2011.10.06: October 6, 2011: Malawi RPCV Gordon Radley tossed stones from Jerusalem over a muddy ridge in Colombia, scattered dirt from the family's cemetery plot, and recited the Jewish memorial prayer to keep a promise made 50 years earlier to honor the memory of his brother, Peace Corps Volunteer Larry Radley, who died in a plane crash there in 1962

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Colombia: Peace Corps Colombia : Peace Corps Colombia: Newest Stories: 2011.09.14: September 14, 2011: Ronald A. Schwarz writes: Who are the First Volunteers? : 2011.09.14: September 14, 2011: Ronald A. Schwarz writes: Kennedy's Orphans - The Story of Colombia 1 : 2011.10.06: October 6, 2011: Malawi RPCV Gordon Radley tossed stones from Jerusalem over a muddy ridge in Colombia, scattered dirt from the family's cemetery plot, and recited the Jewish memorial prayer to keep a promise made 50 years earlier to honor the memory of his brother, Peace Corps Volunteer Larry Radley, who died in a plane crash there in 1962

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Malawi RPCV Gordon Radley tossed stones from Jerusalem over a muddy ridge in Colombia, scattered dirt from the family's cemetery plot, and recited the Jewish memorial prayer to keep a promise made 50 years earlier to honor the memory of his brother, Peace Corps Volunteer Larry Radley, who died in a plane crash there in 1962

Malawi RPCV Gordon Radley tossed stones from Jerusalem over a muddy ridge in Colombia, scattered dirt from the family's cemetery plot, and recited the Jewish memorial prayer to keep a promise made 50 years earlier to honor the memory of his brother, Peace Corps Volunteer Larry Radley, who died in a plane  crash there in 1962

Gordon Radley was 15 when his brother died along with David Crozier, a Peace Corps volunteer from Missouri, and 38 Colombians. "I made a promise then that someday I would go where Larry died," Radley said. "I went to Colombia for him and I went as a tribute to my family, but this also was about the Peace Corps. I went to affirm what my brother had volunteered for and had died for." Radley reflected a moment, then continued: "My trip transcended nationality, culture and language - and none of this would have happened without the kindness of strangers. All of them had good reasons to say no to me, but they said yes, and now I have a sense of completion. Somehow, standing there on that ridge brought my brother home."

Malawi RPCV Gordon Radley tossed stones from Jerusalem over a muddy ridge in Colombia, scattered dirt from the family's cemetery plot, and recited the Jewish memorial prayer to keep a promise made 50 years earlier to honor the memory of his brother, Peace Corps Volunteer Larry Radley, who died in a plane crash there in 1962

Sausalito man fulfills 50-year-old pledge to honor brother who died in Peace Corps

by patricia corrigan, correspondent

Caption: Gordon Radley says a few words at a memorial for his brother, Larry. photos/courtesy of gordon radley

In August, Gordon Radley tossed stones from Jerusalem over a muddy ridge in Colombia, scattered dirt from the family's cemetery plot, and recited the Jewish memorial prayer. In doing so, the Sausalito resident kept a promise made 50 years earlier to honor the memory of his brother, Larry, who died in a plane crash there in 1962.

"I never wanted to anticipate what it would be like. I wanted to just let it happen when I got there - if I got there," said Radley, 65, a member of S.F. Congregation Emanu-El. "If I had anything in mind, it was to experience the place in a meditative way, with boots on the ground, a time when I could truly feel the moment."

Radley put in about 10 years of negotiations and arrangements before he finally reached the guerrilla-controlled jungle in southwestern Colombia where his brother, one of the country's first Peace Corps volunteers, perished at age 22.

"I said a few words, thanking people, and before I could go on they told me I had only two minutes left," Radley recalled. "As the helicopters roared overhead, I pulled out my harmonica and played Beethoven's ‘Ode to Joy,' and I read ‘El Malei Rachamim,' "the Jewish funeral prayer.

The stones he threw on Aug. 18 were sent from Israel by his sister, Elena Rozenman, who lives in the Abu Tor area of Jerusalem. Radley also scooped up a bit of dirt from the crash site to bring back to the family cemetery in Chicago.

Just 15 minutes after he had arrived, Radley boarded the helicopter and left.

He talked by phone last week about his efforts to get to the ridge in Chocó. At first, he tried to make the arrangements privately, without involving governments or the military.

Peace Corps Online

"I was told I would need an escort, that the crash site was in a vast jungle where one mountaintop looked like all the others," Radley said. "Then I started working with a Colombian battalion colonel. He sent two battalions to find the site. Two weeks later, they reported back that they had been able to get only three miles in before giving up. The colonel said I would need a helicopter."

Radley then made a connection with Evelio Rodriguez, who lives at the bottom of the ridge and agreed to build a rudimentary helicopter landing pad.

Guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC - a group the U.S. State Department has classified as a terrorist organization - got wind of what was happening, captured Rodriguez and interrogated him. "They were about to kill him, but they let him go," Radley said. The landing pad never got used.

In April, Radley went to Colombia to meet with military leaders, who agreed to fly him over the crash site. He couldn't see much and vowed to return. The Colombians recommended that he come back in August, when members of the U.S. military would be in the area and helicopters could be brought onto the ridge.

"Many times over the years I thought it was not destined to happen, and when it did, it was so surreal," Radley said.

"This was a military operation, and there was a degree of urgency to it. Until the minute that helicopter landed on the mountaintop, even the military was saying we may not be able to do this." The guerrillas' presence in the area was a concern, of course, and the weather was bad.

It rained hard the night before Radley's visit. At the site, Colombian soldiers had stuck tree trunks in the ground to make walking in the slippery mud easier. They set up small benches under the rainforest canopy. They placed some of the twisted wreckage from the plane on a table they had built. The Colombians also brought a memorial wreath.

"It was overwhelming," Radley said quietly.

In attendance were Col. Yamil Gutierrez, the Colombian officer who made Radley's quest a reality, along with representatives of the military, members of the U.S. Embassy, the current Peace Corps director in Colombia and a cousin of Radley's. All were flown in on Black Hawk helicopters. Rodriguez also traveled up the mountain to meet Radley.

"Col. Gutierrez spoke, saying he was very proud to make this happen," Radley said. "He brought me to this impossible, precarious place with such warmth and understanding. I shook his hand and we embraced."

Larry Radley was one of the first 12 Americans selected to join the Peace Corps, and the first to give his life in service. One year after Larry's death, his sister joined the organization - with her parents' blessing - and served in Colombia. When Gordon Radley joined the Peace Corps in 1968, he was sent to Malawi.

"All this comes back to my parents, to the values and ideals they lived," said Radley, who retired as the president of Lucasfilm Ltd. and now sits on corporate boards, works with startups and nonprofit organizations, and promotes the Peace Corps.

"In 1952 - in the middle of the Korean War and at the height of McCarthyism - at Purim my mother dressed Larry as an American sailor, my sister as a Russian girl and me as a Chinese boy. We carried a banner with a quote from Leviticus that read, ‘Have we not all one father?'

"My mother was not making a political statement. This was simply her understanding of how you live in the world. Off we went to the Purim pageant - and we won for best costume."

Gordon Radley was 15 when his brother died along with David Crozier, a Peace Corps volunteer from Missouri, and 38 Colombians. "I made a promise then that someday I would go where Larry died," Radley said. "I went to Colombia for him and I went as a tribute to my family, but this also was about the Peace Corps. I went to affirm what my brother had volunteered for and had died for."

Radley reflected a moment, then continued: "My trip transcended nationality, culture and language - and none of this would have happened without the kindness of strangers. All of them had good reasons to say no to me, but they said yes, and now I have a sense of completion. Somehow, standing there on that ridge brought my brother home."




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: October, 2011; Peace Corps Colombia; Directory of Colombia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Colombia RPCVs; Fallen; Jewish Issues; Peace Corps Malawi; Directory of Malawi RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Malawi RPCVs





When this story was posted in October 2011, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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Who Were the First Volunteers? Date: September 14 2011 No: 1536 Who Were the First Volunteers?
As the Peace Corps prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, members of Colombia I say the agency's account of its early history is flawed. Although the Peace Corps' web site proclaims that the first group of volunteers were members of Ghana I, Colombia RPCV Ronald A. Schwartz writes that the first Peace Corps volunteers were, in fact, members of Colombia I and asks that the agency correct the historical record. Also read the essay by Ghana RPCV Bob Klein on Peace Corps Online about Ghana I - the first volunteers to arrive at their country of service.

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Take a look at our photo essay of Peace Corps' featured program at the 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington DC to see how the festival showcased the work of Peace Corps volunteers in economic development and income generation; ways volunteers have helped support local groups to help educate communities; and food and cooking traditions that have played a role in the Peace Corps experience. New: Enjoy photos from the second week of the exposition.

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The RPCV in the White House 8 Apr
Peace Corps Recruiter Remembers Thomas Maresco 2 Mar
Robbie Schwartz writes: How would my life have been different? 2 Mar
Rajiv Joseph is a fresh and compelling voice in theater 5 Mar
Robert Textor Releases Peace Corps Classic 13 Mar
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Peace Corps Faces Budget Ax in FY2012 23 Mar
Brendan Moroso writes: Revolution comes to North Africa 23 Mar
Jessica Moon Bernstein has exhibition "Ourrubberos" 26 Mar
Joshua Stern Founds Envaya to Provide Interent Access 26 Mar
Richard Sitler Photographs PCVs around the world 27 Mar
Scott Lacy is Executive Director of African Sky 29 Mar
American Sailor Accused of Raping PCV in Uganda 24 Apr
Scott Koepke Shares his Love for Dirt 26 Apr
Jane Wolkowicz tried to be Strict Vegetarian in Kazakhstan 27 Apr
George Packer Writes: Bin Laden: Better Late Than Never 2 May
Clare Major Screens Film "Feast & Sacrifice" 4 May
Steve Kruse and Salifu Mansaray met 40 years ago 4 May
SuZanne Kimbrell Rocks in Dallas 12 May
Nancy Sathre-Vogel writes:A Long Path to Nowhere 15 May
Gal Beckerman writes: What is Peace Corps for? 15 May
Katie Dyer Founded Fair Trade Folk Art Gallery 17 May
Henry Wilhelm Honored for his Photography 25 May

Congressional Hearings on Sexual Assault Date: June 3 2011 No: 1523 Congressional Hearings on Sexual Assault
Congress held hearings on the sexual assault of Peace Corps volunteers. Read the testimony of RPCVs on how the problem is still ongoing, and not limited to any particular country or region. Director Williams says that "it has become apparent to me that the Peace Corps has not always been sufficiently responsive or sensitive to victims of crime and their families. I sincerely regret that." Read what the Peace Corps is doing to address the issue. Latest: Background on sexual assault of PCVs.

Peace Corps: The Next Fifty Years Date: March 8 2011 No: 1513 Peace Corps: The Next Fifty Years
As we move into the Peace Corps' second fifty years, what single improvement would most benefit the mission of the Peace Corps? Read our op-ed about the creation of a private charitable non-profit corporation, independent of the US government, whose focus would be to provide support and funding for third goal activities. Returned Volunteers need President Obama to support the enabling legislation, already written and vetted, to create the Peace Corps Foundation. RPCVs will do the rest.

How Volunteers Remember Sarge Date: January 18 2011 No: 1487 How Volunteers Remember Sarge
As the Peace Corps' Founding Director Sargent Shriver laid the foundations for the most lasting accomplishment of the Kennedy presidency. Shriver spoke to returned volunteers at the Peace Vigil at Lincoln Memorial in September, 2001 for the Peace Corps 40th. "The challenge I believe is simple - simple to express but difficult to fulfill. That challenge is expressed in these words: PCV's - stay as you are. Be servants of peace. Work at home as you have worked abroad. Humbly, persistently, intelligently. Weep with those who are sorrowful, Care for those who are sick. Serve your wives, serve your husbands, serve your families, serve your neighbors, serve your cities, serve the poor, join others who also serve," said Shriver. "Serve, Serve, Serve. That's the answer, that's the objective, that's the challenge."

PCV Murder Investigated Date: January 18 2011 No: 1477 PCV Murder Investigated
ABC News has investigated the murder of Benin PCV Kate Puzey. Read our original coverage of the crime, comments on Peace Corps actions, the email Puzey sent her country director about sexual incidents with Puzey's students and with another PCV, the backstory on how RPCVs helped the Puzey family, and Peace Corps' official statement. PCOL Editorial: One major shortcoming that the Puzey murder highlights is that Peace Corps does not have a good procedure in place for death notifications.

Join Us Mr. President! Date: June 26 2009 No: 1380 Join Us Mr. President!
"We will double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011. And we'll reach out to other nations to engage their young people in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity," said Barack Obama during his campaign. Returned Volunteers rally and and march to the White House to support a bold new Peace Corps for a new age. Latest: Senator Dodd introduces Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2009 .



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Story Source: J Weekly

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Colombia; Fallen; Jewish Issues; COS - Malawi

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