Edited by Jennifer Mlratsky NeWSDGEST
Monday, February 20,1995 Page 2
Clinton commemorates -
Iwo Jima anniversary
ARLINGTON, Va., — Joined by
aging heroes of Iwo Jima, President
Clinton honored soldiers bloodied and
killed 50 years ago in the savage
World War II battle. “The dimen
sions of their struggle still stagger
us,” he said Sunday.
The president, in keynote remarks
commemorating the 50th anniver
sary of the pivotal battle, paid tribute
to four Iwo Jima survivors by name
and urged Americans to honor the
memories of all soldiers who fought
for the tiny Pacific island.
“To be worthy of that sacrifice, we
must determine in this time to remain
the strongest nation in the world so
that our freedom is never again threat
ened,” Clinton told a crowd of about
3,000.
With the monuments of Washing
ton visible through a misty haze over
the Potomac River, the president said,
“And we must work to create a nation
worthy of the generation that saved it
for our freedom.”
He spoke beneath a 78-foot bronze
statue depicting the famous wartime
photograph of U.S. soldiers hoisting
a flag atop Mount Suribachi. “Hard
men wept when they saw the flag fly,”
I
Clinton said.
The Associated Press photo by Joe
Rosenthal symbolized the nation’s
resolve, Clinton said. “Our country
saw the true definition of courage.”
The Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the
nation’s bloodiest, gave the United
States an air base for long-range bomb
ing missions against mainland Ja
pan.
In 36 days, U.S. casualties num
bered 26,000, including 6,821 dead.
For the Japanese, the toll was even
more gruesome. Of the island’s20,000
defenders, only 1,083 survived. Thou
sands of the dead are still missing,
their bones hidden in the volcanic
island’s intricate web of tunnels.
Introducing the president, Medal
of Honor winner Col. William E.
Barber shared his memories of “that
8-mile chunk of rock and volcanic
ash.” In a halting voice, he told doz
ens of fellow veterans in the crowd: “I
am older now, as are you, but I can
still see the colors of that February
morning. The sky. The island. And
sometimes I think I can still hear the
noise of battle.”
Clinton, who avoided wartime ser
vice in his youth, told another
generation’s war stories.
He said Robert Dunlap, for 48
hours straight, directed attacks against
enemy positions at Iwo Jima. The
president marveled at Douglas
Jacobson, who grabbed a bazooka
built for two and destroyed 16 enemy
positions by himself. Joseph
McCarthy charged through an open
field with a carbine and grenades,
Clinton said, and Jack Lucas threw
himself on two grenades to save his
buddies.
With the four heroes seated in the
front row, at the base of a muddy hill
beside the monument, Clinton said,
“For all Americans today—for those
who still defend our liberty in uni
form, and those who fight for decency
and civility in our towns and commu
nities — the men and women of Iwo
Jima will forever stir our hearts, spur
our conscience and summon us to
action.”
Before he placed a wreath at the
monument with Dunlap, Jacobson,
McCarthy and Lucas, the president’s
voice cracked as he concluded, “With
our eyes closed, we can all still see the
flag rising atop the hill.”
I
'• i V-fH8
,
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News...
in a Minute
Chechnya cease-fire expires
GOYITY, Russia—The cease-fire in Chechnya expired as the sun
went down Sunday, and the first hours of darkness were rent by
explosions that promised a resumption of the war in all its ferocity.
Heavy explosions were heard every few minutes in this town about
10 miles south of the Chechen capital, Grozny, but it could not be
determined which side was firing.
Earlier, as. the five-day truce was in its final hours, Russian and
Chehchen rebel officials reportedly consulted by telephone to arrange
another round of talks. But the Russian commander said his side “has
exhausted existing possibilities to stop armed conflict.”
Russia’s peace proposals in the 10-week-old war have amounted to
virtual demands for Chechen disarmament. Chechen President
Dzhokhar Dudayev has been no more flexible, saying that he is
“unconditionally” ready for peace — except for the condition that
Russia withdraw its troops.
Judge won’t drop charges
OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal judge has refused to dismiss
charges against the only officer who faces a court-martial in the friendly
fire attack that killed 26 people in two helicopters over Iraq.
Air Force Capt. Jim Wang is charged with three counts of dereliction
of duty in the April 14 shootdown of two U.S. Army helicopters
carrying an international delegation.
On Friday, military judge Lt. Col. Howard R. Altschwager at Tinker
Air Force Base denied the request from Wang’s lawyers to drop the
charges.
Wang was in charge of officers aboard a radar plane who were
monitoring the no-fly zone over northern Iraq when two fighter jets
mistakenly shot down the helicopters.
He is accused of failing to warn the fighter pilots the helicopters were
in the area and of not ensuring the helicopters properly identified
themselves. He also is accused of not properly supervising the control
lers under his command.
Wang’s court-martial is scheduled to begin March 13. Wang has not
yet entered a plea, but has maintained his innocence.
Student group wants Bobbit film
WASHINGTON—A student group at George Washington Univer
sity has stirred controversy with plans to show an X-rated movie
featuring John Wayne Bobbitt, who became a household name after his
wife severed his penis and surgeons reattached it.
Members of the Program Board, the student organization that wants
to show the film, say that presenting the hourlong “John Wayne Bobbitt
... Uncut” is a legitimate way to prompt an academic discussion on
pornography.
But feminist, religious and conservative groups on campus contend
that the screening would play to the worst impulses of a violent and
sexist society. Program Board members argue that censorship has no
place in academia.
Opponents plan to hold a demonstration and teach-in before the
screening, slated for Feb. 27.
The film is a takeoff on the Bobbitts’ story, with a “Lorena” character,
re-enacting the kitchen-knife incident. Bobbitt, playing himself, goes
to the hospital for reattachment and is shown soon after the operation
in a variety of sexual scenarios.
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