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Gulf War will have long lasting effect BV DENJN!l KONWINSKI CoPY-Eorro11. For some, it may as well be ancient history. Pack up the boob and tie them up with a yellow bow. For others, the fighting is over, but the war never eods. It's a constant in life. This month marks three years since a friend returned from serving six months in the Persian Gulf. Through the taJes he tells and the pictures we, as a nation, have seen, a lot has been learned. Unfortunately, there is a lot more information out there, and it seems only time will reveal the secrets. young, unselfishly risking their lives for the rights ofothers, but especially unfortunate are those who will want to someday start a family. They will wonder if the chance will be worth the pain and emotional scars it could leave, if their child is one of the many already burdened with one of those tragedies of war. The wife of one man who served with the Anny's 16th En- gineer Battalion bad a son, born ahnost nine months to the day that he returned home from the Gulf. The boy was born without arms - his hands are attached to his shoulders and his legs are body. They're not really sure what itis. My friend has said there are things the government should have told the American people. Things about immunizations (many were not approved by the FDA) and the use of chemical warfare, among others. I don't doubt it for a minute. support for our troops; that's what it's all about. Although long overdue, the feeling of patriotism took many back to Viet Nam. But no mat- ter how late, it happened. Those vets got some long overdue rec- ognition - and it was positive. Another aspect recognized was the attitude of the American citizens left at home. While the The image in the crystal service people were away, the ball isn't pretty. But then again, civilians pulled together and nothing about war is. According worked hard to support each to the environmental activist other and also our troops by group Greenpeace, over 150,000 sending letters and care pack- lraqisdied, and five million were ages. left homeless as a result of the "When you get back here 43 day allied attack. Kuwait suf- and see all that we have, you're nigh~ ====================--ii mares fered so much aware of how good it any - is here," said then Master Sgt. where Larry Sisco, when speaking to from students at Sanborn Elementary and the Vi Vi d memo- ries of fighting are bad enough, but as time goeson, Unfortunately, there is a lot more information out there, and it seems only time will re- veal the secrets. ~ ou~ ~ lb===================..!I 2 School there years ago. 5,000 Our veterans are fortunate casu- to have such a comfortable place alties, to come home to. It's a place a n d where for most, sandstorms are 3 4 3 infrequent, and they don't have allied to brew coffee through a sock. troops It's a sharp contrast to the were Iraqi soldiers who lined up wav- k.illed; ing anything white, begging to 2 6 6 be 'captured' so they might re- o f ceive food and water. <>_pIJl'.llI<>IlL Senate provides awards banquet ■ Have they done an injustice or a good deed? BY $HAWN Dl:MPSEY Nb'WS EurroR As the 1993-94 school year came to a close, Student Senate prepared for one of its last activities - the Awards Ban- quet. I heard a few grumblings about it before it had even hap- pened. The Awards Banquet, April 29, was a dinner sponsored by SS for campus groups, clubs, and activities to present their commenda- tions to whomever they are instrumental in their stu- dents' successes. A special teacher of the year award seemed appropriate, so SS sponsored The problem is they didn't research or plan the contest very well. They didn't know it had been done in the past and had not worked out. They didn't es- tablish a solid criteria to judge the essays. But they held the con- test anyway because seven students took the time to write about how instructors have af- fected them. As a m,eds to be In a school judge in thecontest, I read all of the es- says. I was moved at how much respect these stu- dents held for their in- structors. I was also moved at the care and con- cern these instructors h a v e shown commended. where apathy Academic de- partments rules, it was were also in- pleasing to see vited to present aoy some interest awards they may choose to and apprecia- give. Tradi- tion. Students tionially, the may actually Awards Ban• """ ;, an care about athletic ban· something ... quet. Inter- and intra-mu- rnls have usually domi- nated the scene. This year though, SS has worked to change this. They en- couraged all of the academic areas to participate. They con- ducted a teacher of the year contest. They intended to invite all of the clubs to attend. Great ideas, right? They were great ideas and SS worked hard on them without much help from anyone. To encourage academic recognition, they sent letters, at- tended meetings, and talked to instructors. The end result is that one department - the Humani- ties Department - will present two awards and the Math/Sci- ences Department will present two additional awards. No one else responded. It is rather ironic that in a school where the predomninate talk of instructors is, "What's the matter with these students?," few teachers bothered to re- spond. Perhaps instructors feel that grades are recognition enough. Perhaps they were too busy to discuss the idea. How- ever some response, even negative, would have been help- ful. In addition, SS thought the teachers here deserved some acknowledgement. Instructors here work hard, they encourage and support their students, and their students. In a school where apathy rules, it was pleasing to see some interest and appreciation. Stu- dents may actually care about something, and shockingly, it may be teachers. And then, there is the club thing. Apparently, no clubs were invited. It was not intentional, just a mistake. SS shouldn't worry about it because only three clubs have cared enough to rep- resent themselve this year. Each club bas a vote on SS; Phi Theta Kappa, Society of Creative Anachronism, and The Polemic are the only groups who have ever bothered to exercise this right. The clubs weren't invited - but did they really want to come? If they did, they should have made sure by attending a meeting at least once in awhile. If they want to be represented at the Awards Banquet, they should be represented on SS. All in all, the Awards Ban- quet is representative of SS's whole year - not perfect but well intentioned. So do we con- demn them? No. They're students, they're learning, and they're the only ones willing to do the job. So how about thanking them, offering some ideas and contributions, and planning for a great 1994-95 school year. w a , vets are finding their health is deteriorating. Many have respi- ratory problems, sinus trouble, a recurring rash and suffer from chronic soreness and fatigue, among other symptoms. those Tb.eyonlyaskedfortheba•,-----------------, were Americans. Of those, 145 sics, something we all hope to were killed in action. Accidents live above and beyond. For most claimed the other lives. of us, health falls into that cat- Many vets have come home, and since produced chil- dren that are 'less than perfect' - something that could happen to anyone, but the similarities are there. It's one of the greatest trag- edies of war. Just like the Viet Nam vets exposed to Agent Or- ange, we'll spend the next decades wondering what we're dealing with, and iMumerable people will be affected. All of the veterans were too arched back toward his body. There are numerous ac- counts of wives of vets having miscarriages, and there is a re- port of one couple producing a perfect baby girl - except for the red splotches that cover her face. Another example is a young man diagnosed with can- cer not long after he returned from his six month tour in the Gulf. The cancer, which showed up very suddenly, is raging throughout his entire body. Doc- tors have placed a time limit on his 20 some - odd - year life, and have changed their original prognosis. It's not cancer that's poisoning this young man's "I don't ever want to kill egory. Yet for some, that seems again," stated one 28-year-old like asking for something just Navy Flier who was taken pris- short of a miracle. oner by the Iraqis. "People think, 'Hey, we went in there and just kicked ass,' but they didn't see the Iraqi mothers being killed." Unfortunately, the general feeling of the American people was in many cases, just thal. It's too bad they don't think of the real effects. The allied forces did a su- per job, and according to one report, support was the highest of any war. It seemed that even those who opposed war showed So as the world goes around and years go by, we watch and wonder, if, as a mili- tary power, we'll ever have to go back. Sometimes it doesn't really mauer. The damage is done, whether it was in a World War, Korea, Viet Nam, Persian Gulf or Bosnia. The only thing we wish is that the lives weren't lost and the veterans could live as they did before. TIIW'- YOU · Julie ~~i~elsio ' FOR THE PIZ~A!H (H ..,,.. "l",.wnwn"# ~ The Polemic staff