The Road Home: Journey Back to Kwangju

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.  Edmund Burke I want to start by thanking the people of Gwangju who met with us today and apologize ahead of time for names that I have left out.  They all were so very kind and spoke many complimentary words about my father, Arnold Peterson, and Uncle Betts Huntley.  There were three families of which I am aware, that stayed in Gwangju during the People's Democratic Uprising in May of 1980.  They were represented by the husbands, Arnold Peterson, Betts Huntley, and John Underwood.  I started this blog entry with the quote from Edmund Burke because I think all three men would say that what they did was not heroic, as some have said, but just the right thing to do.  If you see evil and do nothing, evil prevails.  These three men, the people of Gwangju, and many others refused to do nothing. Today was a whirlwind of emotions.  Meeting with people we haven't seen since my childhood, reconnecting w

I mentioned in my first post that my dad wrote a book which led to his testifying before Korean congress about the atrocities that he and my mother witnessed. I think I will take some time while on the plane to Korea to try and explain a little more about what happened in Gwangju from my family's perspective. I am not a very confrontational person or a political person. I don't really like those aspects of life, and I really don't like my own personality in those areas, so I generally avoid them. Thus, when writing the first post, my younger daughter asked why I wrote some things a certain way and why I didn't include some other things. I told her I didn't want to be offensive. Aubrey pointed out that the entire Gwangju situation was offensive, violent, and political. She was correct. You can't avoid that without dishonoring the people who lived through it and those who lost their lives because of it. There are times when my children's wisdom amazes

We are finally in the air and on our way to South Korea.  What a great thing it is to be traveling back home with my mom on Mother's Day!  Back in my youth when we were flying back and forth to Korea as a missionary family, we always flew coach, the cheapest way possible.  This time we are flying Premium Coach, which appears to be what the old first class cabin was like.  This is a much more comfortable flight that I remember.  We were provided with complimentary slippers, toothbrush, over the ear headphones, a pillow and a blanket.  So I sit here in my comfortable seat, slippers on, listening to some Bob Seger Greatest Hits, and blog from an airplane while flying.  We are living the high life! I am the only son living outside of the Dallas, TX area so I don't get to see mom on a regular basis.  This trip will be a fun time for mom and I to reconnect.  I have a feeling this will be a powerful emotional experience, many of them tied to what happened in Gwangju and tied to ou

My name is Brant Peterson and I have the honor of being the middle son of Arnold and Barbara Peterson.  This is my first blog, so bear with me and be kind.  My mom and Aunt Martha Huntley have been invited to participate in the Gwangju Asia Forum in May of 2018 to share my parent's experiences during the Gwangju People's Uprising in May of 1980.  When we lived in Gwangju, the anglican spelling was Kwangju.  So in homage, I titled the blog with Kwangju but will use Gwangju in the rest of the blog as it is the current correct spelling. I will be accompanying my mother on her trip.  As a Missionary Kid (MK) and a Third Culture Kid (TCK), I had accepted long ago that I would never be able to return to my home, so I am grateful for this opportunity.  This blog will be a mixture of our present day adventures on our trip and recollections from the past. Arnold & Barbara Peterson with Brant, Doug, & Chris (1975) First, a little background for those of you that don't