I was there, though a newbie in 79/80...so cannot contribute much.
There were over 2000 wows, maybe 3000 ....they moved the wows half way through the year....the class went up to 200 dollars .....and it was announced on the field that lcm was going to be the prez of the ministry :o
Before I went wow my wc tc told me confidentially that there was supposed to be some sort of government upheaval and to try to get stocked up on supplies and canned goods in my wow family.
Pressed down`s *star of the show* album was the newest hottest music..
Some corps guy (monty something) had escaped from the deprogramers and returned and told his story the last night of corps week (somebody got us in to roa a night early)
Rascal is right. With the Iranian Crisis there was more talk of our country being in peril and we were to stock up on supplies and in our area, they even talked about getting wood stoves for cooking and heating since our electrcial and gas power may be affected. That was the end of 1979. The next year, in 1980, is when they did the outreach cities with the WOW Ambassadors. Perhaps anyway from 100 to 150 WOWS were sent to one city. Virginia Beach, VA, Washington DC, Phoeniz, AZ were some of those cities. I was one of them
While I was on the WOW field, John Lennon was shot and killed in NY. Our WOW branch, all the WOWs had a meeting and there was leadership there telling us basically that John Lennon was seed of the serpent so no big loss and that is how the devil treats his own.
Back in 1978, I think it was 1978, is when the Jim Jones cult commited mass suicide. I was at my twig leader's house as we were having an intermediate class and afterwards were watching TV with her 6th corps finace and that is when the news came over about the Jim Jones Cult.
Of course, according to VP, those people were murdered and didn't commit suicide and claimed our government had a hand in it and said that those people in that cult were being treated by our government as if they were sent to Guyanna on a mission since our government went in to get the bodies. He said our government only did that, retrieved bodies like that when people were sent on a mission.
There was a big emphasis on deprogrammers fear of during those years.
Rascal, I remember the story that the guy told as well from the stage of ROA.
It was horrifying and scary, but then we were being made to fear deprogrammers like they were out to get each and everyone of us. One year prior to Monty telling his story on stage in 1979, our branch coordinator (non corps) had a weekly meeting with us twig coordinators (all non corps) and read a publication he claimed he got from the Way Tree that was published, supposedly by some civil rights group about what happens during a deprogramming and how the person is systematically broken down.
Lack of sleep, food, privacy, even escorted to the bathroom, dropping them on the floor should they fall asleep, stripping the subject to lower their defenses cause most people are defenseless while naked. Oh and dont' forget, the word was that Ted Patrick, like the deprogrammer of deprogrammers (that is they way he was presented to us) was supposedly an ex- pimp (according to TWI leadership) and was therefore, an expert in breaking women down.
I remember Monty telling how he was tied down in bed and when he had to urinate, they brought him a cup and held his penis so he could urinate in to the cup. One day untied, he and his brother (I think) were allowed outside (seemed like he was kept in a remote area or a campsite of some sort) and Monty broke into a run and his brother chased him then his brother fell and claimed he was bitten by a snake and Monty had to make a decision, the word or his brother so Monty kept running and then his brother continued to chase him.
That is when, at that ROA of 1979 that VP announced from the stage that there were a lot of FBI people there and he knew that they were there because he had a connection with a man upstairs and everyone cheered like loons at that statment. VP also said that had they asked, he would have granted them access to the grounds cause they had nothing to hide and they wouldn't find what they were looking fun, ie guns.
That was a weird Rock. There were several problems. One, when we left the main grounds of the ROA and crossed the road (Wierwille Road?), we had to walk straight across, if we walked diagonally, the local sheriff blasted his siren. No lollygagging on that road that year. Also, one morning, all the head cheeses called a meeting in the Main Top to explain a situation between a car of Wayfers and a car of locals that occured during the night.
As they explained the altercation, I got more and more confused as none of it make sense. It seems that some local got hurt or their car got damaged, something of the sort. Everyone cheered and I said, "huh?" But then I have always been the odd ball.
Through the early time I was involved (I stayed in till 1989) from 1975-1979ish, all the twig coordinators and branch leaders were regular people from the area/community where I lived. The only corps were possibly the area leaders or the limb leaders. Things were more laid back, and the music and style of twig was kinda hippish, sort of a left over from those days. Lots of folk type music made by the locals. People hung together. We went out after twig, we went dancing or to eating establishments, we got together on our own to study the word, play games, you name it.
And we thrived.
Nothing was mandatory, and being young, when I got in, I was surrounded by many older people in their thirties, divorced mostly and had already seen a big chunk of the world and life. I was an 18 year old. Only ONE time did I see a twig coordinator try to confront these people into doing something mandatory like go to a college WOW program since several of them were attending night classes at the local community college in addition to holding down a job and these more seasoned people told the twig leader in no uncertain terms where he could shove his college wow meeting.
That was great! :)
After the ROA 1980, my homecoming, I went back to my home area and found out that all the branch leaders had been replaced with corps.
Things were never the same after that. If that offends, sorry but it is the truth because things became more legalistic and mandatory.
The 1978 Advanced Class was the LAST advanced class wherein twi utilized tapes, articles and incidents of OTHERS WHO WALKED WITH THE POWER OF GOD. We listened to an account of a woman who cast out some 17 evil spirits out of someone in India (?? or someplace). This 1978 ac credited many experiences of those who walked in the revelation/power manifestations of holy spirit.
The 1979 Advanced Class was an "in-house operation" with much more pro-twi insertions. This class was in Athens, Ohio and had more of the flavor of a production or an event......rather than the usual adv class.
IMO, the advanced classes never were the same after 1978. Churches were evil......all ministries, other than twi, were suspect to devil infiltration. Only twi was true-and-blue......all others had sold-out their ministries to the devil and his kingdom.
As twi became an all-in-house organization.......the tower of Babel comes to mind.
The twi leadership became blinded by their own pride and ego as early as 1978........and was spiraling downward. Wierwille couldn't see it happening......he facilitated it.
Oh, how misguided men can be......when forsaking the Lord.
Oh well........it's a good lesson to have learned.
The "By the Way" articles are the ones printed in the local newspaper that were later printed in a book that Word Wolf mentions ... I was just looking at them and the dates on the ones I have are mostly past the 1980 mark ... I have read the one about Mon** P**to several times before (perhaps not in this book?), but it doesn't seem to be in here ... in my book we have the 4/27/81 article called "Deprogramming: Spiritual Gang Rape," 5/13/81-5/21/81 "The Attempted Deprogramming of L**yd Biop," (that is in his own words, for the most part;" 1/14/82 "D**g Wi**on's Deprogramming - A Kidnapping," "Deprogramming and Kansas Guardianship Bill" on 2/27/81, 2/25/82 the 98th article, and article #101 on 2/28/82. (which mentions Ted Patrick specifically) ... it relates that Ted Patrick was issued a Permanent Injunction and his "employees, associates, or agents" against not only Mon** P**to but the entire "class" known as the followers of The Way International. They could no longer do any "aiding, assisting, or abetting" in deprogramming or kidnapping. The basis for the plaintiff's and the class' protection was that their rights under the 1st, 9th, and 14th Amendments to the Constitution had been violated, etc.
How a deprogramming is done, as well at ethical concerns, etc. is covered in articles 163 through 172 ... it was a big concern at that time in the Way's history.
Even though the P**to one is not in here, I recall having read it in several different installments (not in one article) several times over the years I was in TWI ... I am thinking it might have been in one of the early articles (before the ones published in this volume) ... It took several days to cover it, as I recall ... not just one article.
The *take a stand caravan* was making the circuit in 79. Joyfull noise in their blue and yellow gym suits. I thought they were fantastic....They had a big impact on me....I had just begun attending fellowships and was fired up by the show and the fun music....but then I was cornered afterwards by a group of about 6 people most of whom I didn`t know.....and relentlessly pressured to sign up for pfal.
I remember being very uncomfortasble and saying that I only had 60 dollars and they said *we`ll TAKE it* you can pay the rest later...geeeze that was a lot of money for a 17 yr old who had to earn every penny as a waitress.
I really enjoyed the music, but in hindsight, it would seem that it was just another recruiting tool :(
Geeeeeze o pete.... the more I think about it, the more irritated I get. Invite a naieve 17 yr old kid to a concert....hype it up as the greatest thing since sliced bread....get her away from her home town and family and when the defenses are down...she is thinking that she is just there to enjoy a christian concert..... gang up and corner her....they were all older .... they literally formed a circle around me....I think even some of the musicians that had enthralled me during the show were present....every polite excuse or attempt to extricate myself was shot down immediatly.
I kid you not, I was given NO room to wiggle.....augh...I`ll bet they were all high fivin each other for their victory
My daughter is now 17, the same age. The thought of her being manipulated like that when she is so naieve and vulnerable .....makes me see red....it also helps me to understand why I was so gullible and trusting.
Sorry wolf, you asked for memories....no matter how warm and fuzzy....lol
A friend of mine was kidnapped right before the ROA 1977 to be deprogrammed. I don't know how much of a kidnapping it was, since she lived with her parents, and wasn't out on the field but she was held against her will and if I remember correctly, was moved from place to place against her will, it may even have involved a plane, I am not sure.
She escaped, got help from someone and the authorities got involved and she made it to the Rock. This was at the Sidney Fair Grounds I believe. VP had her on stage and she told her story and how the deprogrammers grabbed and stole her address book so they could solicit the parents of the TWI people in her book for deprogramming, and of course, I was listed in there. My parents did get a call from someone asking them how they felt about my involvement in TWI and of course they said they hated it but that they would not interfer with it.
So nothing came of that.
I remember Take a Stand Caravan, Rascal, you are prompting my memories :) That was a cool show, it was a recruiting tool. I am going to carry my bible to school, lol.
Anyway, I went out WOW in 1980, to an outreach city. The TAKIT band was making tours. Takit to the Top, do you remember that? Maybe I am not spelling the band's name correctly.
Anywho, we had a roving WOW ambassador, corps who roamed the region as needed, working with the WOW's on the field. When the TAKIT people came to my outreach city, the roving WOW worked with a local school to use their auditorium for a concert.
She sat in my WOW living room telling us how they went to the principal of the school, promoting the TAKIT band as a positive, anti drug message for young people. While that was true, she lied by ommission and never told the principal that they were associated with TWI. She thought it was great. A positive message is great. And a good positive message doesn't need to be covered up from where it was coming from.
I cringed. It was lying.
Now, I don't know who knew she did that, among those traveling with the band, and I mean no offense, but here was just another example of how TWI didn't tell the whole truth because the end always justified the means.
Sam, I remember Takit. We all thought they were SO cool.
Was that 79/80 or 80/81
I wanna know how come when everybody else got sent to exciting *outreach cities* I was SOOO thrilled to be moving to an exciting new city.....and I got sent to the armpit of the usa ...ARKANSAS!! (no offense Arkie Ron)
I remember the fire works at the roa....marching out of the big top carrying glow lights ...marching to Battle hym of the republic blasting.... so powerfull so moving....
aaaaaand WOW burgers for all out going wows!!!!! yummie :D
I was in Connecticut at the time, running the state bookstore, for some forgotten reason. That meant I was responsible to go anywhere in the state at any time, to set up a bookstore for classes , meeting or whatever. This required me to drive 40 minutes to the limb hq after work, load up my car, drive to wherever, do the store, drive back to limb, re stock the shelves, do the paperwork and money, then drive home and collapse before getting up in a few hours to my dead end doorknob factory job.
but I digress
Since I was bookstore guy, I was given the 'Take a Stand ' albums to sell. I forget the specific instruction , but St*v* Str*ep*K, the limb leader of CT, gave me orders on how to set up,promote, and sell them. About an hour later V*nc* F*nn*g*n comes by, and demands to know what I'm doing. I tell him I'm doing what Str*z instructed, and he yells, 'never mind what he said, don't do that do this'! Then he gave me a look of such hatred and anger that I still curdle at the memory of it.
Not that it needs saying, but in my neck of way world, an order from the limb leader was the same as an order from God-so I was just a little conflicted. I could just imagine the dressing down I'd be getting from Str*z, but since F*nn*g*n was the head honcho for the caravan I followed orders. it was such a great night.
Oh, and we brought a 'new person' from Twig. The week before she was listening to a Takit album and thought they were great. Then someone in twig said, there was a great concert next week, and she should go-not telling her that takit wasn't going to be there. I recall cringing and thinking this is not going to be good, but one did not get in the way of bringing people to the class back then.
As expected, she was incensed. Instead of Takit, she saw Claudette Royale in a cheerleaders outfit, and a heavy pfal push. She felt she had been misled and lied to and was never seen again.
"We're on God's Team', didn't sound so good to me that night.
I was eating breakfast in the Student Union at the University of Illinois in early summer of 1978. Two college kids sat down next to me and started chatting. Eventually, the Bible came up, and though I'd been a "good Catholic" for over 20 years, I thought it would be good to know about the Bible, so I agreed to got to their fellowship. They said they would take me, but I insisted that they just give me the address and time. A couple days late, I got a phone call saying the location had been changed, would I like a ride? No, thanks. Just give me the address. Well, Monday night comes around (Twig night), and the Baseball Game of the Week is supposed to be the Reds vs. the Pirates. Being a big Reds fan, i decided to watch the game. I turn on the TV, only to hear "Live from Comiskey Park, it's the Red Sox vs. the White Sox!" The heck with THAT! I might as well go to that Bible thing! So I did.
Fellowship was fun, though I thought the speaking in tongues was weird and was deathly afraid that I would have to try speaking French, or something! But the teaching was good, and the people were nice. "Rhino" was the branch leader at the time. (Hi, Bill!) After a couple of weeks, there were preparations for a "Freedom" PFAL class. A public exhibition was held, and the first hour of the class was played. I thought it was cool, paid $100, and then took the class. There didn't seem to be a lot of pressure, though maybe that's because I was pretty eager to take the class. Anyway, there were 25 people signed up, so we had a "film" class. As I recall, the quotas were: 7-12 students -- audio class; 13-24 students -- video class; 25+ students -- film class.
I always had a lot of questions, and the fact that I read Greek spooked some of the grads; but no one gave me any grief. In fact, "Rhino" was always very cool-headed about it. We often had a beer or two after a session and talked about it. I really thought that The Way was a greaat medium for getting a knowledge of God to people. Oh, and I still keep in touch with a couple of people from that class, whom I sponsored in the Corps in later years.
There were some cute girls in the fellowship, and I dated a couple of them, but there was no promiscuity that I could discern. Darn. ;)
Right after the class "Rhino" went off to the 9th Corps, and two women (6th Corps, maybe?), Sue D**ko and Janie So***er took over the branch. (Actually, Janie married John So***er; I don't remember her maiden name.) The campus twig was taken by Vickie Se****ck, who had just come back from a year studying in France. She helped get me through all the classes I needed to go to the "live" Advanced Class. There were several Twigs in the Champaign-Urbana area, so I got to know a lot of the believers pretty well. Again, I didn't really see a big push to get people in classes or Twig. It all seemed to flow rather naturally. (This blessed me, why don't you try it? No? Okay.) We occasionally went to Peoria for classes (W&U, etc.). The Limb was in Shirley (just outside of Bloomington). We would go there once or twice a year, too.
I went to AC '79 in Athens. At the time, I still wasn't convinced that Jesus was not God. (In fact, I even "threw" some questions on the Entrance Exam. I knew the answer that was expected, but I wan't convinced it was right.) Obviously, a lot of others didn't do too well on that part of the test, because VP spent about three days hammering on it. I remember him saying "If you still think Jesus Christ is God, you've got to be possessed!" I was sure he was going to get revelation, single me out of the 3000 students, and cast devils out of me! It didn't happen, of course; but the LOGIC of JCING finally got through to me.
Mo**y Pe**o gave his deprogramming story there, too. (I didn't go to ROA that year, so I know I heard the story at AC.) There was also some other young lady who escaped deprogrammers adn made it to the class with only the clothes on her back. Deprogramming WAS big back then. My mother admitted that she had looked into having ME deprogrammed, but the high price tag on the "service" ended THAT!
As I recall, there were four teachings every day. Individual leaders taught "Morning Watch" teachings (before breakfast?). Later in the morning was a session of the AC. In the afternoon there were "series" teachings. I believe G. Wren taught "JC the Twig Leader" the first week, and LCM taught about Acts the second week. Then, at night there was another AC session. On the weekend, Saturday night, I believe, there was a seesion open to the public. I remember JAL doing a comedy routine about the "Devil's Bathroom." (Trivial enough, for you WW?)
At the end of the summer, Vickie headed off to 10th Corps. Sue and Janie were replaced by Don Br****le, interim 9th Corps. He really got the twigs moving, but he was never heavy-handed. He was serious about the Word, but was loving and a fun man. (Sadly, he died of a heart attack some years ago.) Another young lady took over the campus Twig, with me as her assistant. I enjoyed the leaders' meetings and the fellowhip on campus. Still no fooling around, as far as I could tell. I think it was in 79 that R. Kehoe took over as Limb Leader. I liked him, too. He was short, but he had a commanding presence.
That pretty much runs through fall of '79. Maybe I'll write more later. The basic gist is: people were fellowshipping and witnessing because they ENJOYED it. Leadership, even Corps, were cool.
Ok George, thanks for mentioning "There was also some other young lady who escaped deprogrammers and made it to the class with only the clothes on her back." I couldn't remember if my the incident I recall was PFAL77 or AC79. when you mentioned Athens, that confirmed it.
My wife was at the AC class, but I had stayed home. I got a call from Athens asking me if I could be available to go to the airport here in Denver and meet a plane and a girl transfering planes. They wanted me to purchase a ticket and fly with the girl to Atlanta and stay with her until she got safely on a plane there to Ohio where she would be met by several TWI people and escorted to Athens.
The concept was to not leave her alone in Atlanta for a moment, as there was a concern of her being intercepted there. Of course I could not refuse this spiritual duty, but I was certainly scared. You see I was (and am) 5'8" and about 140 pounds, so if we were intercepted by deprogrammers I would have only my revelation skills to deal with the situation. I was told that would be PLENTY! The girl pretty much slept the whole plane trip, she was obviously exhausted and still a little scared. I sure felt "puffy" that the MOG would trust me with such a mission. He did know who I was, and my size. I wish I could remember the girl's name, I have often wondered what became of her.
I shouldn't post on this thread, yet I can't pass it by. The tears are already in my eyes and I haven't even begun to type it out. I don't talk about it much, cause to this day it still cuts to the quick to remember back to that time. Years ago I wrote out some of the story, but from a normal person's point of view. I left out the TWI side of it all. I will paste it here and edit as I go adding in what's needed that only someone who's been in TWI would understand. Doing it this way is much easier than trying to do it all again, I can't emotionally do that. Thank you all for understanding this.
Gary's Story
I was not present the night Gary was killed, so didn't know the whole story of all that really happened for many years.
As it turned out, my mother found it best to make sure I got NO information on anything. She kept me away from TV, newspapers, radio, the whole time and I never was contacted by the police about any of it, nor the DA about when the trial would be held. She is my mom, I was only 19 and I think she was keeping my best interests at heart in her own way, which were inspired by TWI of course.
See, Gary was shot and killed by the ex-husband of the lady he was sleeping around with. Yes, I had left him for that and we were living apart, until he could figure out who and what he wanted. I was at my mom's house alone with him 2 or 3 days before he was murdered and he and I had a real long talk. We decided to give it one more try and get back together. He was going to go over to her house and tell her it was over. Knowing my mom was at work and her hours, we even made love on her couch that day. It turned out to be the last time I would see him alive. When he went over to her house the next time, it was the night her ex came over and got into a fight with Gary. Gary beat him up. Her ex then walked to his truck, got out his .22 rifle and walked back towards the back porch where Gary and she were standing. He pointed it and pulled the trigger.
I was very upset and crying after I got the news. My mom just looked at me and said 'why are you so upset, you didn't love him anyway, you were separated'. To this day I've never told her that he and I were together at her house or what we talked about and did. She did give me some money, so I could drive 10 miles to the closest mall and buy a black dress. I stopped on the way there by a friend's restaurant/bar and told them what had happened. They were both in TWI. Their son walked to the bar, mixed me a screwdriver in a syrofoam coffee cup and told me to slip into the kitchen to drink it. I was underage, but he knew what I needed more than I did. His mom stood in the kitchen with me for an hour or more as I drank it, holding me and showing me someone cared. That was the one act of kindness thru the whole ordeal from anyone in TWI.
When my twig leader D*bbie Gr*ss heard what had happened, she told me 'he wasn't a believer anyway, so what are you in such a fuss about. Quit crying and go find a real TWI believer to marry and forget Gary. He isn't worth crying over.'
Then my mom really helped me out by picking up and driving his bitch .. err.. mistress, to the funeral. She left me on my own, with his 5 VERY big and ....ed off brothers, for all of us to find our own way to the funeral home. One of them rode there with me and helped me hold it together, while the rest rode together in another of the bro's cars.
TWI was a real support thru the funeral. None of them from twig showed up, nor did they come to see me afterwards. Gary was never mentioned by any of them again.
I suffered thru the whole thing and watched that bitch carry on about how after he was shot, Gary told her how much he loved her, his blood spilling all over her clothes, then how he slipped away and died.
I asked her to please return his possessions that were left at her house. She had a yard sale a couple days later and sold all of it at a nice profit. I lost it all.
Last, he wanted to be cremated and I honored his request. I picked out a beautiful urn made from brass with a braided horseshoe of brass on the front of it. I kept it on the mantle of the fireplace in my mom's home. (I was living there then.)
Trying to do as told, I met and married another man very quickly about 3-4 months later at the ROA, when I still wasn't thinking straight and married him at the end of the Rock. No one ever bothered to ask me what the hell I was thinking of. That's another story altogether. Once he and I got settled into a place in the next state over from where I was born and raised, I asked my mom to send me the urn. She told me she had decided to give it to Gary's favorite brother. I NEVER gave her my permission to do that.
The murder happened in the beginning of 1977.
Fast forward to 2000. I located his brother online and sent him an email. He told me he took the urn to the state of Washington and he and the rest of the brothers climbed up a really tall mountain, then scattered the ashes. They then tucked the urn into a crack in the mountain. Gary wanted to be buried in his mother's grave, on top of her casket. He had told me that shortly after we were married, in case anything ever happened to him. I haven't talked to his brother since. While I could probably find where they tossed the ashes, I have yet to figure out how I will get up a mountain path in my wheelchair if I ever could save up the finances to travel there.
After talking to his brother, I looked online and found the email to the newspaper for the county Gary was murdered in. I told them who I was and they looked up the old newspaper articles and sent a copy to me snail mail.
Gary died instantly. He did NOT talk to that bitch. She wasn't even near his body, she was found freaking out, standing on the side of her house. She never even bothered to go inside after it all went down, to check on her two very young kids, to make sure they were still asleep!!! Her ex drove himself to work, told his foreman the cops would be there soon to get him, he'd just shot and killed a man. He was exactly right, that's just what the cops did. (I know the man who worked next to him in that factory, so this is confirmed to have happened.) The article then mentioned who his father was and said he was the biggest contractor in the entire area. The other article they sent me was after the trial. It said he was sentenced to 5 yrs., for 2nd degree murder. I wonder what kind of plea he would have gotten, had his daddy been a nobody.
So now I know the whole story of what really happened that night.
Wordwolf I think in the first post you mean Howard and Don W, not uncle Harry, made trustees. Uncle Harry died Oct of that year. But that was my era.
I took pfal in Jan of 77 and went wow that same year. Wow year wasn't bad; we were in a small college town in MO and we were the only wows ever sent there. Hmm. But what happened there pretty much stayed there. We didn't move the word that great.
The next 2 yrs though felt like the whole world was out to get us. Jonestown gave the USA cult as a household word, and there was a lot of pressure to be in or out. I'm glad it wasn't like that when I was first going to twig.
The next year, 80/81, things seemed to lighten up a bit. The STL area ran a pfal class with 37 new students in it and we grew from 7 twigs to 21.
Well, I've passed the year limitation on the thread title, but in retrospect, that 2 year period was disturbing. I mean, getting a 6 month supply of grain food and being told not to have any less than 1/2 tank of gas at all times? Being told that stringing chairs for a meeting was life or death? That was a lot of pressure.
Sam, I remember Takit. We all thought they were SO cool.
Was that 79/80 or 80/81
'80-'81 Definitely. I was a WOW that year. we saw them in Cheyenne, Wyoming (we lived pretty close, in western Nebraska) and in Minneapolis.
I wanna know how come when everybody else got sent to exciting *outreach cities* I was SOOO thrilled to be moving to an exciting new city.....and I got sent to the armpit of the usa ...ARKANSAS!! (no offense Arkie Ron)
Yeah, all my buddies and buddettes got sent to the big "outreach cities"; I was in a town of 5,000.
It was Christmas 1977 when I first heard of TWI, or rather when I first heard about the people who were running a "bible study" in their apartment, that I later found out were part of TWI.
My cousin was attending twigs at the home of a co-worker. My aunt asked that I go with her to look after her or something. I began attending sporadically myself; I enjoyed the discussions about the bible. In March of 1978 I decided to take the PFAL class.
There was no pressure to attend twig or take the class, or if there was, it was subtle.
There were nine or ten branches located on Long Island at the time, none run by Way Corps grads. Few twig leaders were even advanced class grads.
For the months leading up to ROA 1978 I was involved only superficially, and that seemed okay with everybody. After the ROA I became more involved.
Many of the "original" wayfers who got involved in TWI during the early to mid seventies had left to go WOW or into the Way Corps, although a few were still around. As I got more involved after ROA '78 and before ROA '79, I perceived an attitude that we were in the midst of a changing of the guard from the "good old days" to the more structured times.
MY Philly WOW year 1978-79 was pretty loose, when fellow 8th corps EW and I ran the WOW branch there, and 6tn/8th corps sisters CD & CD, who ran the non WOWs, complained to us about not dating them more. But then our 6th corps Limb Leaders, TW & MW were a pretty loose couple.
Getting to HQ right after became somewhat less loose, of course, but we were still able to pull a nacho raid on the women in the Wierwille home.
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As I remember it..... The 1978 Advanced Class was the LAST advanced class wherein twi utilized tapes, articles and incidents of OTHERS WHO WALKED WITH THE POWER OF GOD. We listened to an account of
waysider
The key to understanding why we put up with this is that leadership made it seem as if WE were the ones who were flawed, not them. We had to persevere to prove ourselves worthy. You probably had somew
rascal
I was there, though a newbie in 79/80...so cannot contribute much.
There were over 2000 wows, maybe 3000 ....they moved the wows half way through the year....the class went up to 200 dollars .....and it was announced on the field that lcm was going to be the prez of the ministry :o
Before I went wow my wc tc told me confidentially that there was supposed to be some sort of government upheaval and to try to get stocked up on supplies and canned goods in my wow family.
Pressed down`s *star of the show* album was the newest hottest music..
Some corps guy (monty something) had escaped from the deprogramers and returned and told his story the last night of corps week (somebody got us in to roa a night early)
It all seemed very magical and exciting.
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Samurai
Rascal is right. With the Iranian Crisis there was more talk of our country being in peril and we were to stock up on supplies and in our area, they even talked about getting wood stoves for cooking and heating since our electrcial and gas power may be affected. That was the end of 1979. The next year, in 1980, is when they did the outreach cities with the WOW Ambassadors. Perhaps anyway from 100 to 150 WOWS were sent to one city. Virginia Beach, VA, Washington DC, Phoeniz, AZ were some of those cities. I was one of them
While I was on the WOW field, John Lennon was shot and killed in NY. Our WOW branch, all the WOWs had a meeting and there was leadership there telling us basically that John Lennon was seed of the serpent so no big loss and that is how the devil treats his own.
Back in 1978, I think it was 1978, is when the Jim Jones cult commited mass suicide. I was at my twig leader's house as we were having an intermediate class and afterwards were watching TV with her 6th corps finace and that is when the news came over about the Jim Jones Cult.
Of course, according to VP, those people were murdered and didn't commit suicide and claimed our government had a hand in it and said that those people in that cult were being treated by our government as if they were sent to Guyanna on a mission since our government went in to get the bodies. He said our government only did that, retrieved bodies like that when people were sent on a mission.
There was a big emphasis on deprogrammers fear of during those years.
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Samurai
Rascal, I remember the story that the guy told as well from the stage of ROA.
It was horrifying and scary, but then we were being made to fear deprogrammers like they were out to get each and everyone of us. One year prior to Monty telling his story on stage in 1979, our branch coordinator (non corps) had a weekly meeting with us twig coordinators (all non corps) and read a publication he claimed he got from the Way Tree that was published, supposedly by some civil rights group about what happens during a deprogramming and how the person is systematically broken down.
Lack of sleep, food, privacy, even escorted to the bathroom, dropping them on the floor should they fall asleep, stripping the subject to lower their defenses cause most people are defenseless while naked. Oh and dont' forget, the word was that Ted Patrick, like the deprogrammer of deprogrammers (that is they way he was presented to us) was supposedly an ex- pimp (according to TWI leadership) and was therefore, an expert in breaking women down.
I remember Monty telling how he was tied down in bed and when he had to urinate, they brought him a cup and held his penis so he could urinate in to the cup. One day untied, he and his brother (I think) were allowed outside (seemed like he was kept in a remote area or a campsite of some sort) and Monty broke into a run and his brother chased him then his brother fell and claimed he was bitten by a snake and Monty had to make a decision, the word or his brother so Monty kept running and then his brother continued to chase him.
That is when, at that ROA of 1979 that VP announced from the stage that there were a lot of FBI people there and he knew that they were there because he had a connection with a man upstairs and everyone cheered like loons at that statment. VP also said that had they asked, he would have granted them access to the grounds cause they had nothing to hide and they wouldn't find what they were looking fun, ie guns.
That was a weird Rock. There were several problems. One, when we left the main grounds of the ROA and crossed the road (Wierwille Road?), we had to walk straight across, if we walked diagonally, the local sheriff blasted his siren. No lollygagging on that road that year. Also, one morning, all the head cheeses called a meeting in the Main Top to explain a situation between a car of Wayfers and a car of locals that occured during the night.
As they explained the altercation, I got more and more confused as none of it make sense. It seems that some local got hurt or their car got damaged, something of the sort. Everyone cheered and I said, "huh?" But then I have always been the odd ball.
Through the early time I was involved (I stayed in till 1989) from 1975-1979ish, all the twig coordinators and branch leaders were regular people from the area/community where I lived. The only corps were possibly the area leaders or the limb leaders. Things were more laid back, and the music and style of twig was kinda hippish, sort of a left over from those days. Lots of folk type music made by the locals. People hung together. We went out after twig, we went dancing or to eating establishments, we got together on our own to study the word, play games, you name it.
And we thrived.
Nothing was mandatory, and being young, when I got in, I was surrounded by many older people in their thirties, divorced mostly and had already seen a big chunk of the world and life. I was an 18 year old. Only ONE time did I see a twig coordinator try to confront these people into doing something mandatory like go to a college WOW program since several of them were attending night classes at the local community college in addition to holding down a job and these more seasoned people told the twig leader in no uncertain terms where he could shove his college wow meeting.
That was great! :)
After the ROA 1980, my homecoming, I went back to my home area and found out that all the branch leaders had been replaced with corps.
Things were never the same after that. If that offends, sorry but it is the truth because things became more legalistic and mandatory.
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skyrider
As I remember it.....
The 1978 Advanced Class was the LAST advanced class wherein twi utilized tapes, articles and incidents of OTHERS WHO WALKED WITH THE POWER OF GOD. We listened to an account of a woman who cast out some 17 evil spirits out of someone in India (?? or someplace). This 1978 ac credited many experiences of those who walked in the revelation/power manifestations of holy spirit.
The 1979 Advanced Class was an "in-house operation" with much more pro-twi insertions. This class was in Athens, Ohio and had more of the flavor of a production or an event......rather than the usual adv class.
IMO, the advanced classes never were the same after 1978. Churches were evil......all ministries, other than twi, were suspect to devil infiltration. Only twi was true-and-blue......all others had sold-out their ministries to the devil and his kingdom.
As twi became an all-in-house organization.......the tower of Babel comes to mind.
The twi leadership became blinded by their own pride and ego as early as 1978........and was spiraling downward. Wierwille couldn't see it happening......he facilitated it.
Oh, how misguided men can be......when forsaking the Lord.
Oh well........it's a good lesson to have learned.
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jkboehme
Samurai
Was that person Monty Pe**to, marred to K**r St***rt?
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rascal
That was the guy, Samurai remembered more of the story than I did.... but I do not know who he married.
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ToadFriend
Yes, it was .. they live in Raleigh now ... I still have the "By the Way" articles that chronicle his imprisonment by the deprogrammers.
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dmiller
TF -- are those in the Way mags/rags, and if so which ones?? I have a buncha them here, but am too lazy to do the digging -- without some guidance!
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WordWolf
If those are the "By The Way" articles that vpw paid
to have printed in local newspapers,
please give the dates/whatevers on the articles.
I still have the SET and can retrieve one if I have the dates
or whatevers.
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ToadFriend
The "By the Way" articles are the ones printed in the local newspaper that were later printed in a book that Word Wolf mentions ... I was just looking at them and the dates on the ones I have are mostly past the 1980 mark ... I have read the one about Mon** P**to several times before (perhaps not in this book?), but it doesn't seem to be in here ... in my book we have the 4/27/81 article called "Deprogramming: Spiritual Gang Rape," 5/13/81-5/21/81 "The Attempted Deprogramming of L**yd Biop," (that is in his own words, for the most part;" 1/14/82 "D**g Wi**on's Deprogramming - A Kidnapping," "Deprogramming and Kansas Guardianship Bill" on 2/27/81, 2/25/82 the 98th article, and article #101 on 2/28/82. (which mentions Ted Patrick specifically) ... it relates that Ted Patrick was issued a Permanent Injunction and his "employees, associates, or agents" against not only Mon** P**to but the entire "class" known as the followers of The Way International. They could no longer do any "aiding, assisting, or abetting" in deprogramming or kidnapping. The basis for the plaintiff's and the class' protection was that their rights under the 1st, 9th, and 14th Amendments to the Constitution had been violated, etc.
How a deprogramming is done, as well at ethical concerns, etc. is covered in articles 163 through 172 ... it was a big concern at that time in the Way's history.
Even though the P**to one is not in here, I recall having read it in several different installments (not in one article) several times over the years I was in TWI ... I am thinking it might have been in one of the early articles (before the ones published in this volume) ... It took several days to cover it, as I recall ... not just one article.
TF
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rascal
The *take a stand caravan* was making the circuit in 79. Joyfull noise in their blue and yellow gym suits. I thought they were fantastic....They had a big impact on me....I had just begun attending fellowships and was fired up by the show and the fun music....but then I was cornered afterwards by a group of about 6 people most of whom I didn`t know.....and relentlessly pressured to sign up for pfal.
I remember being very uncomfortasble and saying that I only had 60 dollars and they said *we`ll TAKE it* you can pay the rest later...geeeze that was a lot of money for a 17 yr old who had to earn every penny as a waitress.
I really enjoyed the music, but in hindsight, it would seem that it was just another recruiting tool :(
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rascal
Geeeeeze o pete.... the more I think about it, the more irritated I get. Invite a naieve 17 yr old kid to a concert....hype it up as the greatest thing since sliced bread....get her away from her home town and family and when the defenses are down...she is thinking that she is just there to enjoy a christian concert..... gang up and corner her....they were all older .... they literally formed a circle around me....I think even some of the musicians that had enthralled me during the show were present....every polite excuse or attempt to extricate myself was shot down immediatly.
I kid you not, I was given NO room to wiggle.....augh...I`ll bet they were all high fivin each other for their victory
My daughter is now 17, the same age. The thought of her being manipulated like that when she is so naieve and vulnerable .....makes me see red....it also helps me to understand why I was so gullible and trusting.
Sorry wolf, you asked for memories....no matter how warm and fuzzy....lol
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Samurai
A friend of mine was kidnapped right before the ROA 1977 to be deprogrammed. I don't know how much of a kidnapping it was, since she lived with her parents, and wasn't out on the field but she was held against her will and if I remember correctly, was moved from place to place against her will, it may even have involved a plane, I am not sure.
She escaped, got help from someone and the authorities got involved and she made it to the Rock. This was at the Sidney Fair Grounds I believe. VP had her on stage and she told her story and how the deprogrammers grabbed and stole her address book so they could solicit the parents of the TWI people in her book for deprogramming, and of course, I was listed in there. My parents did get a call from someone asking them how they felt about my involvement in TWI and of course they said they hated it but that they would not interfer with it.
So nothing came of that.
I remember Take a Stand Caravan, Rascal, you are prompting my memories :) That was a cool show, it was a recruiting tool. I am going to carry my bible to school, lol.
Anyway, I went out WOW in 1980, to an outreach city. The TAKIT band was making tours. Takit to the Top, do you remember that? Maybe I am not spelling the band's name correctly.
Anywho, we had a roving WOW ambassador, corps who roamed the region as needed, working with the WOW's on the field. When the TAKIT people came to my outreach city, the roving WOW worked with a local school to use their auditorium for a concert.
She sat in my WOW living room telling us how they went to the principal of the school, promoting the TAKIT band as a positive, anti drug message for young people. While that was true, she lied by ommission and never told the principal that they were associated with TWI. She thought it was great. A positive message is great. And a good positive message doesn't need to be covered up from where it was coming from.
I cringed. It was lying.
Now, I don't know who knew she did that, among those traveling with the band, and I mean no offense, but here was just another example of how TWI didn't tell the whole truth because the end always justified the means.
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rascal
Sam, I remember Takit. We all thought they were SO cool.
Was that 79/80 or 80/81
I wanna know how come when everybody else got sent to exciting *outreach cities* I was SOOO thrilled to be moving to an exciting new city.....and I got sent to the armpit of the usa ...ARKANSAS!! (no offense Arkie Ron)
I remember the fire works at the roa....marching out of the big top carrying glow lights ...marching to Battle hym of the republic blasting.... so powerfull so moving....
aaaaaand WOW burgers for all out going wows!!!!! yummie :D
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hiway29
My memories of the' Take a Stand caravan'-
I was in Connecticut at the time, running the state bookstore, for some forgotten reason. That meant I was responsible to go anywhere in the state at any time, to set up a bookstore for classes , meeting or whatever. This required me to drive 40 minutes to the limb hq after work, load up my car, drive to wherever, do the store, drive back to limb, re stock the shelves, do the paperwork and money, then drive home and collapse before getting up in a few hours to my dead end doorknob factory job.
but I digress
Since I was bookstore guy, I was given the 'Take a Stand ' albums to sell. I forget the specific instruction , but St*v* Str*ep*K, the limb leader of CT, gave me orders on how to set up,promote, and sell them. About an hour later V*nc* F*nn*g*n comes by, and demands to know what I'm doing. I tell him I'm doing what Str*z instructed, and he yells, 'never mind what he said, don't do that do this'! Then he gave me a look of such hatred and anger that I still curdle at the memory of it.
Not that it needs saying, but in my neck of way world, an order from the limb leader was the same as an order from God-so I was just a little conflicted. I could just imagine the dressing down I'd be getting from Str*z, but since F*nn*g*n was the head honcho for the caravan I followed orders. it was such a great night.
Oh, and we brought a 'new person' from Twig. The week before she was listening to a Takit album and thought they were great. Then someone in twig said, there was a great concert next week, and she should go-not telling her that takit wasn't going to be there. I recall cringing and thinking this is not going to be good, but one did not get in the way of bringing people to the class back then.
As expected, she was incensed. Instead of Takit, she saw Claudette Royale in a cheerleaders outfit, and a heavy pfal push. She felt she had been misled and lied to and was never seen again.
"We're on God's Team', didn't sound so good to me that night.
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GeorgeStGeorge
There I was...
I was eating breakfast in the Student Union at the University of Illinois in early summer of 1978. Two college kids sat down next to me and started chatting. Eventually, the Bible came up, and though I'd been a "good Catholic" for over 20 years, I thought it would be good to know about the Bible, so I agreed to got to their fellowship. They said they would take me, but I insisted that they just give me the address and time. A couple days late, I got a phone call saying the location had been changed, would I like a ride? No, thanks. Just give me the address. Well, Monday night comes around (Twig night), and the Baseball Game of the Week is supposed to be the Reds vs. the Pirates. Being a big Reds fan, i decided to watch the game. I turn on the TV, only to hear "Live from Comiskey Park, it's the Red Sox vs. the White Sox!" The heck with THAT! I might as well go to that Bible thing! So I did.
Fellowship was fun, though I thought the speaking in tongues was weird and was deathly afraid that I would have to try speaking French, or something! But the teaching was good, and the people were nice. "Rhino" was the branch leader at the time. (Hi, Bill!)
After a couple of weeks, there were preparations for a "Freedom" PFAL class. A public exhibition was held, and the first hour of the class was played. I thought it was cool, paid $100, and then took the class. There didn't seem to be a lot of pressure, though maybe that's because I was pretty eager to take the class. Anyway, there were 25 people signed up, so we had a "film" class. As I recall, the quotas were: 7-12 students -- audio class; 13-24 students -- video class; 25+ students -- film class.
I always had a lot of questions, and the fact that I read Greek spooked some of the grads; but no one gave me any grief. In fact, "Rhino" was always very cool-headed about it. We often had a beer or two after a session and talked about it. I really thought that The Way was a greaat medium for getting a knowledge of God to people. Oh, and I still keep in touch with a couple of people from that class, whom I sponsored in the Corps in later years.
There were some cute girls in the fellowship, and I dated a couple of them, but there was no promiscuity that I could discern. Darn. ;)
Right after the class "Rhino" went off to the 9th Corps, and two women (6th Corps, maybe?), Sue D**ko and Janie So***er took over the branch. (Actually, Janie married John So***er; I don't remember her maiden name.) The campus twig was taken by Vickie Se****ck, who had just come back from a year studying in France. She helped get me through all the classes I needed to go to the "live" Advanced Class. There were several Twigs in the Champaign-Urbana area, so I got to know a lot of the believers pretty well. Again, I didn't really see a big push to get people in classes or Twig. It all seemed to flow rather naturally. (This blessed me, why don't you try it? No? Okay.) We occasionally went to Peoria for classes (W&U, etc.). The Limb was in Shirley (just outside of Bloomington). We would go there once or twice a year, too.
I went to AC '79 in Athens. At the time, I still wasn't convinced that Jesus was not God. (In fact, I even "threw" some questions on the Entrance Exam. I knew the answer that was expected, but I wan't convinced it was right.) Obviously, a lot of others didn't do too well on that part of the test, because VP spent about three days hammering on it. I remember him saying "If you still think Jesus Christ is God, you've got to be possessed!" I was sure he was going to get revelation, single me out of the 3000 students, and cast devils out of me! It didn't happen, of course; but the LOGIC of JCING finally got through to me.
Mo**y Pe**o gave his deprogramming story there, too. (I didn't go to ROA that year, so I know I heard the story at AC.) There was also some other young lady who escaped deprogrammers adn made it to the class with only the clothes on her back. Deprogramming WAS big back then. My mother admitted that she had looked into having ME deprogrammed, but the high price tag on the "service" ended THAT!
As I recall, there were four teachings every day. Individual leaders taught "Morning Watch" teachings (before breakfast?). Later in the morning was a session of the AC. In the afternoon there were "series" teachings. I believe G. Wren taught "JC the Twig Leader" the first week, and LCM taught about Acts the second week. Then, at night there was another AC session. On the weekend, Saturday night, I believe, there was a seesion open to the public. I remember JAL doing a comedy routine about the "Devil's Bathroom." (Trivial enough, for you WW?)
At the end of the summer, Vickie headed off to 10th Corps. Sue and Janie were replaced by Don Br****le, interim 9th Corps. He really got the twigs moving, but he was never heavy-handed. He was serious about the Word, but was loving and a fun man. (Sadly, he died of a heart attack some years ago.) Another young lady took over the campus Twig, with me as her assistant. I enjoyed the leaders' meetings and the fellowhip on campus. Still no fooling around, as far as I could tell. I think it was in 79 that R. Kehoe took over as Limb Leader. I liked him, too. He was short, but he had a commanding presence.
That pretty much runs through fall of '79. Maybe I'll write more later. The basic gist is: people were fellowshipping and witnessing because they ENJOYED it. Leadership, even Corps, were cool.
George
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HAPe4me
Ok George, thanks for mentioning "There was also some other young lady who escaped deprogrammers and made it to the class with only the clothes on her back." I couldn't remember if my the incident I recall was PFAL77 or AC79. when you mentioned Athens, that confirmed it.
My wife was at the AC class, but I had stayed home. I got a call from Athens asking me if I could be available to go to the airport here in Denver and meet a plane and a girl transfering planes. They wanted me to purchase a ticket and fly with the girl to Atlanta and stay with her until she got safely on a plane there to Ohio where she would be met by several TWI people and escorted to Athens.
The concept was to not leave her alone in Atlanta for a moment, as there was a concern of her being intercepted there. Of course I could not refuse this spiritual duty, but I was certainly scared. You see I was (and am) 5'8" and about 140 pounds, so if we were intercepted by deprogrammers I would have only my revelation skills to deal with the situation. I was told that would be PLENTY! The girl pretty much slept the whole plane trip, she was obviously exhausted and still a little scared. I sure felt "puffy" that the MOG would trust me with such a mission. He did know who I was, and my size. I wish I could remember the girl's name, I have often wondered what became of her.
~HAP
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BikerBabe
I shouldn't post on this thread, yet I can't pass it by. The tears are already in my eyes and I haven't even begun to type it out. I don't talk about it much, cause to this day it still cuts to the quick to remember back to that time. Years ago I wrote out some of the story, but from a normal person's point of view. I left out the TWI side of it all. I will paste it here and edit as I go adding in what's needed that only someone who's been in TWI would understand. Doing it this way is much easier than trying to do it all again, I can't emotionally do that. Thank you all for understanding this.
Gary's Story
I was not present the night Gary was killed, so didn't know the whole story of all that really happened for many years.
As it turned out, my mother found it best to make sure I got NO information on anything. She kept me away from TV, newspapers, radio, the whole time and I never was contacted by the police about any of it, nor the DA about when the trial would be held. She is my mom, I was only 19 and I think she was keeping my best interests at heart in her own way, which were inspired by TWI of course.
See, Gary was shot and killed by the ex-husband of the lady he was sleeping around with. Yes, I had left him for that and we were living apart, until he could figure out who and what he wanted. I was at my mom's house alone with him 2 or 3 days before he was murdered and he and I had a real long talk. We decided to give it one more try and get back together. He was going to go over to her house and tell her it was over. Knowing my mom was at work and her hours, we even made love on her couch that day. It turned out to be the last time I would see him alive. When he went over to her house the next time, it was the night her ex came over and got into a fight with Gary. Gary beat him up. Her ex then walked to his truck, got out his .22 rifle and walked back towards the back porch where Gary and she were standing. He pointed it and pulled the trigger.
I was very upset and crying after I got the news. My mom just looked at me and said 'why are you so upset, you didn't love him anyway, you were separated'. To this day I've never told her that he and I were together at her house or what we talked about and did. She did give me some money, so I could drive 10 miles to the closest mall and buy a black dress. I stopped on the way there by a friend's restaurant/bar and told them what had happened. They were both in TWI. Their son walked to the bar, mixed me a screwdriver in a syrofoam coffee cup and told me to slip into the kitchen to drink it. I was underage, but he knew what I needed more than I did. His mom stood in the kitchen with me for an hour or more as I drank it, holding me and showing me someone cared. That was the one act of kindness thru the whole ordeal from anyone in TWI.
When my twig leader D*bbie Gr*ss heard what had happened, she told me 'he wasn't a believer anyway, so what are you in such a fuss about. Quit crying and go find a real TWI believer to marry and forget Gary. He isn't worth crying over.'
Then my mom really helped me out by picking up and driving his bitch .. err.. mistress, to the funeral. She left me on my own, with his 5 VERY big and ....ed off brothers, for all of us to find our own way to the funeral home. One of them rode there with me and helped me hold it together, while the rest rode together in another of the bro's cars.
TWI was a real support thru the funeral. None of them from twig showed up, nor did they come to see me afterwards. Gary was never mentioned by any of them again.
I suffered thru the whole thing and watched that bitch carry on about how after he was shot, Gary told her how much he loved her, his blood spilling all over her clothes, then how he slipped away and died.
I asked her to please return his possessions that were left at her house. She had a yard sale a couple days later and sold all of it at a nice profit. I lost it all.
Last, he wanted to be cremated and I honored his request. I picked out a beautiful urn made from brass with a braided horseshoe of brass on the front of it. I kept it on the mantle of the fireplace in my mom's home. (I was living there then.)
Trying to do as told, I met and married another man very quickly about 3-4 months later at the ROA, when I still wasn't thinking straight and married him at the end of the Rock. No one ever bothered to ask me what the hell I was thinking of. That's another story altogether. Once he and I got settled into a place in the next state over from where I was born and raised, I asked my mom to send me the urn. She told me she had decided to give it to Gary's favorite brother. I NEVER gave her my permission to do that.
The murder happened in the beginning of 1977.
Fast forward to 2000. I located his brother online and sent him an email. He told me he took the urn to the state of Washington and he and the rest of the brothers climbed up a really tall mountain, then scattered the ashes. They then tucked the urn into a crack in the mountain. Gary wanted to be buried in his mother's grave, on top of her casket. He had told me that shortly after we were married, in case anything ever happened to him. I haven't talked to his brother since. While I could probably find where they tossed the ashes, I have yet to figure out how I will get up a mountain path in my wheelchair if I ever could save up the finances to travel there.
After talking to his brother, I looked online and found the email to the newspaper for the county Gary was murdered in. I told them who I was and they looked up the old newspaper articles and sent a copy to me snail mail.
Gary died instantly. He did NOT talk to that bitch. She wasn't even near his body, she was found freaking out, standing on the side of her house. She never even bothered to go inside after it all went down, to check on her two very young kids, to make sure they were still asleep!!! Her ex drove himself to work, told his foreman the cops would be there soon to get him, he'd just shot and killed a man. He was exactly right, that's just what the cops did. (I know the man who worked next to him in that factory, so this is confirmed to have happened.) The article then mentioned who his father was and said he was the biggest contractor in the entire area. The other article they sent me was after the trial. It said he was sentenced to 5 yrs., for 2nd degree murder. I wonder what kind of plea he would have gotten, had his daddy been a nobody.
So now I know the whole story of what really happened that night.
'Cuse me, I need to go cry more now.....
BB
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johniam
Wordwolf I think in the first post you mean Howard and Don W, not uncle Harry, made trustees. Uncle Harry died Oct of that year. But that was my era.
I took pfal in Jan of 77 and went wow that same year. Wow year wasn't bad; we were in a small college town in MO and we were the only wows ever sent there. Hmm. But what happened there pretty much stayed there. We didn't move the word that great.
The next 2 yrs though felt like the whole world was out to get us. Jonestown gave the USA cult as a household word, and there was a lot of pressure to be in or out. I'm glad it wasn't like that when I was first going to twig.
The next year, 80/81, things seemed to lighten up a bit. The STL area ran a pfal class with 37 new students in it and we grew from 7 twigs to 21.
Well, I've passed the year limitation on the thread title, but in retrospect, that 2 year period was disturbing. I mean, getting a 6 month supply of grain food and being told not to have any less than 1/2 tank of gas at all times? Being told that stringing chairs for a meeting was life or death? That was a lot of pressure.
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Oakspear
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
bikerbabe
i am crying with you
chin up girl
or sometimes it is good to cry
praying for you in any case
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Oakspear
It was Christmas 1977 when I first heard of TWI, or rather when I first heard about the people who were running a "bible study" in their apartment, that I later found out were part of TWI.
My cousin was attending twigs at the home of a co-worker. My aunt asked that I go with her to look after her or something. I began attending sporadically myself; I enjoyed the discussions about the bible. In March of 1978 I decided to take the PFAL class.
There was no pressure to attend twig or take the class, or if there was, it was subtle.
There were nine or ten branches located on Long Island at the time, none run by Way Corps grads. Few twig leaders were even advanced class grads.
For the months leading up to ROA 1978 I was involved only superficially, and that seemed okay with everybody. After the ROA I became more involved.
Many of the "original" wayfers who got involved in TWI during the early to mid seventies had left to go WOW or into the Way Corps, although a few were still around. As I got more involved after ROA '78 and before ROA '79, I perceived an attitude that we were in the midst of a changing of the guard from the "good old days" to the more structured times.
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Lifted Up
I guess I didn't listen well enough.
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Lifted Up
MY Philly WOW year 1978-79 was pretty loose, when fellow 8th corps EW and I ran the WOW branch there, and 6tn/8th corps sisters CD & CD, who ran the non WOWs, complained to us about not dating them more. But then our 6th corps Limb Leaders, TW & MW were a pretty loose couple.
Getting to HQ right after became somewhat less loose, of course, but we were still able to pull a nacho raid on the women in the Wierwille home.
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