HeRSToRy 088 Sita Lang

Sita arrived at the encampment in 1983.

Audio excerpt from Sita's interview:

TRANSCRIPT: "It had been raining and it was overcast and it was dark and the mosquitoes were out. We had all of our stuff with us that we needed - our paint and all that, and all hugged each other. I don't know who went over first, but we got over the fence and got down to the other side, got all of our equipment. We were trying to be extremely quiet because the water tower - we went there yesterday... for a reenactment, no, we went there and I realized how close the front, the actual front gate and the little security house that was there. And there were people there, there were soldiers and MPs, they were hanging out talking and the base lights were on and there we were, creeping and trying to be as quiet as possible with our army fatigues and I don't know if our faces were painted, no, they weren't painted, they were painted after, there was black paint all over our heads. And we got to the base of the water tower, and looking at it yesterday I can not believe we climbed all that way with equipment, probably with a backpack, the paint and the poles and rollers. Andrea went up first. She got on the ladder and started going up. We didn't say anything, we just, and I climbed up behind her. I feel my body now and it was like noodles, it was just really scary, really scary, just hanging on and climbing, climbing. We were both very athletic so the climb itself I don't remember it being a big deal. It was just we got to the top. We got up and the little platform - seemed like it was about this wide, three feet wide, maybe. The railing that was two and half feet tall or so. And there was water up there from the rain. [sneeze] And so we got up there and we put our extension poles and our rollers on, got the paint out. I don't remember talking, we didn't, unless it was just real, I can't get this can open, or - it was really quiet. And I took the extension pole and reached up - our intention was to black out the top "Mission First" so it just said "People Always" - well, the roller went half way up the word, half way up the letters of the top. Oh my god, here we are and we can't reach the top of the letters. And Andrea looks at me and she goes, "I'm going to get on my hands and knees, you're going to stand on my back and breath and paint." And I'm trembling already, so, but man, just did it. Oh, but at one point, a helicopter started going - a military helicopter came, you recognized that sound anywhere, and it was very close. I got out 'zaybo.' I told Andrea. I remember being right up against the water tower, motionless, "zaybo, zaybo, zaybo, zaybo,"  hugging that water tower. Thank goodness it was overcast. You could hear people talking, you couldn't hear what they were saying, but you could hear they were down there joking around and they had no idea we were there, just up on her back, painting, and black paint coming down on your face - doing this thing. It probably took maybe, a half hour or so to paint the letters. And I don't remember if we, I think we left stuff up there, like why bring it back? And scrambled back down."

Interview: Sita Lang
Date: August 17, 2008
Location: Seneca Falls, NY
Present: Estelle Coleman, hershe Michele Kramer, Sera Brown, Twilight

The peace camp clandestine water tower action as reported the next day in the local paper.

Sita behind the camera of a PeHP interview, September 2008.