydidn’ttrytogetoutoffightingoranythingelse,they
weremedicsandallthatsortofstuff.Theywerenotreallyconscientious
objectors;theywereconscientiouscooperators.And,tomakealongstory
short,afterthewholemeetingwasover,theguys,theofficersandeverything
said,theybasicallytoldmesomethinghadhappenedacoupleweeksearlier,I
wasofferedaflyingjobacoupleweeksearlierfromLaneAviation,andthat
wasunheardofinthosedays,thatwasbackwhenitwashardtogetflying
jobs.But,itwasontheweekend,andIhadtoturnitdown,becauseitwould
havebeenonSaturday.So,andtheyknewthatbecauseitwasonthesame
field,basedonthesamefield,airport,andsotheyknewIwasn’treallytrying
togetoutofeverything,andtheytoldme,well,wesortoffiguredyou’ddo
this,andwewerejusttestingyou,wewantedtoseeif,howfaryouwouldgo,if
yourfaith…
(Beep)
Areyoustillthere?
CH:Yeah,I’mstillhere
RH:Ok,Idon’tknowwhatthatwas.Butanyway,theywerejusttesting,they
werejustchecking,toseewhetherI’dreallysticktoitunderthepressure,but
theyknewIturneddowntheflyingjob,soitwasn’ttryingtogetoutof
anything,andtomakealongstoryshort,theyletme,theyletmehavethe
Sabbathoff,andIjustwentthrough,Iwentthere,andallwehadtogoinevery
3
HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
weekend,sothatwasfourtoone,andeveryonewashappy.Infact,therewas
guysstartedaskingmequestions,guysinmysquadron,causetheyknew
aboutthat,evenmycommander,wasacaptain,hadmetakehimhomeone
day,whichis,youknow,youdon’t,aska,becauseIwaslowrankingatthe
time,Iwasoutofthemilitary,Imean,outoftheactiveservice,anduh,he
askedmetotakehimhome.And,course,IhadallthebooksDesireofAges,and
hesawthemsittingonthefrontseatofthecar,andhepickedthemup,andhe
wasreallyinterested,andIsayswellman,CaptainWarner,youcanhavethat
book,I,Igivethoseaway,andhesays,man,I’dlovetotakeit,Ireallywould
lovetotakethat,butI’mnotallowedto,andIknewthenhewasaCatholic,and
becausetheysortofdictatedwhathecoulddo,andwhathecouldn’t,butIdid
havesomeguyswhowoundupgivingBiblestudiestohimandeverything.
Turned,itturnedintoagoodexperience,plus,Igotto,Igottofly,andIhad
threechancestogototheairlines,onetogotoFederalExpress,andhadsome
reallyinterestingflying,becauseIflewlifeguardandhazmat,Icouldfly,I
couldflywhentheairlinescouldn’t,Icouldflyandbringaplanedownwhen
youcouldn’tevenseetheground,so,Ican’tsquawkaboutwhat’shappenedto
me,ofcoursemyhealthisgoin’now,myeyesightandanyway,IjustthankGod
IgottodoitwhenIdid,noteverybodygetstodothat,andI,soreallyblessed
andcomfortedwhenIwentthroughthat,causeIdidn’tknow,youneverknow,
whenyou’regoingthroughsomethinglikethatwasduringtheCubancrisis,
andyourmindplaysallkindsofthings.Everybodythoughtweweregoingto
seeWorldWarIII,somymindsaid,Ohmygoodness,thisiscomingup,I’m
gettingshippedofftoRussia(laughter)youknow,youstartthinkingallkinds
ofweirdthings,butImean,itworkedoutreallygood,whichIlookbackon,
andwhichI’mthankfulfor.
CH:What—
RH:Uh,youknow,yeah,goahead,
CH:Like,youknow,duringtheCubanmissilecrisis,wereyoualreadyoutoftheAir
Force,like—
RH:No,Iwasstillinit,that’stheonlything,that’stheonlythingIsaw,Ireally
luckedout.IgotinrightaftertheKoreanWarwasoverandIgotin,Igotmy
honorabledischargejustbeforeVietnamhit.Imean,itwascrankingup,butI
justhadmyfiveyearsin,andIgotmydischargebeforethat,soIwouldhave
gone,butIwouldnothavewantedtoandIfeltsorryforanybodywhohadto
gotothatbecausethatwasreallyhorrible,andyouknow,Ihavecousinsthat
went,andreallymiserable,guysallaroundthemgettingkilled.Mybrother
wentin,mybrother,theolderone,hewastheonewhowasintheAirForce,he
wasacareerman,hewasamajor,andhestayedhistwentyyears,heretired
asamajor,and,youknow,40what,40yearsoldandheretired,youcan’tbeat
that.Heflewallkindsofbigplanes,likebigcargoplanes,C-124s,andgotinto
thejetstoo,andhedidair,sea,andrescuewhenhewasinVietnam,they’d
4
HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
refuel,they’dberefuelingthehelicopters,andyoucouldhear,heplayedsome
ofthetapesfromoneoftheguys,somebody’dgethit,andaPhantomF-4,or
somethinglikethat,they’djustgivea(notsurewhathesaid)bearing,and
they’dheadouttosea,andofcoursethehelicopterswouldbreakawayfrom
hisplane,andheadouttopickupthedownedpilots,becausethey,the
Vietnamese,apparentlywouldn’tgooutovertheocean.Idon’tknowwhatthe
dealwas,butitwas,youknow,Imissedallthat,soIwas,yeah,Iwasout,and
thethingthatgotmewas,Iwoundup,thatwaswhenIwasreallygettinginto
thechurchstrong,Imean,Biblestudies,itwas,itwasjustareal,theBible
says,Iwentthroughit,Idon’thaveitnow,butIhadarealconversion,justlike
itwassupposedtobe,awholechangeofideas,andsomeofmymostamazing
experiencestome,waswhenthathappened,Imean,differentexperiencethat
Ihadorsomethinglikethat,soeverywhereIwent,Iworkedatthehospital.
Goodgrief,whenIwasatthehighwaydepartment,alltheguyswhousedtogo
downandwatchthegirlsandstuffat(someplace),ItookmyBiblestudystuff
righttowork,andI’dhaveawholeroomfulofguysjustwatchingtheBible
studies.AndIwenttoOhioStateUniversity,whereyougotawholehospital,
it’sagood,that’sabighospital,andIwas(unintelligible)thehospitalthere,
andIhadcrowdofpeoplearoundme,studentsandeverythingelse,andIgave
thebooksaway,andI’dhavediscussionsallthetime,andcampuscrusadefor
Christ,IwishIhadnever,whenIwentthroughthedivorceIwentbackwards
quiteabit,Imean,Godwasalwaysclosetome,treatedmegoodandsoforth,
butinlife,youhavealot,youhavealotofupsanddowns,andallIcansayto
anybodynowisdon’tgiveup,anddon’tquit,nomatterwhathappenstoyou,
becauseGodwillstilltakecareofyou,andhe’lldogoodforyou,andaslongas
youstickwithhim,you’regonnahavesomeamazingexperiences.SoIgot
caughtupinflyingagain,quiteabit,anduh,IfacedtheGrimReaperseveral
times,andIcanseehowtheGoodLordsparedmylife,manyatimes,whenI
shouldhavedied,beingplanesonfire,planescrashed,planesthathavelostall
theinstrumentsatnightinafog,thewholeeastcoastfoggedin,howareyou
goingtogetdown,you’vegottohavewaysout,justalotoftimes,youthank
thegoodLordthatyoumadeit,andyougotthroughallthat,sothat’suh,yeah,
Iwascompletely,outofallmilitarywhenmostofthathappened,sothat’slike
twodifferentphasesofmylife,andseveralreallygoodjobs,I’vehadjobsthat
peoplewoulddiefor,andallthatsortofstuffinlife,butum,lotofreallygood
peopleI’vemetinlife,spiritualexperiencesandstuffthat,so—
CH:So,like—
RH:But—Yeah,goahead.
CH:SomoreaboutyourtimeintheAirForce,whatdidyoudoasanavigator,like
whatdidtheydo?
RH:Wellactually,whenIwentin,theywerewashingout.Iwentin,actually,I
didn’t,IwentintothenexttothelastclassonnavigatorsthattheAirForce
5
HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
tookunderthatprogram.Itwas,soitwaswhereyoucouldgointotheAir
Forcewithahighschooldegreeifyouhadifyouhadallthemath,andphysics
andstufflikethat,youknowwhatI’msaying.It’stheonlyprogramthatyou
couldgoinasahighschoolsenior,anduh,withgoodgrades,anduh,becomea
commissionedflyingofficer;anyotherprogramwasROTC,orOCSor
somethinglikethat,sowhenIwentbeforetheboardtherewasonlysixofus
gotoutofhighschool,six,sothat’showslimthepickingswere.Butthe
washoutratewashightoo;youonlyhadsixoutofahundredtwentygetting
through,sobasically,Ididn’tgoallthewaythroughthat.Anduh,Ididn’tcare
somuch,becauselikeIsay,Iwantedto—Iwantedtobeapilot,andnotso
muchanavigator.Butnavigator,youknow,Idid,Idid,Iwasdoingsomeofthe
trainingandallthat,youknow,it’sbasically,itwas,therewasnoGPSinthose
days,andIwoundupbecomingacommercialpilot,andthenanairline
transportpilot,andintheearlydays,itwasextremelydifficult,becauseyou
didn’thave,theonlythingtheAirForcehadthatmostpeopledidn’treallywas
celestialnavigation.AndIhadtakensomeofthat,anddid,that,andyouknow,
it’sobsoletenow,butinthosedays,youusedasextanttotakeashotofthe
stars,youhadtotakethreefixeswiththesextant,whileyou’removing,of
course,theairplane’smovingatacertainspeed,andsoyougotineffecta
triangle.Youjusttakeaposition.That’sifyoucanseethestars,andtheonly
timeyoureallyneededanavigatorwasgoingacrosstheAtlanticorthePacific,
thentheguyswerevaluable,butnow,youknow,withGPS’s,they’re
completely,therenosuchthingasanavigatornow,withalltheelectronic
devicesandGPSandallthatsortofstuff,youcangotothesamespotandbe15
feetoff,soallyougottodoishaveyourphoneinyourpocket,ifyoulosethe
mostcomplexequipmentyougot,youstillgotabackupinyourcellphone,so
it’snothinglikeitusedtobe,Imean,intheolddays,youhadcomplex,
complexnavigation,youhadwhattheycalldeadreckoning,Imeanyoucan
figurethisoutyourselfbecauseyou’resmart,butwhenyou’relookingat
instrumentsinaplane,everythingisstrictlyrelative.Thealtimeter,because
you’reflyingatagas,andit’ssubjecttotemperature,pressure,andallthat
sortofstuff,andpositioningtheaircraft.Samewithyourairspeedindicator,
andallyourotherthings.Everythingisindicated.Soyouhavetoconvertall
thatstufftotrue,andthat’sbasedonothervariables,liketemperaturelapse
rates.Youknow,normallapserateisthreedegreesFahrenheitortwodegrees
centigradeforeverythousandfeet,butImean,itmaybefivedegrees,ifit’s
wetairorsomethinglikethat.So,yourcalculationsmaybealittlebitoff,and
uh,theseare,youwouldn’tthinkthismeansawholelot.Likeifyou’redoing
anapproachdowntothelow,likeyou’reinAlaska,doinganapproach,you’ve
gotcriticalaltitudes,becauseyou’vegotcanyonsyou’regoingdown,and
everythingelse,andyou’redoinganapproach,andallyou’vegottodoistoget
oneofthoselittlefactorswrong,andyou’redead,youknow,it’sjustthat
simple.Theyhad,intheolddays,theyhadwhattheycalledrangers,whichare
extremelydifficult,youknow.They’dhavefourlegs,aimedanywherethey
wanted,maybefromAnchoragetoPointBarrow,orsomethinglikethat,and
theothertwowouldgotosomeotherdestination,orsomeotherfix.Wellyou
6
HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
know,whatyouhadtodois,theywouldhaveMorsecodeonallfoursectors.
Youknow,onesectorwouldbeanN-sector,onewouldbeanA.You’dhavetwo
NsectorsandtwoA-sectors.Andonewouldbeadi-da,andtheotherwouldbe
ada-dit.While,whenyou’reoncourse,theyoverlap,andtheyhavea
continuoushum.Butifyou’reflying,andtryingtoorientyourself,andallyou
hereisadi-da,you’llknowyou’reatanA,orsomewhereinthatarea.Well,
thenifitgetslouder,you’regoingtowardsthestation.Soyoucansee,you
couldwastealotoftime,runoutofgas,it’sjustreallyhard.Buttheycameup
withabit,youseebythetimeWorldWarIIstarted,theydidhave,theystarted
comingupwithLORANandalotofotherdeals,andofcourseADF,the
JapaneseusedtohaveadowninonPearlHarbor,so,um,navigation
equipmentandallthatsortofstuff,Igotintoalotofthat,andofcourse,Iused
itinflying.Ijustgotout,whenI,Ihadtherecommendationtogobackin,the
guytoldme,ifyougetalittlebitofcollegebehindyou,hegavemehigh
recommendations,hesays,youcomeback,I’lltakeyouonarideintheF-84,
you’lldoalotbetter,youcouldgothroughthisnow,hesays,ifyouwantto,but
you’regoingtowindupatthebottomoftheclass,butyou’regoingtowindup
atthebottomoftheclassbecauseyou’regoingto,causeyou’renotacollege
gradandallthatsortofstuff,soItookhisadviceandwentbacktoOhioState,
andIstartedmyflighttrainingtoo,alongwitheverythingelse,butthat’swhen
ImetDiane,that’swhenImetDiane,startedhaveBiblestudies,Imean,my
wholedirectioninlifewaschanged.Ididn’treallyhavethefireformilitary
flying,Imean,Idid,andIflewsomeofthemilitaryplanes.But,Iguess,the
spiritual,itwasjustacompleteradicalchangeinmylife,foralongtime,
anyway,andnowIsortofgotbackintoit,bythetimeofthedivorceandall
thatsortofstuff,so,thenIflewcommercially,backhere,IthinkI’veflowninto
everyairportbackherethatyoucanflyinto,fromKennedy,O’Hare,andallof
‘em,California,everythinginFlorida,Alabama,andeverywhereelse,andall
thewest,everywherefromAlaskatotheCaribbean,fromSouthAmericato
CentralAmerica.Youknow,Igotmybrother,mybrother,mybrotherwhowas
anavigator,actuallyIusedtotakehimupafterheretiredfromthemilitary,
he’sstillayoungguy,buthenever,healways(laughter)triedtobecomea
pilot,hetooktwopilottestsinthemilitary,buthecouldneverdoitbecause
theywantedtokeephimasanavigatorbecausehewasamasternavigator.
But,whenhecameback,I’dlethimflytheplane,andallthat,sohewasalways
kindofglad,hewasalittledisappointedthatIdidn’tgothroughitatfirst,and
completely,andbutafterhegottoseewhatIgottodoanyway,hewaskindof
wishinghecouldhavedoneitto,butitwasthewayitwas.Anyway,Icouldgo
onforhoursandhoursonsomeofthatstuff,but…
CH:So,Ihearinthosedaystherewasbigfearofcommunism,like—
RH:What’sthat?Yeah,therewas.Butwell,that’swhattheCubanCrisiswas,
thatwastheColdWar,Imean,everybody.I’lltellyouwhat,evenwhenIwent
intheAirForce,yousortofgetalotofbrainwashing,andlotofguysdon’tsee
it,butalotofguysdoseeit.Youknowthere’shumanbeingsineverycountry,
7
HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
itdoesn’tmatterwhotheyare.Somewantwar,andsomedon’twantwar;it’s
justthepowerstruggle.You’vegotbrainwashinginthemilitary,becausethey
wantyoutoknowthatthisistheenemy,andyouhavetodotheenemyin,so,
uh.Yeah,itwastheColdWar,awarofthreats.Nuclear,everybodytryingto
outdotheotherperson.Meanguys,likeKhrushchevandmanyothers,and
someofAmerica’sguyswereprettycrookedtoo,Imean,itwasprobablythe
worstjumbleofpoliticiansonthefaceoftheearth.Kennedycamealong,he
wasagoodguy,hewastheonethatmadethestandoffattheCubancrisis,but
thatwastheclosestwecametoWorldWarIII,andtheRussiansactually
backeddown.Kennedysaid,you’renotgoingtoputthosemissilesthatclose
toUnitedStates,andbecause,theywerenuclear,theycouldwipethewhole
countryout,we’retalkingatomicbombs,andhydrogenbombs,andsomebody
gotmad,theycoulddoit,soitwaskindofacrucialsituation,everybodywas
onedge,wewereonalert,andwehadplanesbased,andwewereoutthere,
wehadtostayoutthereuntilitwasallover.Itdidn’tlastthatlong,butitwas
prettyscaryforawhile,thenofcourseVietnamhitafterthat.Anditwasnasty,
reallynasty.Anyway,militaryisalwayshadsomekindofsomethinggoingon.
Youjust,youthink,everybody,asarule,mostpeople,today,havelookedback
overtheterriblethingsthat’shappenedsinceWorldWarI,actually,and
they’regeared,itsgoingtobepartofthefinalcrisis,we’regearedtowherewe
hateallthisstuff,andwewantworldpeace,andthisiswhereyougetpeople
steppingin.Likethepope.Heseemstobe,actuallyIthink,he’sagoodguy,I
mean,heseemstobedoinggood,buthedoesn’tknowwherehe’sgoing.I’m
notsayinghedoesn’tknow,hemayknow,butit’sgoingtobackfire,that’sthe
problem.Imean,people,theaveragepersondoesnotwantwhatwe’vehadin
thepast.They’refedup,they’veseenKorea,they’veseenVietnam,they’ve
seenalotofthesegenocides,the(unintelligibleword)andPolPot,andthe
Romaniangenocide,andthere’sa—goodgrief,howcanthepeopleincharge
dothis.Andtheaveragepersonisready.They’rereadyforabigworldpeace
movement,theywant,becauseweliketheeasylife.Butanyway,yeah,itwas
thattime,itwasprobablythemostparanoidseasonthatAmericaeverhad,
youhadguysgoingaround,likeanduh,callingeverybodycommunists,
everybodywasafraidtheyweregonnagetthrowninjail,justforbeing
accusedofbeinga“Commie”astheycalledthem,you’veprobablyreadall
that,you’dprobablybeenintoallthattoo,butitwasn’tagoodtime.Notreally
agoodtimeatall.
CH:Iheardtheyhadalotofsheltersandstuff,likeundergroundsheltersincasethe
Sovietsdidfiretheirmissiles.
RH:Ohyeah,ohyeah,theydid.Thatwasabigthing;buildyourownnuclear
shelter.Anduh,outwest,ofcourse,that’swheretheyhave,theyactuallyhad
themissilesilos,andKansas,andplaceslikethat,andtherewasalot,you’ve
probablyseenalotofthemovieswheretheyactuallysetthemoff,yousee
Russiasettingtheirsoff,andalsoours,andofcourseit’stheendoftheworld,
youknow.Itwasabigdeal,becauseeveryoneandtheirbrotherwasreally
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HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
afraidofanuclearend,andifyoudidn’tknow,it’slikerightnow,it’sthesame
deal,Idon’tknowwhetheryoulistentoalotofit,butthere’ssomany
conspiracy,today,allyouhearinconspiracytheories,yougeteverybodyand
theirbrother,mygolly!It’seither,it’seitherpolitical,orilluminati,or
somethingelse,butIguessmyattitudeis,youdon’thavetoworry,Godsays
he’s,it’snotgoingtoendthatway.Those,yeahItellotherpeoplethesethings
exist,butit’sbecausethere’ssomebodyelsebehindit.There’saSatan,and
he’sgotmassiveintellect.Iknowitsoundskooky,buttheseguysarepuppets.
And,Godisincontrol.Hesaysitsgoingtoendacertainwayandhe’sgoingto
giveeverybodyafairchance,andhesaysfearnoneofthosethingswillcome
uponyou,I’mgoingtoholdbackthewindsofstrifeuntilGod’speopleare
sealed.Untiltheysee,andunderstand,andthenI’mgoingtoletthemgo.
Becausethewholeworldiswaiting,they’rejustitchingtogetintosomething.
Now,it’snotbigcountrieslikeRussia,it’syourpeopleliketheMuslims,you
knowwhatI’msaying,Muslimcontrolledcountriesorothers,justlikehate
groups,liketheJapanesewerereligious.Itwasareligiouswar,andthesame
waywithMuslimsandalotofothers.But,Ipersonallythinkthewholeworld
isgoingtobeconverted,Muslimsandall.AndIsaythatbecauseIreada
statement.It’sgoingtolooklikethewholeworld’sbeingconvertedoverto
Christ,theusheringinofthelongexpectedmillennium,andIbelievethat’s
whatthisnewpopeisdoing,he’sthemanforthehour.He’sgotthecharisma,
he’slivedwiththepoor,heknowshowto,thatpart’sgood,I’mallforit.But
it’swhentheystepoverthelineandtrytoforce,theonlyreasonwe’rehere
today,theonlyreasonforourwars,likeVietnam,Imean,we’vedonealotof
reallybadthings,butthisistheonlycountrythatyoucanburntheflagand
notgetkilledforit.YouknowwhatI’msaying?Wehave,onethingthatwe’ve
gotthatnobody’shad—thatonethingwe’vegotthatnobody’shadhasbeen
freedom.Andthat’swhymenfoughtanddied,andwentintothemilitary,most
people,theyloveandcherishthatthought,thatwehavetruefreedom.Mydad,
mydadwasinWorldWarII,andhegotwounded,hegotshottwice.Theyeven
finallysenthimhome;hegottoPennsylvania;henearlydied.Bothmy
brotherswentin,myonebrother’sintheNavy,theotherbrotherintheAir
Force,foronething,westandforfreedominthiscountry.That’stheonething
thiscountry’sthegreatestat.Butoncewetakethataway,andthat’snot
Sabbaththat’sgoingtoupsetGod,it’sthatpeoplearegoingtotrytoforce
peoplewhobelieveinsomethingliketheSabbath,todisobeyGod,forcetheir
conscience.Thatword,cause,inRevelation13,iswhatpushesGodoverthe
edge;takeawayourfreedominotherwords.Theonlyreasonwe’rehere,so,
that’sabigelementwithallwars.Thedevilwilluseanymeans,whetheritwas
communisminmydayor,it’salwayssomeissuethat’sgotpeopleexcitedand
fireup.Allyougottodoissaytherightword,andyou’llfireupamillion
people.You’veseenityourself,already.Andifyougetthewrong,yougetthe
wrongspirit,andyoucangetalotofpeopleriledupoverthewrongthing,and
that’swhat’sprobablygoingtohappen.Butanyway,sortof,sortof,that’sthe
wayIseeit.Yeah,itwasanastytimetolive,butit’sstillanastytimetolivein
someways(laughter).
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HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
CH:Youmentionedalotabouttheendoftime,didalotofpeoplethink,whenthey
heardalotaboutthemissilesandstuff,didtheythink,didsomepeoplethinkthat
thatmightbetheendoftimeorsomething?
RH:Ohyeah,alotofpeople.Alotofpeoplehaveall,I’msureyouhearit,all
people,there’smillionsofdifferentideasabouthowit’sgoingtoallend,Ihear
iteveryday,andnotonlyyoungpeople,butthegeniuses,andthebigtalk
shows,Imean,peoplehaveallkindsofideashowit’sgoingtoend,andIwork
withguysallthetime,andItellthemlook,andthey’resupposedlyChristians.
Ofcourse,yougotanin,youcanquoteacoupletexts.Itsaysthewholeworld.
Thewholeworld.We’retalkingaboutbelievers,non-believers,Muslims,
Buddhists,thewholeworldwillworshipthefirstbeast,whosedeadlywound
washealed.Isaid,youknow.Anditwillbeaworld,aNewWorldOrder,a
worldthatlookslikeitwillendallitsproblems,we’velookedatallthese
things,causetheseguyswillgetcaughtupwithflying…Imean,I’veheard
thingsyoucouldnotbelieve.Butyouwouldbelievethem,flyingsaucers,all
thesesurvivalistswiththeirarsenalsandstuff,(mimickingvoice)The
government’sgoingtotakeawayourguns,andweseethemgetallworkedup
abouteverything,youknow,really,what’sgoingtohappenis,youknow,none
ofthesethingsaregoingtohappenrightoffthebat,theyprobablywillafter.
It’ssofaroutofcontrolnow;there’snowayyoucouldtakealltheseminds,
thespiritsinthiscountry,Imeanyoulookattwopeople.Twopeoplecan’t
evengetalongwithoutarguing,Imeanyou’vegotdifferentpointsofview,and
hereyou’vegotmillions.SoGodhasgottousesomethingsimple.He’sgottobe
fair,He’sgottowipeawayallthisconfusion,He’sgoingtousesimplemeans,
he’sgonnamakeanevent.Theevent’sgoingtobethemarkofthebeast.The
beastiseasytoidentify.Luther,allthoseguysidentifiedit.Sowhatthey’re
goingtodoisidentifythebeast,askthemwhattheirmarkis,youdon’teven
gottoproveit,askthemwhatitis.Theyknowwhatitis.Andwhat,whatI
read,agoodstatementIreadis,whenthiscountrystartstostepontherights
ofthepeople,whenchurchissocontrolledwithgovernmentastocauseitto
enforceitsdecrees,andsustainitsinstitutions,itwillbythatacthaveformed
animagetothebeast,andinthebooksofheavenitwillberegisteredas
nationalapostasy.Nowgetthisstatement,rightafterthat.Andthisishorrible!
Nationalruinwillfollownationalapostasy.Soyou’retalkingaboutthe
downfallofAmerica,onlytookustwohundredyearstodoit.Andit’s,it’snota
goodpicturetocometo,butGodisgoingtobefair,giveeverybodyafair
chance,andit’sgoingtobeasclearasthenoondaysun.Then,probably,after
probationcloses,hesaysHe’llholdbackthewindsuntilpeoplemakethe
decision,theyknow,theymakethatchoice.ThenHe’llprobablyleteverything
happen.Theirheartsarejustset,forwar,foreverythingelseunderthesun.
So,I—Iguessthat’sthewayIseeitnow,Iactuallybelievethosestatements,
butIdon’tthinkanythingwillhappenreallyradicaluntilwereallyforce
conscience,untilweactuallymakethelaw,well,Imeanitsortofbuildsupto
it,butyouknow,that’sjustthewayIseeitnow.Anduh,it’sjustdifferent,
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HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
differentfromwhenIwasakid,Iguess,wentintothemilitary,alltheyusedto
doisformour—our—opinionasacountryto,we’vebeenthroughthesethings
andtheyshapewhoweareasacountry,sowe’reAmericathegreat,andwe’ve
alwayscomeoutofthis,andsoforth,sowhateverwedoisgoingtobegood.
Anduh,itjustmaynotbe.Anyway,sobeit.
CH:HowdoyouthinktheCubanmissilecrisisshapedourcountry?
RH:HowdoIthinkwhat?
CH:HowdoyouthinktheCubanmissilecrisisshapedourcountry?Likehowdoyou
see,whatdidyousee,abouthowithappened?
RH:Well,first,itwasjust,alotofitwasunknownfearandpropaganda,like
theydoinalotofcountries,buteverybodyhadtobeonalert,becauseallyou
hadtodo,allyouhadtodowasreleaseoneofthosethings,andthatwaswhat
everybodywasafraidof.So,probablyineverygenerationthere’sbeen
something,itbasically,itbasically,madeusactuallyanti-,anti-Russian.And,
ofcourse,youknow,IguessaChristianpersonseesthingsdifferent,inRussia,
thosepeoplehaditreallyhard.Anduh,theywentthrough,morehardships
thanthiscountryorothercountry.Ofallthepeoplethat’severlived,they’ve
beenthroughhorrible,horrible.AndtheylostmorepeopleinWorldWarII
thanevenAmericadid.Theyweregoodpeople—noblepeople—inthat
country,buttheywerebrainwashedthesamewayaswewereinthatcountry,
andeverycountrygoesthroughthis.Ifyou’vegetpeopleatthetoppresenting
acertainpointofview,thoseCommies,theHumphreys,thatera,thatera
when,itwasn’tHumphreys,Iforgothisnamenow,Idon’tknowhowIforgotit,
buthewasalwaysbringingpeopletotrialandeverything,Buttherewasa
paranoid,aparanoidfear,anditwasfeddaybydaybymissiles,silos,talkofit,
allthatsortofstuff.AndIhaveanideathatRussiawasthesameway,
KhrushchevwasdoingthesamethingtotheRussianpeople,so,it’stheYanks,
it’sAmericaversustheRussians,youknowwhatI’msaying,and,that,tome
it’sabadthing.Allovertheworld,that’showcountrieshavecontrolledtheir
people.It’snotthewayGodwouldcontrolthem,becauseeverypersonistheir
brother.It’sjustlikeinWorldWarII;someoftheGermanswereChristians.
TheywereAdventists.Mark,yourdad,tellsastory,infact,heputitinonmy
TVupthere,youknow,theguywhohadtheDaniel2,andwasreadingitto,he
woundupreadingittotheofficersandstuff,andbeforeitwasover,he’dbeen
ontheRussianfronttoo,therewasgoodguysandbadguyseverywhere.The
propaganda,alotofthepropaganda,andtheblowup,andexaggeration,did
moreforfuelingpeople’scharactersthananythingelse,anditmadethem
paranoid,sowelivedinit,welivedthroughthattime.AndI’mglad,because
remember,God’salwaysincontrol,you’vegottorememberthat,andsooner
orlater,goodwinsoutoverthebad.Andprettysoon,thewallcamedown,but
lookwhathappened.Itwasheart-touching,whenyouwatchedit.AndwhenI
listenedtotheRussianleader,uh,comeoverhereandgivethetalk,he
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HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
actuallyspokeatCrystalCathedral.Andtheguywassoamazing,hewasmore
ofChristianthanAmericanswas,youknowwhatI’msaying.It’sthespirit;you
knowwhatI’msaying.HetoldeverybodyinAmerica,ithappenedjustbecause
itwastherighttime,andhewasjusttherightmanattherightplace,you
know.There’strulygoodandbadeverywhere,andtheytrulyshapeevents,
bringaboutwars,itcouldhavesparkedwarthentoo,butitdidn’t,because
you’vegotaHolySpiritthat’stryingtopreventthat,butyeah,itdidabigjob.
AllIcanrememberisthatthewholecountrywasparanoidaboutthe
Commies;everybody’saCommie.TheRussians.Kidsweredrawingpicturesof
AmericanplanesshootingatRussiantanks,andallthatsortsofstuff
(laughter),andallsortsofstuff,youknow,it’sthewayitis;it’sbeenthatway
frombeginningtoend.
CH:So,youweresayingthatyoujustrealizedmostofthepeopleintheRussians
werejustordinarypeoplelikeAmericans,theywerejustbrainwashedbytheir
dictator—but—
RH:Ohyeah,listen,onceyoulivelongenough,andnomatterwhatcountry.
Theguy,theguywhoistheworker,youjustneedaguywho’sahardworker,
canwalkuptoanybody,anycountry,evenifyoudon’tunderstandthe
language,becauseI’vedoneit,youcanputyourarmsaroundit,andthey
understandthat.Youcanputyourarmsaroundthem,andyoucansay
brother,youcansayanythingyouwant,eveniftheydon’tunderstandyou,
theyunderstandthatcompassion,andthat’sthelanguagethatJesusused,and
itworks.But,uh,yeah,it’s,uh,thehardworkingpeopledon’treallywantwar,
andtheygetsuckedintoit,andthey’retheonestopaytheprice.Ifyoulookat
someofthesedocumentaries,eventheGermansoldierswhowere
brainwashed,theNazis.Myheartgoesouttothem.Oneofthemostamazing
storiesIeverheardwas(unintelligibleword),wasa(unintelligibleword)
televisiontheater,allblackandwhiteTVwhenitfirstcameout,butthey
followedthreeNazis,allthroughWorldWarII.Andofcourse,whentheywere
young,theyweregungho.Hitlertookthemfromtheirfamilies,brainwashed
them,taughtthemtobeatup,fight,everything,ifyoueverlookatthe
documentaries,youcangetthemonYouTube,andjusttheirminds.Hatethe
Jews,hateeverybody,trainedtokill,betough,theylivedlikelittlehoodlums,
youknow.Well,eventuallytheywindupgoingtowar.Theykeepwriting
lettersbackhome,sotheyfollowed,theyactuallyhadacompilationofthese
letters,andyouseethechange,thechangeoverall,thesethreeespecially,
becausetheyallcametothesameconclusion.First,theirgungho,ah,the
Führer,thethousandyears,we’regonnawin,wejusttrumpedoverthese
people.Ofcourse,they’rekillingmen,women,children,andeverythingelse,
andeverynowagaintheygetshot,orsomethinghappens,andtheyhavepain,
suffering,it’snotpleasant.Eventhoughtheywereyoung,andgungho,they
feelittoo.Andtheygetalittlebitmoresympathetic.Youknow.Butpretty
soon,tomakealongstoryshort,theyallwindupinRussia.OntheRussian
front,thatcoldwinter,andlike1941/42.Stalingrad.Andtheygavethem—
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HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
theyhadsummerclothes.Hitlerdidn’tdoanythingforthem,andthey,they
diedmiserabledeaths.Theyhadmiserable,miserableexperiences.The
weatherwaswicked.Andthat’sthewayGodworks.Hedoes.Togettotheir
hearts,whathehadtodoismakethemsickofwhattheyhaddone.Andall
threeofthoseguys,youcanget—theyhavethisonYouTubetoo,Lettersfrom
Stalingrad.Theygavethemfiveminutestowritealetterhome,andthese
threekids,theonethingtheyhadincommonwastheyallcametothesame
conclusion.Hitlerisafanatic.Heiswrong.We’vebeenduped.Lookatallthe
troublewe’vecaused,thepainandsufferingwe’vecaused,andnowwe’re
goingthroughittoo.Hesaid,ifonlyIhadanotherchance,Iwouldneverdo
thisagain.Nowtome,that’slikethethiefonthecross.Theysaw.Theysaw,
throughpainandsufferingandhardship.Andthat’sthewayGodworks,it’s
thePsalms107route,youknowwhatI’msaying.There’sbeenpeoplefrom
goodtobadallovereverycountrywho’vebeenthroughterriblethings,
who’vebeenbrainwashedbyidiots,andbasically,they’vepaidahorrible,
hellishpricemanytimes—theirlives,youknow.But,youknow,theaverage
persondoesn’twanttofight.Youknow,theyworkhard,youwatch
documentaries,eventoday,groupsofpeople,alotofthemarehappy,hard
working,andtheywantthesamethingwewant.Theywanttohaveahappy
family;theydon’twanttohavepainandsuffering.Everybodywantsthat.So,
therefore,wegettheleaders,sometimetheygetintheirpowerstrugglesand
stuff,theysuckallthesepoorpeoplein,nextthingyouknow,they’redyingfor
nocauseatall.WorldWarIwasagoodexample.Anyway,youcouldgoonfor
hoursanddaysaboutthat.Iactuallywatch,Iwatchthesevideosand
documentariesprobablyeverynightuntilthesunstartscomingup,andit’s
justhorriblewhatpeoplehavegonethrough,andwhatpeoplehavebeen
brainwashedinto.Iknow,wherewe’regoing,we’repartofthebiggestevent
totakeplace.Andsoit’skindofamazingthatwe’realivetoseethis.Ialways
hopedI’dlivelongenoughtoseeit,butI’dlovetohaveapartinit.Therefore,
you’reofftoagood—soyouknow,atleastyou’rethinkingright,andthinking
straight,andthegoodLordwillblessyou,anduseyouinamightyway,
becauseyouhaveagoodbrain,youknow,andit’sanamazingtimetobealive.
CH:WeretheresomepeopleintheAirForcewithyouthatjustwantedtotakeout
theRussians;thatwereprettyangryatwhattheyhaddone,andjustreallyhated
them?
RH:Now,saythatonemoretime?
CH:Iknowyousaidthatmostgoodpeopledidn’twantwarorwhatever,butwere
theresomepeopleintheAirForcewithyou,orthatyouknew,thatjustwantedto
takeouttheRussians,thatwerereallyangryatcommunism?
RH:No,no,mostofthem,mostguys,whenitcomestolikegoingintheAir
Force,mostofthem,mostofthem,themotiveformostofthem,people,isI
wanttofly.Yougotagovernmentpayingyoutoflyreallygreatairplanes;the
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HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
averagemancan’taffordtodothat.Theyreallydoitforanadventure.World
WarIwasthesameway,WorldWarII,andlittledidtheyrealizewhatthey
hadtogothrough.Theyfinallygotintoit,manyofthemdied,andallthatsort
ofstuff,andit’sthatwaywitheverybody.There’sveryfewthatreallygoin,
theygoinbecausetheyhatetheRussians,youknowwhatI’msaying.I’vehave
anidea,IhaveanideatheRussiansarethesameway,there’sgottobesome,
there’sgottobealotofthem.Alotofpeopledohatepeople,andtheygoinfor
thatreason.Theygointo…(trailsoff)IthinkWorldWarIwasabigone,
mainlybecauseofpoliticalleaders,theyweretrainedinScotlandandthat;
hatetheGermans.Theywereactuallytrainedfromearlyagestohatethem.
Andso,whenthatfinallybrokeloose,peoplewereitching,theywereitching
togetintothetrenches,andjustendthisandwipeouttheGermans.Butit
turnedintoahorrible,horriblesituation.Andprobablyoneofthemost
amazing,andthisisalittleontheside,butoneofthemostamazingthings,if
youwanttoseesomethingreallyinterestingthatsumsupthefeelings,that
reallytiesittogether,andIthinkineverything,ineveryage,ineverywar,
there’speoplelikethis,islookatthe,ifyougetachance,getonYouTube,and
lookatDecember24,1914,ChristmasEve,1914,theMiracleChristmas.Have
youeverheardofthatone?
CH:Yeah,wheretheywenttogetherandsang,right,andcelebratedChristmas?
RH:Oh,yeah,yeah,andthere’saFrenchman,madeamovieofthat,andhedid,
hewentin,didmoreresearchthananybodyelse,andthatwas…(trailsoff).
ThethingthatstaggeredmymindonthatonewasthatoneoftheGermans;he
wasasinger.Andhiswife,andtheysangSilentNight.AndWorldWarIwas
horrible,itwasseeminglyalmostworsethanWorldWarII.Peoplewouldget
up,makecharges,betwenty-five,thirtythousandpeoplekilledinonecharge,
justgettingoutoftrenches,Imean,unheardoflosses,andlivewithratsin
thosetrenches,andstufflikethat.Andthatstory,earlyinthewar,that
happened.Andreally,thetruespiritofChristmas,ofthemenwhoweregoing
throughhellonbothsides,Godcouldreachthemthroughthesufferingthey
weregoingthrough.But,thatspiritofChristmas.Ifeverybodyhadlatched
ontothat,WorldWarIwouldneverhavegoneanyfarther.Butitwasthe
powersthatbe,thehatepowers.Imean,theysentsomeofthoseguys,they
couldn’tevengetthemtostartfightingafterthat.Thatdidn’tjusthappenfor
onenight,itwentonfordays,andthoseguysrefusedtofight.ItwastheSpirit
ofChrist,really,thatstoppedthat.Thatnight,andtheyhadtoforce,actually
forcethatwartostart,andthenafterfourmoreyears,they,thenumberof
millionsofpeoplethatdied,anditcouldhavebeenavoided,andeverything,
everybody,thatwasawarthatneverhadtohappen,becauseitwasafeud
overacoupleoftheemperorsandstufflikethat’swhereitstarted,andthey
draggedEnglandintoit,Americansintoit,Italiansintoit,Frenchintoit,and
everybodyelse.AndIguessthethingIreallygotoutofit,thatreallytouched
myheart,wasthelovethatthosetroopsthatreally,andwhenIsaytheywent
throughhell,theywentthroughmorethanhell.Theyjuststoppedfighting.
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HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
SomebodysingSilentNight,man,anditchangedthespiritofeveryonethere.
Thatwasanamazingstorytome,andreally,I,that’sthewayIlookatthe
Russians,Ilookatanybody.Ifthey,youknow,causeIfeelliketheaverage
persondoesnotwanttofight,theyjustwanttobeleftalone,theywanttobe
peaceful,theydon’twanttohurtanybody,theydon’twantanybodyhurting
themorthefamily,that’syouraveragefamily,andtheygotpeoplefiredup
whothinkdifferent,andWorldWarIIwasalittlebitdifferent,becauseyou
hadaveryrealenemy,tryingtotakeovertheworld,doinghorriblethings,
Hitler.Andpeoplecouldseeit,inWorldWarII,thethingthatmadethatso
greatwaswestayedoutofit,wedidn’twantin.Theworldhadtobegustogo
inthere;wewereisolationists.Sowhenwefinallydidgoin,wewereviewedin
theeyesoftheworldasheroesbecauseofthewaywewentaboutthat.But
afterthat,westuckournoseineverybody,andpeoplehatedus.We’dgoto
differentcountries,andthere’santi-Americanthis,andanti-Americanthat,
justhardtosaywhatcauseswhat,ourcockya—alotofit’s,someofour,some
ofourcockyattitude,butthere’salwaysgoodpeople.There’sgoodpeopleon
ourside,there’sgoodpeopleontheirside,andwhentheygettogether,it’slike
Jesussaid:Blessedarethepeacemakers.There’speacemakersonbothsides,
andoneverysidethatfights.Sothey’retheonesthatHeavenlooksat,I’m
sure.Andanybodythatgoesinthemilitaryhastokeepanopenmind,and
realizethateventhoughtheseguysaremilitarygeniuses,they’re
brainwasherstoo.Alotofthem.IcouldseeitwhenIwentin,andIwasonly
what?Eighteenorso,Idon’tknow.Butuh,Istarted,andI’vealwaysbeensort
ofaloner,andIdon’talwaysbelieveeverythingIhear,soyouknow,yousort
ofgottojusttestit,andproveit,orhavesomebodyproveittoyou,Idon’tjust
blindlyaccepteverythinganybodysays.Anyway—
CH:Howdidtheybrainwashpeople?
RH:What’sthat?
CH:Howdidtheybrainwashpeople?Whatkindofstuffdidtheysayanddo,tolike,
allthemilitarygeniusesandthosepeople?
RH:Well,whathappensis,whenyougetbackandsay,theRussiansareyour
enemy,whenyougetincommon,andyougetguys,whoyoucantellbythe
wayyou,thetoneofthevoiceissortofhate.Notalways,butImean,whenyou
starthearingsomeonesaythey’reallbad,inmymind,Iknowbetter,becauseI
hadstudied,I,justbeforeIwentintotheAirForce,that’swhenmymomran
intothefirstAdventist.Ididn’tknowwhoitwas,butHMSRichards,isa,wasa
prophecyspeakeryearsago,andIdidn’tknowhewasanAdventist,Iwasn’t
anAdventist,butIlovedthatguy,histone,hisvoice,Ilivedtohearthat
Sundaytalkontheradio.Iwasafarmkid,youknow,andallthatsortofstuff.
But,that’swhereIstartthinkingabout.Ofcourse,wehadkindofaroughlife
too,anddidn’tknowitwasrough,butitnice,itwasfarmlife.Sowhenyoudo
that,yourunintoalotofkids,highschoolkids,wehavenicekidsandallthat
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HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
sortofstuff,whenIwasgrowingup,yousee,thatnoteverybodyintheworld
canbethat,likethat.Andwhenyouhearpeopleallthesuddensaythat
everybodyintheworldislikethisandyouread,youread,ofcourseMomused
toreadfromtheBiblehowpeople,andwhatweshoulddo,anddountoothers,
we’vegot,there’speopleallovertheworldthataregood,andyoucan’tjust
sayallAmericansaregood,andallRussiansarebad,youknowbetter.There’s
peopleeverywherethatareamazing,andthey’vedoneamazingthings.That’s
whereyouknowthatit’snotreal.Andwhenyougetsomeonegettingupthere,
andsayingtheseareourenemies,weneedtogooverandwipeouttheircities.
Ifsomebodytalkslikethat,thentomethat’sbrainwashing.AndI’mnottrying
tosayitwasallthatway,wegotgoodguysandbadguys,I’mjustsayingyou
hadtobeabletoseewherethebrainwashingwascomingfrom.Andyou’d
hearthehistory,they’dgiveyouthehistoryonRussia,well,alotofitwasbad.
Forthem.Theywentthroughhell.That’snotthepartyouheard(laughter),
youknow,sothere’sanotherthing.Peoplereadhistorythat’sslanted.It’shard
tositdownandreadarealhistorybookanymore,you’renotallowedtosay
whatreallyhappened.So,anybody,justtogiveyouanidea,justlikethe
papacyduringthedarkages.It’salmostlikeagainstthelawtowritewhat
happened.Andyoupeople,youkeeplivinginthepast.Well,it’shistory.
You’vegottoreadwhatreallyhappenedisrealhistory;youcan’tchangethat.
Youcan’thideit;youcan’tcoveritup.Ifyoucoveritup,you’vegotafalse
picture;youseewhatI’msaying?Andpeopledothat;peoplehavedonethat.
Theytrytoslantthings.Hitlerwouldn’tletpeoplelistentoradio,gettheother
sideofthepeople.That’swhatyoucallbrainwashing,youjustgotta…Andyou
knowsomething’swrong,becausethere’stheHolySpiritsaying,there’sawee
smallvoicebehindyourearsaying,Thisistheway,walkinit.Doit,it’sright,
andnoteverybody’sbad,anddountoothersandallthatsortofstuff,soyou
justgottobalanceitallout,it’ssomethingeverybodygoesthroughtoacertain
extent,anyway,that’sthewayIseeit.Yeah,brainwashing,comesina
multitudeofdifferentthings,everythingfrompeacetohate,youknowwhat
I’msaying.Youcanbrainwashinanyway,shape,orform.Biggestthingis,I
honestlybelievethebiggestway,ifaguyreadstheBible,hecandiscern.It’sa
discerner.ItsaystheBibleisadiscernerofthethoughtsandintentsofthe
heart.Sowhenyoureadthat,itgivesyousomethingtogoby,tojudgewhat
you’rehearing.Motives.AndlikeIsay,discernerofspirits.Yourideas.That’s
whatitis.Andyoucansortof,sortoflookatstufflikethatbasedonwhatyou
read,butyougottohaveastandard,andthestandardtomeisthegoodbook,
that’s—it’sbecomethatway.IbelievedalotofcrazythingswhenIwasakid,
buttome,that’sjustthewayIlookatthings,andIhavesinceIwasateenager,
so.(Pause)Okay?
CH:Soitwasgoodtalkingtoyou,itwasreallyinteresting,alotofthethingsyou
said.
RH:Yeah,well,itjust,Irambleon,butthere’salotofthingsyoulookat,golly,I
lookat,Ilookatit,andeventoday,there’safewthingswhereitbringsmeto
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HIST155,Fall2015/CalebHoward
tears,what’shappening,andwhathashappened,withpeopleinthepast.And
yougottastillremember,becauseIdobelieve,youandI,we’regonnaface,
especiallyyou,you’reyoung,you’lldefinitelyseeit,andIpersonallybelieve,
it’shappening.Asitwere,thebiggesteventinmylife,theyearIwasbornwas
Hitler’sinvadedPoland.Thatwasthebeginningofthegreatestcrisisthe
worldhadknown,evenup‘tilnow,youknowwhatI’msaying.ButyouandI
arealive,andI’vealwayswishedbealive—Ishouldhavediedamillion
times—buttoseewhathappened,I’dlovetohaveapartinit,Imean,Isee
people,theyhavenoclueatwhat’shappening.We’rebeingconditioned,just
likepeopleinWorldWarII,onlywe’rebeingconditionedinadifferentway.
Therewasaclear-cutpower,Hitler,invadingtheworld,andJapan,andthey
hadplansforconqueringthewholeworld.Today,it’sadifferent,it’sthe
worst,it’stheworstsituationthatcouldever,andit’sbattle,notbetween
kingdoms,becausethewholeworld’sgoingtobeconverted.Theyworship—
thewholeworld,smallandgreat,richandpoor,freedmen,worshipthefirst
beast,andforonepurposeonly,thebattleagainstGodAlmighty.It’llbea
differenttypeofbattle,whereyou’llbeconsideredthemostvilecriminalin
theworldifyoustoodupagainstit.SoIwanttobeabletodothis,Iwanttobe
abletoseethepast,seewhat’shappened,andidentify,becauseGodistheone
thatsetsupkingdoms,he’stheonewhosetupthiscountry,andthereason
whywe’rehereinthiscountryisbecausewe’vehadfreedom,andnowwe’re
destroyingit,that’stheappealIuse.Whenthiscountrytakesawaythe
freedomofconscience,whichiswhatthefinalcrisiswillbeabout,andwecan
relatetothatthroughallthewarswe’vegonethrough.We’vegonetomilitary
inthiscountryforonereasononly;preservethat.Whenwetakethatone
reasonaway,we’vedestroyedourself,andthat’sexactlywhatwe’regoingto
do.Thelamblikebeastwillspeakasadragon,andyouandIwillfacethat,but
IwantthebesttestimonythatIcanpossiblycomeupwith,andwhat’s
happenedinthepastissortofammunitionforthat.YouknowwhatImean,
you’realive,andyoucanseeit.Allhistorytiestogetherthroughwhatwe’re
talkingaboutnow,youknowwhatI’msaying.Butanyway,sorrytorambleon
likethat,butIcangoonandjustsaynothingforhours.Idothat,Iwatchthis
stuffeverynight,andIthinkaboutit,it’sonmymindeverytime,andI’dlike
tobeabletohaveaclearpicture,notjustrambling,I’dliketobeabletohavea
clearpictureandsaysomethingthatcarriedalotofweightandwouldhelpa
lotofpeoplewhenitreallyhits,andthat’swhatyoureallywanttoo,sothat’s
whatIprayforyou,andthat’swhatIhopeforallmyboys,andeverybody.All
thefamily.ThatwecandosomemightythingforGod.Youknow,atleast
something,anyway.Anyway,Caleb,itwasgoodtalkingtoyou,too,myboy.
CH:Itwasgoodtalkingtoyou.
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