European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 17, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes saturday january 17,1987 Tom Wicker Reagan should apologize and promptly should Ronald Reagan apologize to the nation for the blundering acts of omission or commission that led to the arms to loan scandal that former Secre tary of state Cyrus Vance has termed severely Damag ing to our National interest you bet he should and the sooner the better. But neither Reagan nor his supporter should be under the illusion that Ai the cliche goes an apology would get this behind  Reagan not Only owes the apology to a people who taste hint not wisely but too Well ii t also probably True As numerous republicans Are advising him that a lot of americans would be More willing to continue or resume trusting him if they Felt he had assumed full responsibility Lor the iranian Centra mess. That s what happened when president Kennedy took responsibility for his administration s Bay of pigs fiasco which did t prevent him from soon gelling rid of he Cia officials most responsible. That s not what happened however when president Carter personally announced the failure of desert one the mis Sion to Rescue hostages from Iran. But Carter s standing late in his term Al ready had deteriorated when Kennedy and Reagan encountered disaster they were at peaks of popularity and the Public generally did not want them to fail. So for Reagan to shoulder the blame perhaps in his slate of the Union message As some republicans advise would be useful and realistic few americans seem to believe he he was a Mere bystander As col. It. Oliver North and vice adm. John Pom Duxler wove their skeins of intrigue. But even such a dramatic statement won t get this behind him fora number of reason. One is that the matter has become Loo partisan protest As hey might democrats nevertheless see the arms of Ndal As both a political break for their party and a Well earned comeuppance for the casual Reagan style of big picture governing with Little attention paid to details. After six years in the wilderness it s Loo much to expect that congressional democrats won t continue to push their investigations apology or no apology. Another is that the mistake in judgment for which Reagan is being urged to apologize was not just a minor matter As was pointed out by Vance in his congressional testimony. Certainly it was More serious James j. Kilpatrick than anything in watergate which hardly engaged National Security at All save in the imaginations of Rich Ard Nixon s plumbers. Even the Bay of pigs probably did not Call into question elsewhere in the world the common sense and strategic judgment of an administration to the extent that the arms to loan funds to contras matter has. The scandal involves moreover National Security Council procedures White House congressional relations he role of the Cia  of the secretaries of state and defense All matters that quite aside from any apology Reagan May now make de serve thorough airing and possibly legislation to avoid such fiascos in the future. Nor can any apology by the president remove the real possibility that Laws were broken particularly in the attempts to Channel funds to the contras in Nicaragua. Whether he knew about or condoned a breaking or was too inattentive to duty to select it among his appointees Reagan would be Likely to be held responsible if the special prosecutor obtains Crim Inal convictions of any while House aide. The Primacy of the Law even above a president s most cherished foreign policy objectives must be re established if it has been breached. Besides there s disturbing evidence that Reagan May have been lying to the american people and not just on details like his insistence that All the arms sent to Iran were defensive and could have been carried in one cargo plane or his repeated news Confer ence statements that no other country was involved in the matter. To open useful communication with iranian Moder ates. The latter Contention As More documents an evidence come to Light looks More and More like a cover Story. No one for instance has As yet explained who or what iranian moderates Are or How the  deliver 2,000 Tow missiles 10 them but not to Ayatollah Khomeini s army. So by All Means Reagan should apologize he Slong overdue. But that won t answer Alt the questions Many of which Are just beginning to be asked.  Tow enforcement officers deserve memorial to the Best of my recollection i have used this column Only once in the past 22 years to urge support of a Public fund raising Effort. That was for the Viet Nam veterans memorial let me break a Rule once More. The National Law enforcement officers me Morial fund deserves your help we lend to take our police like our armed services pretty much for granted. Except when we see a state trooper on patrol or a cop directing traffic officers Are largely out of sight and out of mind. Few of us Ever have met an agent of the Fri or he drug enforcement administration. We tend to forget that Law enforce ment is a dangerous business and that it demands a Devotion to Public service beyond anything Ever asked of most americans. Just As we Honor those who have died in military service so we should Honor those who have died in Law enforcement. Toward this end Congress in 1984 unanimously authorized a memorial to Law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Like the Vietnam memorial this memorial would be erected on Public property but it must be privately financed. Work must begin by oct. 19, 1989. A fund of j5 Mil lion will be sought. Over the past 10 years More than a thousand Law enforcement officers have Given their lives for our Protection. Last year the toll numbered 96. Sixty died of gunshot wounds 21 from traffic accidents eleven died in plane crashes two from a bomb. One drowned and one died of a heart attack brought on by the Pur suit of a fleeing Felon we ought to Honor it. John p. Frisco of the wind Crest Texas police department. He died in december 1985 attempting to arrest a thief who sped from the scene of the crime in a truck. Frisco was hurled from the truck and killed by an automobile. We ought to Honor trooper Oren Hindman of South Dakota. He was fatally stabbed in May 1985 As he sough to arrest a Man Lor Drunken driving. We ought to Honor trooper Bruce k. Smalls of South Carolina. One morning in september 1985 he received a report that a motor Home was being driven in an erratic manner. As he pulled he vehicle to the Side of the Highway he was shot in the face and upper Orso with a .357 magnum handgun. We ought to Honor Benjamin Grogan and Gerald Dove special agents of the Fri. They died in april 1986 in a gun Battle with Bank robbers in Miami. We ought to Honor officer John Martinez of the California Highway Pairol As he was Clearing Accident debris from the san Bernardino freeway in Alhambra he was shot and killed by a heroin addict who happened to pass by in a car. We ought to Honor trooper Robert l. Coggins of North Carolina. In september 1985, attempting to question the Driver of a stolen pickup truck he was overpowered and slain with his own service weapon we ought to Honor Carlos Negron a new Jersey slate trooper. In May 1984 he was shot to death in a cold blooded ambush staged by a member of the Black liberation army. Negron had approached an apparently disabled Van to see if he could help. We ought to Honor the women officers who have served As bravely As their male compatriots. Alma Waters of the Meridian miss police department was slain in december 1985 As she attempted to handle a family disturbance. In san Diego  Kelly a. Bazar died this past january of gunshot wounds. A few Days later in Kansas City patrol woman Maureen k. Murphy met the same Fate. We ought to Honor so Many others. Officer Baron Haynes of new York City testified against a criminal defendant in july of last year he was Shol fatally in revenge. Probation officer Harold Gray of Tallahassee was killed by one of his probationers. In Tucson a drug runner shot and killed Dea agent Glenn Miles. In Washington ., officer Kevin Welsh drowned As he sought to save a woman s life. The prospective memorial is largely the inspiration of rep. Mario Biaggi d-n.y., a former police officer who 10 times was wounded in the line of duty. He will serve As chairman of the Board. Craig Floyd his legislative assistant will serve As executive director. The fund fortunately has secured Jan Scruggs who made such a spectacular Success of the Vietnam Veter ans memorial to serve As director. All contributions Are tax deductible and the fund will be publicly audited. The address is is7si St new suite 1075. Washington 20005. As we respect the Rule flaw let us Honor those Tio enforce it. C Una nut i by och the opinions cd pied id us Caln Niu of cartoons of this Page represent Hue of the Dun ind a in no Way to be considered u representing the Rte i of the stars and stripes or be United sule government