CAPITAL CLOSE-UP

“No matter how fast your brain works, nothing
happens fast in Africa,” he said.
What began as a program that allowed the government
to buy land from willing farmers evolved into
intimidation and ultimately forcible acquisition. He
would wake early to drive the roads between the farm
and the school before the children were up, then do the
same thing again in the afternoon.
The security fence? “Bolt cutters could take care of
that,” he said.
“It’s just one of those things that’s awkward,” he said,
and laughed at the understatement. “You can stay and
die, or you can live.”
Stanton doesn’t read the news from Zimbabwe much
anymore. His family and friends there are spread around
the globe.
“I’ve made a decision about where I’m going. I’d
rather put my energies into something that’s going to be
more productive,” he said. Besides, when he does read
the stories, he has nightmares.
They’ve carved out good lives for themselves here.
Patricia’s sister lives in Dell Rapids, which is how the
Stantons found South Dakota in the first place. Mick
Stanton is a foreman at L.G. Everist.
Lt. Col. Rick Larson, commander of the Sioux Falls
Composite Squadron of the South
Dakota Wing, described Stanton as
a modest man who has been a key
asset.
“He’s outstanding — he’s a ball
of fire,” Larson said. “He’s got more
energy than any six men combined.
He told me one time, ‘If I let something
slip where I come from, the
lion eats you.’”
The Civil Air Patrol is the U.S.
Air Force auxiliary, which performs
emergency services and operates
cadet and aerospace education programs.
“He helps guide the cadet staff,
which run their own program,”
Larson said. “He ensures the training
is getting done for me.”
Three of Stanton’s children — Bradley, 17; Ashley,
15; and Jessica, 14 — are cadets.
Stanton, a lifelong pilot, is working to get the license
he needs to fly missions with the Civil Air Patrol, though
Transportation Security Administration rule changes
since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, have made it
difficult for those who are not U.S. citizens.
Stanton lists his nation of citizenship on documents
as Zimbabwe, though he’s not sure that’s technically true
anymore.
“I don’t know if I’m a citizen of Zimbabwe,” Stanton
said. “With the situation over there, I might be stricken
from the records.”
The family’s first week in America happened to coincide
with the Fourth of July. But instead of celebrating,
the Stantons were down in the basement, with their
hands over their ears.
The fireworks sounded too much like the war they’d
left behind.
2nd Lt. Mick Stanton, a pilot who relocated from Zimbabwe to
South Dakota in 2000, works with the Sioux Falls Composite
Squadron’s cadet program. Three of Stanton’s children —
Bradley, 17; Ashley, 15; and Jessica, 14 — are cadets.
Photo by Nestor Ramos, Argus Leader reporter
Civil Air Patrol Volunteer 33 May-June 2007