European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 15, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday. January 15, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 5specter of War haunts divided emotions spill Forth in final hours by Robert d. Mcfadden the new York times / on what Many americans Sec As the eve of War in the persian Gulf the mood Katlie nation sunday was somber divided apprehensive a people caught Between a desire for peace and the Burden of what Woodrow Yil son called thy right More i Evious than peace. The months of futile diplomacy had. Apparently come Down to a final Day. The president had issued his is longest warning. The troops and aircraft carriers were in. Place. Congress had Given its speeches and its assent time was running out. Still the haunting uncertainties lingered. In new York. Atlanta. Chicago and san Francisco in cities and Small towns across the nation the january weekend had an Odd. Unreal Quality As visits with scores of americans showed. Weddings were he a football games were played families sat Down to dinner and Ordinary people went about their customary lives. But in houses of worship prayers and sermons were offered against War. In los Angeles 4,000 people went to an Antiwar protest out of the Vietnam War Era. In Atlanta and Houston and St. Louis and Detroit people spoke with profound emotion of their fears for loved ones and for the future of the country. Everywhere lurked undercurrents that were not easy to define there was a sense the crisis was moving inexorably out of control that ones own voice had been lost in the Rush of events. That America was poised for better or worse on the threshold of a historic Day one that might prove proud or tragic in the. Months or years to a come. A. A. With tuesday s . Deadline just hours away and no sign that.-iraqi1 president Saddam Hussein planned to withdraw his forces from Kuwait americans were still grappling with their feelings. A a new York times lbs news poll conducted Jan. 57 reflected the ambivalence showing almost the same support for attacking Iraq As for giving economic sanctions More time. And interviews with scores of people across the country provided dramatic evidence the. United states w As a nation divided on the eve of War. A the Price of democracy is High a Ellis Casden of Stamford conn., said outside giants stadium in cast Rutherford n.j., before sunday s nil playoff game Between the giants and Chicago bears. A we have been the guardians of peace. We can t let this go without doing something about it. The Middle East is a powder Keg and its not going to go Casden a son Greg 20. A student at Green Mountain College in Vermont said the War if it comes would be a fight Over Oil rather than democratic principles. A i think its pretty obscene a he declared. At St. Patrick a Cathedral in Manhattan Cardinal of Connor the archbishop of new York said he believed in the sincerity of the Bush administration and Congress but he declared a your government can err in its deliberations Aud its o Connor urged americans not to accept that Wai is unavoidable and said everyone had a moral obligation to raise questions up to and Ovond tuesday s deadline Quot it is the highest form of loyalty to ask whether what we Are doing is right Quot he said on a sunlit afternoon in St. Louis Debbie Swallow 39, took her infant daughter Danielle to watch big Bird cavort on stage in a sesame Street in line for tickets she said to Hale to see another nearby , 37, clutched her toddler son Paul. A War is a horrible devastating thug to the Young people a she said. A but you have to keep a Strong sense of speaking about Saddam she added a a this Man has the mind of a Hitler. He has to be put in his in los Angeles Inara George la a High school student said she had Only begun to see what War might mean to her family. �?o1 have Brothers and cousins who Are the age to be drafted a she said a and its frightening to think of them going to War. Its so strange a in a going through the same thing my mom went through in the 60s."in a nation that has not experienced All out War in two decades the persian Gulf crisis seemed surreal to Gale Orem 47, a Legal Secretary in Houston. A i done to Quot think our society knows much of War Quot she said. A a it a like a horror movie we can turn off if we w ant to. In America we live on a yellow Brick Road of sorts a and that May be our iraqis in America feeling the deadline Pinch Oak Park Mich. Aalfred Naami got out of Iraq la years ago but the timing of the . Deadline for Iraq to leave Kuwait or face a military onslaught is a painful reminder that his roots lie in the troubled Middle East. A much of Naamin a family followed him to America in search of a better life. But his sister Fayal Zoma stayed behind. Today the Day of the United nations deadline she is expecting her second child. And her husband has been drafted into the iraqi military. A you still feel ties Quot Naami said glancing repeatedly at the television news in his Palm food store in suburban Oak Park. A you done to want anything to happen to them. The Jan. 15 deadline Means anything can Naami last saw his 29-year-old sister in 1978 when she attended his wedding. A she called last we Eek we can to even Call her a he said. A she was upset. Her husbands 35 years old and they called him up from the reserves. 1 guess it does no to matter How old you Are most of the estimated 45,000 chaldean in the Detroit area the largest such Community in the United states come from Northern Iraq and few wish to return. Many have prospered by setting up particularly grocery stores or lust Alfred Naami who moved to the United states from Iraq 16 years ago reads a letter from his sister. Fearing for his Sisters safety Naami asked that his face not be shown. Businesses working in the Auto Industry chaldean who Are Christian arabs emerged after christianity spread to the Middle East in the Early centuries. As a minority in Iraq a mostly Muslim country chaldean have often been persecuted. Many chaldean in the Detroit area have relatives in Iraq and prefer not to speak out on Kuwait a occupation by iraqi president Saddam Hussein a troops. But if War Breaks out they say they would support president Bush arid Congress. A a Saddam Hussein is wrong Quot said Amir Denha 47, editor of the chaldean Detroit times a twice monthly newspaper. A the peaceful solution is knocking at our a Bush is my president a said attorney marshal Garmo 37. A the iraqis i know Arentt supporting the iraqi position. They support the american other chaldean Are leery of a military intervention and favor allowing Arab countries to Settle their own disagreements. A i done to support America i done to support Saddam a said m. F. Farhad 27, a pastry chef. Quot if Bush withdraws his army then peace will come.�?�. Naami is hoping the United Stales will give economic sanctions More time. Washington apr worshippers attending the 8 . Eucharist service at St. Johns episcopal Church directly across Lafayette Square from the White House where president Bush often worships sunday prayed for peace and for peacemakers for the soldiers in the saudi Sands for the president himself and for iraqis leaders As Well. An elderly couple sat in Pew 54, marked with a Small brass plaque As a the presidents where George and Barbara Bush often sit. A every chief executive since James Madison has prayed in the 175-year-old Church which Calls itself a the Church of the the Rev James c. Holmes the associate Rector led the congregation in prayers a for those who seek peace in the Middle East for our president for the leaders of Iraq for the Secretary general of the United nations. All those in the armed forces whose lives Are in danger and those who love and care for them.�?�. Holmes spoke of times in the lives of individuals and nations that a turn a Corner and after it nothing is the facing such a moment Holmes said we need our face to Jerusalem and seek to a affect Healing peace and the president was at his Camp David Retreat sunday where he attended conducted by a Navy the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Jan. 15,1951 a three North korean divisions struck deep behind the United nations Wonju defense line and threatened to trap the . 2nd int div and its South korean dutch and French allies.30 years ago today. Jan. 15, 1961 a president elect John f. Kennedy named Elvis j. Stahr president of West Virginia University to be Secretary of the army. 20 years ago today Jan. 15, 1971 a seventy brazilian prisoners arrived m Conle a Ransom Lor Giovanni Enrico Bucher Switzerland a kidnapped ambassador to brazil.10 years ago today. A Jan. 15, 1981 a Iran a parliament cleared a major hurdle to free 52 american hostages and a hostage commission spokesman said Iran wanted to end the matter a within the next to o or three
