University of Denver - Kynewisbok Yearbook (Denver, CO)

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Inflation, death, war, strikes, unemployment - and a baby headlined the worlds news 1982-83. Families in many cities across the United States saw fathers and mothers laid off from their steel- working, mining, and manufacturing jobs without any promise of re- employment. At the same time, teacher strikes in many cities kept children from learning, bus strikes in Denver and elsewhere kept people from work, rail strikes across America kept goods from being shipped and a Na- tional Football League strike kept the fans from their pasttimes. It seemed inflation hit almost everyone , except the Congress - especially hard this year. President Ronald Reagan pushed to ratify a Constitutional amendment to make it unlawful to run the government without a balanced budget. At the same time, he was cutting government programs and laying off federal workers while adding billions of dollars to bolster the country7s defense. Social Security tottered on its WORLD VIEW! -llluslration by John Lu ever-crumbling base while Congressmen battled to keep prayer out of public schools. Perpetual war existed in Lebanon, with the Palesti- nian Liberation Organizae tion taking over Beirut before finally agreeing to pull out its forces. Within two weeks, Israeli jets bombed the ravaged city and hundreds of Palesti- nian refugees were brutal- ly gunned down outside Beirut, causing a world- wide rage at the senseless, unknown murderers. Other murders occurred in London, where the Irish Republican Army left bombs to explode in crowded city parks, killing tmen and horses. Shortly after Hollywood finished mourning the death of long-time actor Henry Fonda due to heart ailments, actress Ingrid Bergman, best known for her role in Casablanca, died of cancer. Not long after this, Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco drove off a mountain road with her daughter Stephanie, ap- parently the victim of a stroke. She died the next day in a Monaco hospital, never having regained consciousness. Princess Grace, known to Americans as Oscar- winning actress-turnede princess Grace Kelly, was mourned by millions the world over. Finally, as a bright spot in the darkness of the worlds crises, a baby was born. Prince William Louis Arthur George, son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana of Wales, was born June 21, 1982. He is heir to the throne of England, second in line after his father. The baby came close to being an anniversary gift to Charles and Diana, who were mar- ried in the most magnifi- cent wedding of the cen- tury, in London the year before.

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Conflicts in the Middle East have drawn our attention many times over the past twenty years, as countries and peoples have clashed over land and freedom. While some are still fighting, and others striving toward peace, the focus this summer has been on Lebanon and hsinvanon by laaeh sddkxs on June 6, 1982. Americans have viewed this event through U.S. newspaper headlines. Yet, the Unversity of Denver can view things from a unique perspec- tive, from the eyes of one of its own students who was there, in Lebanon this summer fighting as an Israeli soldier. tiAs I see myself as a student, I'm older than other students l25l, yet I do not think I missed anything start- ing college at a later age--because I gave a lot to my country. In defend- ing something which is important to you, you gain maturity. This Israeli student lremaining anonymousl was required to serve three years service in the Israeli army at age 18. Now on reserve, he returns to his homeland, as he did this summer, to serve from thirty to sixty days each year. The Israeli forces entered Lebanon this past summer to accomplish two major objectives. Most imperative was the aim to remove the Palesti- nian Liberation Organization lPLOl from Israel,s northern border, pushing them back 40 kilometers, in order to stop them from shelling Israeli settlements in that area, so those people would be able to live in peace. They ultimately wanted to remove PLO and Syrians from all of Lebanon, so that Syria lwithisupport from RUssial could not open another front against Israel, and Lebanon could have their own strong govern- ment, and peace in which to live. DU's Israeli student became in- volved as a soldier in the conflict on June 9th after the PLO had been successfully pushed back 40 kilometers inside Lebanon, so his in- volvement was mainly fighting against the Syrians. In addition to removing the PLO from its northern border, Israeli forces surrounded Beirut to force the PLO to leave the city in order to give Lebanon a chance to build its own government. lllf we just obtained the first objective--then it would solve the problem only for now. In two years the same situation would come back. Israel doesnt want to stay in Lebanon. ilIt was guerilla warfare with the PLO hiding behind rocks. There were so many occasions when good friends of mine were killed because they didnt want to shoot Lebanese civilians. The terrorists hid behind the civilians to shoot Israelis. The soldier saw much unpleasant- ness while in the war-torn Lebanon. itMany Lebanese girls came crying to us, throwing rice as a symbol of afa fectioni telling us how PLO members came to their houses, raped wives and daughters, took them away and their husbands to prison and killed them so they wouldnt find out. . .The PLO lived well, taking anything they wanted from Lebanon, as if it were their own country. ill couldnlt believe how many weapons there were in Southern Lebanon, provided by USSR, U.S. lthe M-16 given to Saudi Arabia by the U.S.l, Germany, and other countries. That amount of weapons didnlt fit a terrorist organization, its more like an army? He feels these tanks, grenades, and missiles stored are ready to be used one day by the PLO. He saw documents showing the PLO connection with Russia. The US. has interests too, to keep Israel alive as a strong ally against Russia. Many other Arab countries are in- volved besides Israel and Lebanon. tiA lot of Arab countries have internal problems--fighting against Israel unites them and helps them to forget their own problems. If the Palestinian problem is talked about and solved, the Arab countries will have to deal with their own internal problems with religion, economics, and political power? Some Arabs and Palestinians have good relationships with Israelis. ill have been working in a hotel in Israel with many Palestinians and many of them are my good friends. The problems are apparent. Yet, why fight, why invade? tiltls a ques- tion of life, of security. You never know what will happen in the future. And who is affected by this fighting? llThe Israeli kibbutz set- tlements along the northern border, from shelling, the Lebanese whose houses are damaged, the Palestinian refugee camps that are damaged badly as PLO take hostages and Israeli soldiers have to kill them to get the PLO.u Yet there was some political suc- cess from the invasion, in terms of evacuation of the PLO from Beirut, and negotiations starting between Israel and Lebanon in hopes that foreign armies will withdraw from Lebanon and a strong Lebanese government can be established. Israeli settlements along the northern border are no longer shelled--the finally live in peace. uLefs hope that the future will be brighter in this part of the world, and all nations in the area could live in peace with each other,