Scott Wheeler: Giving a Voice to Vermonters in Montpelier

“Scott, if I hate, they will have won.” 

I have never forgotten those words that a man named George uttered to me as I interviewed him about his life. He explained that hate serves no useful purpose. All it does is slowly eat at the very soul of the hater. George’s simple phrase forced me to take a second look at my life. When I feel myself giving into the temptation of hate I think back to George and his ability to forgive after the horrors that he had experienced, horrors that most of us will never know. So when people ask me if I dislike the other three men who are running for the two seats in Orleans 1, I assure them that I don’t. Of the three other candidates –current representatives, Loren Shaw and Winston Dowland, along with political hopeful, Tom Jensen, I know Loren and Winston very well. I might not agree with all of their political views, but I couldn’t “hate” them, or even “dislike” them, simply for that. On the contrary, Loren has been a good source of advice during the early days of this campaign. And in an earlier time, Winston was kind enough to have me honored by the Vermont chapter of the Disabled American Veterans for my years of working with veterans, including helping raise money to send a busload of World War II veterans to the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. in 2004. I have a beautiful plaque hanging on my wall recognizing my work with veterans – thanks to Winston. And both Loren and Winston were both involved with honoring me, along with two other men, the last legislative session for our work at uncovering an important part of the region’s history and giving a long ago slain officer the recognition that he deserved.So what were the horrors that shaped George’s life? Born and raised in Hungary, when German forces swept into his country, he was drafted into the German military against his will. Sent to the Russian front, Russian forces eventually captured him. He spent six years in a Russian prison camp, watching many of his comrades die of starvation. Others, he felt, died of despair and loss of hope. And yet others resorted to cannibalizing their dead comrades. George, on the other hand, remained convinced he’d survive the horrors of the camp, and refused to give up his hope and to give into hate and self-pity.

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