Black promotes peace as student ambassador

Editor's note: Austin Black, of Nevada, recently toured portions of Europe as part of a People to People delegation of student ambassadors, to learn of the culture and history of other nations. The following was penned by his mother, Brenda Black, on his return to the United States. By Brenda Black Nevada Daily Mail "Are you from Nevada?" a girl asked me. She had just exited Gate 58 in Terminal B at KCI airport. Did I look like I was from Nevada? She answered my confused expression before I could voice my thoughts. "We met Austin Black at the airport in Atlanta," she explained. She zeroed in on the huge hand-painted banner which read "Austin Black, Welcome Back to the Good Ol' U.S. of A." Austin's little brother, his dad and grandpa pressed the 4-foot by 6-foot sign against the glass directly in front of the unloading passengers. I held the video camera at the ready. Grandma waved a flag proudly. We must have appeared anxious and conspicuous. We were waiting for the group arriving from Europe. We learned these vacationers from Nevada had already met the members of our People to People student ambassadors delegation during a flight layover in Georgia. Suddenly I realized I had been holding my breath for three weeks! I blurted out, "He's on the plane!" I couldn't wait to see his face. I wanted to hear the stories and see the pictures from our son's first international trip. Excitement, relief, anxiety and joy was shared by more than 30 other families waiting with us for their children. Since January, we had been meeting monthly with these folks, preparing to send our sons and daughters on a 21-day journey that took our fledglings to England, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. Now they were coming home. We melted into a heap of tears and smiles, thankful for the safe return of our loved ones when they finally appeared. Cheers and applause greeted the kids and the four adult sponsors who accompanied them. These 32 young people from all over the Kansas City region had been hand-picked for the task. They left as seventh and eighth grade girls and boys. They came back as world travelers on a mission for peace in a time of terror and hate. The horrors of war were fresh on their minds when they left. The magnitude and consequences of war were made further known to the students during the trip. Numerous museums and monuments dedicated to World War I and World War II were on the itinerary. In London, Austin, along with his fellow delegates, visited the Britain at War exhibition, experiencing what it was like to live in London during the Blitz. He heard air raids and radio messages from president Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. "I had a better understanding of what people went through during WW II," Austin said. "I learned what it might be like to lose a family member. I began to understand the hardships and uncertainty during that war. How lonely, afraid, worried and sad wives and children must have felt." Before taking this trip, he had studied the great world wars. Now he was seeing the actual sites of battles won and lost. The Memorial Museum in Caen, France, played a film about the ships landing on D-Day. Austin watched in the darkened theater as pictures of the boats hit shallow water and the gates dropped. The Germans waited ready behind the rocks. While thousands of Allied soldiers started running up the beach, they fell just as rapidly to their death. Bodies lay in bloody piles. Earlier that day Austin had stood on that same site. After walking in the sand along France's Normandy Coast, the words from the pages of his history book held more significance than ever before. "I definitely see things differently now," Austin said. "The value of life and freedom means so much more to me." Another sobering reminder of the cost of freedom resonated in a short film at the In Flanders Field Museum in Leper, Belgium. "It showed men running and yelling." he said. The rolled barbed wire that separated friend from enemy was severed, allowing invasion. A surprise attack ended in slaughter. "I saw men dead everywhere in the film clip, "Austin recounted. "It really made you think about those men who died trying to hold the front line." Having visited a museum devoted as much to the promotion of peace as it is to the remembrance of war, was a powerful predecessor to the evening visit to Menin Gate. This memorial is inscribed with the names of 55,000 soldiers who were marched to their deaths. Every night a reverential ceremony is enacted to honor them. The Last Post (a bugle call) is sounded in memory of those who fought and died in WWI. In the quiet, peaceful country of The Netherlands, Austin visited the museum of Anne Frank's House. Her story revealed a time when families clung to one another and to life itself. "If it had been my family, I would have felt terrified, and afraid of being found," said Austin. "It made me remember how much my family means to me." Though some of the history exhibits were difficult to watch, Austin said he was thankful for the lessons being taught. He believes there are many from his generation who don't realize the sickening, terrible destruction. "Today the wars are high-tech and often brief. These were wars that lasted for years and left entire countries with millions dead or dying," he shared solemnly. "I learned that war is one of the most terrible things there is," Austin said. "Billions of lives are lost. Damage to property costs millions of dollars. But sometimes, in order to obtain peace, war is an ugly necessity." Reminded graphically of the ravages of war, Austin declared, "I want to live in a peaceful world. I think people can come closer to understanding each other by developing personal relationships." He continued. "In many aspects, we are all the same. If we can see the similarities rather than the differences, maybe we can all live in peace." Little by little the newfound wisdom trickles out of him. He remembers the faces of foreigners and new friends. He recounts the details from the places he'll never forget. Austin left home to help change the world. He came home changed as well. When I look at him now, he seems older and wiser. In fact, he celebrated his 14th birthday while he was across the sea. It's something more, however, that this mother notices. My son saw places that I'll probably never see. He had to face in a profound way some of life's awful realities. I think it was worth three weeks and a little anxiety. Being together again certainly was a relief. Just one more thing would make our reunion a little more sweet. His plane arrived just one day after the Fourth of July. I hoped Austin would get to see some fireworks. Sure enough, folks were continuing to celebrate through the weekend. Little did they know they were doing it for him. Ambassador Black was welcomed back to the good old U.S.A. He proudly told us as we headed home to Nevada, "In all of the world, America is still the best country."