How will we treat the children? Story By NORMAN PAPPOUS My father, Dr. Panagiotis Pappous, came to this country in the late ’50s. Before his arrival, he lived through the Nazi occupation of Greece and witnessed firsthand all the horrors that brought upon his country. He then fought in the subsequent Greek civil war against the northern communists. Dad immigrated to America with a degree and a few dollars in his pocket. He came to America to study medicine, and while here he met my mother in Nashville, Tenn. They married and came to Galveston, where Dad became the chief resident at John Sealy hospital for the Ears, Nose and Throat Department. After my birth, we moved to Canada for a few years — Dad’s visa required him to leave the USA for a period before he could return. After the required time, we all moved back — just outside of Washington, D.C., where Dad became a U.S. citizen and a popular physician. Dad has always been a strong Republican and knew, and treated, many of our nation’s highest elected officials. I remember in the late ’80s when Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd crossed a crowded store to say hi to my Dad while dozens of people watched and wondered who the man was that was being warmly greeted by a senior U.S. senator. I asked Dad how he knew Sen. Byrd. Dad shrugged his shoulders and said, “He must be a patient.” Dad was never one to moderate his opinion if he felt strongly about it (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree). I know that if Dad were in a room with President Barack Obama he would tell him how he felt about our southern border situation in language that is usually reserved for use by a Marine drill sergeant. I know this because Dad used that language on a monthly basis when phoned by the Republican Party for donations during George W. Bush’s term. Dad was furious that the federal government sent two border patrol agents to prison for, essentially, performing their duties. But I also know that Dad, if he were still physically able, would be the first to offer medical help to the children that come across our border. Dad still tears up when recalling hearing the cries of hungry Greek children during World War II. With no air conditioning, Greeks kept their windows open during the hot summer months and children’s screams of “Momma, I’m hungry” could be heard for blocks in the Athens nighttime. The federal government has failed our nation for decades concerning border security. Citizens who wish to hold the feds accountable have every right to do so. But, like my father, I remember some things from my youth. I remember how some treated my father when they heard his thick accent. It pained me to the depths of my soul that someone would treat my father disrespectfully because he didn’t sound like them. The world is watching Texas. Condemn this president and past presidents. Condemn our federal government. Make your outrage known. Hold these immigrants accountable for their actions as all people in our country are. But whether they stay or whether they are sent back — treat them as we would have wanted our immigrant ancestors to be treated. Do not create a generation of children that will be raised with memories of Americans turning their backs on them.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 11:53:35 +0000
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