IN MEMORY OF MY BROTHER, 

RAYMOND PERSAUD

 

Testimony of 

 

ROSEANNE PERSAUD NENNINGER

 

Before the 

 

House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on 

International Organizations, Human Rights and Overight.

 

November 15, 2007

 

 

 

 

MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THIS HONORABLE COMMITTEE: 

MY NAME IS ROSEANNE PERSAUD NENNINGER AND MY BROTHER RAYMOND PERSAUD WAS ON  FLIGHT 455.  AS YOU ALREADY KNOW, A HORRIFIC BOMB EXPLODED IN MID AIR, KILLING HIM AND 72 OTHER PASSENGERS AND CREW.

I AM HERE TODAY TO PUT A HUMAN FACE TO THIS TRAGIC, UNTIMELY END TO MY BROTHER'S LIFE.  I WANT JUSTICE TO BE SERVED FOR THIS DREADFUL ACT OF TERRORISM.  I FEEL JUSTICE HAS BEEN LONG OVER DUE—NOT ONLY FOR MY BROTHER, BUT FOR ALL OF THE VICTIMS WHO WERE ABOARD THIS PLANE.

I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME CHERISHED MEMORIES ABOUT MY BROTHER RAYMOND.  HE WAS A ACADEMIC SCHOLAR. HE RECEIVED THE HIGHEST MARKS ON HIS EXAMS AMONG HIS PEERS BUT WAS PARTICULARLY GIFTED AT THE STUDY OF SCIENCE.

BECAUSE OF HIS APTITUDE IN SCIENCE AND OVERALL SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT, THE GUYANESE GOVERNMENT AWARDED RAYMOND A SPECIAL, FULL SCHOLARSHIP  TO STUDY MEDICINE IN CUBA. THEN, AND NOW, THIS IS A COVETED SCHOLARSHIP FOR ANY YOUNG GUYANESE STUDENT WHO HAS DREAMS OF BECOMING A DOCTOR.  AT THAT TIME, THERE WERE NO MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN GUYANA, AND, MR. CHAIRMAN, THERE STILL ARE NONE. 

SO FOR MY BROTHER, HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO FOLLOW HIS DREAM WAS THE CLOSEST THING TO A MIRACLE.  RAYMOND HAD BIG DREAMS! HE HAD DREAMS OF BECOMING A DOCTOR, DREAMS OF GIVING BACK TO HIS COUNTRY BY COMING BACK AFTER GRADUATING AND COMPLETING HIS RESIDENCY IN HIS HOMELAND, TO BE OF SERVICE TO GUYANA.


FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE RAYMOND DISPLAYED TRAITS OF STRONG LEADERSHIP.  HE WAS ALWAYS INVOLVED IN HELPING OTHERS. HE WAS A GROUP LEADER FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS, CLASS PRESIDENT IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND MENTOR IN OUR COMMUNITY OF GEORGETOWN, GUYANA.

HE LOVED SPENDING TIME WITH HIS FAMILY AND I HAVE FOND MEMORIES OF
PLAYING CHECKERS TOGETHER, OF HIM HELPING ME WITH MY HOMEWORK, READING NOVELS AND COMIC BOOKS TO ME.  RAYMOND WAS A GREAT, WONDERFUL BIG BROTHER TO ME.  

MY PARENTS WERE SO PROUD OF HIM AND SO WAS I.  LET ME TELL YOU WHY:

RAYMOND WAS THE FIRST OF FIVE SIBLINGS IN THE FAMILY TO GO TO COLLEGE, MUCH LESS GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL!  WE HAD A WONDERFUL FAREWELL PARTY FOR RAYMOND THE NIGHT BEFORE HE LEFT FOR HIS JOURNEY.  MY FATHER BORROWED EIGHTY CHAIRS FROM THE CHURCH TO ACCOMMODATE ALL THE GUESTS AT RAYMOND'S FAREWELL PARTY. AND ONLY A FEW DAYS LATER THOSE WERE THE SAME CHAIRS USED FOR HIS WAKE AND MEMORIAL SERVICE. WE NEVER GOT TO HAVE A FULL FUNERAL BECAUSE HIS BODY COULD NOT BE RECOVERED IN THE OCEAN WRECKAGE.


LET ME ACCOUNT FOR YOU WHAT HAPPENED THAT FATEFUL DAY, OCTOBER 6, 1976. IT BEGAN WITH HIGH HOPES.  MY FAMILY WENT TO THE AIRPORT TO BID RAYMOND FAREWELL.  HE WAS DRESSED A BROWN SUIT, SPECIALLY MADE AT THE TAILOR FOR HIS TRAVELS.  MY PARENTS WERE FEELING SO PROUD TO HAVE THEIR SON HEADING OFF TO MEDICAL SCHOOL.  

AT THE AIRPORT, WE WATCHED RAYMOND WALK ON THE TARMAC HEADING ON TO THE AIRPLANE.  HE STOPPED, WAVED GOODBYE AND WE WIPED THE TEARS FROM OUR EYES AND WAVED BACK.  RAYMOND TURNED THE CORNER AND HEADED INTO THE PLANE.  WE HEADED BACK HOME SAD BUT EXCITED AT THE SAME TIME.  AND TIRED!  SO TIRED, WE ALL DECIDED TO TAKE A NAP.

AFTER A  COUPLE OF HOURS, THERE WAS A KNOCK ON OUR DOOR.  IT WAS OUR COUSIN.  IT WAS VERY ODD FOR HER TO COME TO OUR HOUSE ON A WEDNESDAY.  SHE WORKED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. SHE SAID SHE HAD SOME NEWS TO SHARE WITH US AND EVERYONE HAD TO BE SITTING DOWN.  I WAS IN A CONFUSED STATE, STILL GROGGY FROM MY NAP, SITTING AT THE DINING ROOM TABLE.  MY MOM AND DAD WERE THERE WAITING TO HEAR WHAT MY COUSIN WOULD SAY. 

 SHE SAID THE PLANE THAT RAYMOND WAS ON WENT DOWN OFF THE COAST OF BARBADOS. 

 

THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER WERE SHRIEKS COMING FROM MY MOTHER; I'M SURE MOST OF THE NEIGHBORS HEARD TOO.  TEARS FLOWED DOWNED MY CHEEKS.  IT ALL SEEMED UNREAL.  HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE?   WE JUST SAW RAYMOND A FEW HOURS AGO.  MY MOM ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY SURVIVORS.  MY COUSIN COULDN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION.  MORE SCREAMS CAME FROM MY MOTHER.  I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET THAT SOUND OUT OF MY HEAD. 

I'M SURE THE COMMITTEE CAN UNDERSTAND HOW OCTOBER 6, 1976, BECAME THE SADDEST DAY FOR US.  AT THAT MOMENT MY FAMILY REALIZED THAT ALL OF MY BROTHER'S DREAMS FOR HIS FUTURE, AND ALL OF OUR DREAMS FOR HIM, HAD GONE DOWN IN THE OCEAN…GONE FOREVER.  

AT THE TIME, THERE WERE NO TELEVISIONS IN GUYANA SO
WE DEPENDED ON OVERSEAS INFORMATION THROUGH THE RADIO TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRAGEDY THAT HAD STRUCK OUR FAMILY AND SO MANY OTHERS. EVENTUALLY, MY FATHER STARTED TO PIECE ALL THE INFORMATION TOGETHER AND WE REALIZED THIS PLANE CRASH WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT, BUT AN ACT OF TERRORISM CARRIED OUT BY FANATICAL ANTI-CASTRO CUBANS—CHIEF AMONG THEM LUIS POSADA CARRILES.

 MR. CHAIRMAN, MY BROTHER RAYMOND WAS ONLY 19-YEARS OLD.  HE WAS A YOUNG MAN WITH A WONDERFUL AND BRIGHT FUTURE.  AND IT WAS ALL TAKEN AWAY WITH THAT TERRIBLE ACT OF TERRORISM.  

** ** ***

IN 1979, MY WHOLE FAMILY IMMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES.  MY PARENTS COULDN'T BEAR THE THOUGHT OF ANOTHER ONE THEIR CHILDREN HEADING OVERSEAS  FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL SO WE MADE OUR NEW HOME IN NEW YORK. WE ARE ALL NOW AMERICAN CITIZENS AND MY BROTHERS AND MY SISTER AND I HAVE ALL SUCCEEDED PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY IN THIS GREAT LAND OF OPPORTUNITY.  

YET, AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN, I'M SURE YOU CAN APPRECIATE HOW OUTRAGED I AM THAT A KNOWN TERRORIST, THE MAN WHO
PLANNED THE ACT OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM THAT KILLED MY BROTHER, FIVE OF HIS FELLOW GUYANESE MEDICAL STUDENTS, AND THE CUBAN OLYMPIC FENCING TEAM, IS NOW LIVING AS FREELY AS I AM IN THE
UNITED STATES. 

MY PRESIDENT SAYS THAT HE WANTS ALL COUNTRIES WHO ARE HARBORING TERRRORISTS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND THAT HE IS COMMITTED TO BRINGING TO JUSTICE THOSE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN ACTS OF TERRORISM. BUT FOR REASONS THAT I HOPE THIS COMMITTEE WILL HELP ME UNDERSTAND,  THIS IS NOT THE CASE WITH LUIS POSADA. IN HIS CASE THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME SORT OF EXEMPTION.  AS AN INVOLUNTARY MEMBER OF A UNIQUE GROUP OF FAMILIES THAT HAVE SUFFERED AN IRREPLACEABLE LOSS AT THE HANDS OF TERRORISTS, I CAN SAY HONESTLY AND CLEARLY THAT THE HANDLING OF POSADA'S CASE HAS BEEN A TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE AND A MESSAGE OF HYPOCRISY AMIDST THE ONGOING U.S. WAR OF TERRORISM. 

I GOT SO ANGRY, MR. CHAIRMAN, THAT AS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THIS CRIME APPROACHED LAST YEAR, I  WROTE A LETTER TO THE THEN ATTORNEY GENERAL ALBERTO GONZALES APPEALING TO HIM IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE FOR MY BROTHER RAYMOND AND THE OTHER PASSENGERS ON THAT DOOMED AIRPLANE, TO CERTIFY POSADA AS A TERRORIST UNDER THE PATRIOT AND INCARCERATE HIM INDEFINITELY. MR. ATTORNEY GENERAL, I WROTE:  "IF LUIS POSADA DOES NOT MEET THE DEFINITION OF A TERRORIST, IT IS TRULY HARD TO IMAGINE WHO DOES." 

MR. CHAIRMAN, MORE THAN A YEAR HAS GONE BY AND I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED EVEN A COURTESY REPLY TO MY LETTER. INDEED, THIS COMMITTEE IS THE FIRST GOVERNMENT AGENCY OF MY ADOPTED HOMELAND TO HAVE LISTENED TO MY CONCERNS ABOUT HOW THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS TURNED ITS BACK ON THE VICTIMS OF A HEINOUS CRIME OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM. WHY, I ASK YOU, ARE BOTH LUIS POSADA AND ORLANDO BOSCH NOT BEHIND BARS? MY HOPE IS THAT THIS COMMITTEE WILL FIND THE ANSWERS THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HAVE REFUSED TO PROVIDE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY.

IT IS NOW 31 YEARS SINCE OUR BROTHER RAYMOND DIED AND NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE THE PAIN, GRIEF  AND LOSS WE HAVE FACED. OUR FAMILY, AS I AM SURE YOU UNDERSTAND, HAS NEVER BEEN THE SAME SINCE OCTOBER 6, 1976.  IT IS STILL PAINFUL FOR US TO SIT AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RAYMOND'S DEATH.  WE WONDER WHAT KIND OF MAN RAYMOND WOULD HAVE BEEN AND HOW HE WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO OUR COMPLEX WORLD. MY BROTHER WAS AN AMAZING INDIVIDUAL, FULL OF HOPES AND DREAMS, THAT WERE STOLEN FOREVER IN AN INSTANT OF AN EXPLOSION. WHAT A SELFISH ACT OF LUIS POSADA CARRILES TO KILL INNOCENT YOUNG LIVES FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN THAT THEY WERE TRAVELING TO CUBA.


MR. CHAIRMAN,  I HOPE MY  VOICE, AND THOSE OF THE OTHER FAMILIES OF FLIGHT 455 WHO CANNOT BE HERE TO SPEAK TODAY, WILL BE HEARD THROUGH THESE WORDS.  WE WANT JUSTICE NOW. WE HAVE WAITED FAR TOO LONG.

THANK YOU.