Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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McCain goes back to Vietnam by Greg Myre The Associated Press Hanoi, Vietnam —Shaking hands with crowds of Vietnamese, a nostalgic John McCain returned Tues day to the Hanoi lake where in 1967 he was dragged ashore and beaten after parachuting from his downed warplane. The bitter war has yielded to reconciliation, and the Arizona senator strolled with his family around the busy shorefront of the capital’s True Bach lake, stopping at a sidewalk memorial marking his rescue. ^ “I put the Vietnam War behind me a long time Igo,” McCain said upon arriving in Vietnam on Tues day. “I harbor no anger, no rancor.” People on the street seemed to feel the same. A crowd of Vietnamese gathered around McCain as he walked, greeting hint as a friend and shaking his hand. McCain, who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war here, is now a leading proponent of rebuilding relations with the impoverished com munist nation. Vietnam celebrates the 25th anniversary of the end of the war on Sunday, and the fomier presidential candidate is the most prominent of the numerous returning U.S. veterans. “My job here is to commemorate the beginning and continuation of a new relationship between the United States and Vietnam, ” said McCain, who was instrumental in restoring formal ties five years ago. Still, his seventh to Vietnam since 1975 was filled with war reminders. Shortly after he arrived, McCain attended a solemn airport repatriation ceremony in which an 11-person military honor guard placed six small boxes of remains, believed to be from U.S. ser vicemen, into silver metal coffins. About 50 U.S. civilians and military personnel warcneu as the containers were draped with Americdh flags and carried into the hold of a C-17 cargo plane head ing to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii for foren sic analysis. The remains were recovered this year as part of the ongoing American effort to account for more than 2,000 servicemen missing in Indochina, in cluding about 1,500 in Vietnam. Several hours later, McCain took wife Cindy and son Jack on a walk along the bustling sidewalk that borders the lake, and briefly recounted the down ing of his A4 plane during a bombing mission Oct. 26,1967. “Everything happened very quickly,” he said. “I broke both my arms and a leg, and I was Vietnam see rage A12 ‘My job here is to commemorate the beginning and continuation of a new relationship between the United States and Vietnam.’ Sen. John McCain R-Ariz. Elian moves; Reno defends seizure by Tom Raum The Associated Press Washington—Elian Gonzalez and his Cuban family moved Tuesday to a se cluded location on Maryland’s Eastern Shore as the Clinton administration %ranged to have four playmates visit him. in a closed-door meeting, Attorney Gen eral Janet Reno failed to quiet Republi can criticism of her decision to use force to reunite father and son. In a closed-door meeting lasting about 1 hour and 45 minutes, Reno told 13 sen ators that the possibility of firearms in the house of Elian’s Florida relatives was a key consideration for the military-style raid, participants said. But she apparently was unable to change any minds. While several De mocrats praised her performance, Re publican senators emerged from the ses sion with fresh criticism of Reno and the pre-dawn raid in Miami. “Many of the questions were not ad equately answered,” said Senate Major ity Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., who had arranged the meeting. Lott announced hearings into the raid next week by the Senate Judiciary Com mittee — and suggested that Elian’s fa ther, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, would be among those sought for testimony. He conceded, however, that Gonzalez prob ably couldn’t be compelled to testily, giv en his status as a Cuban national. Members of both parties said the ex changes with Reno had been cordial, but that criticism was freely expressed by many attendees. Meanwhile, U.S. marshals moved Elian, his father, stepmother and half brother from the apartment at nearby An drews Air Force Base, where they had stayed since Saturday night, to an estate on Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore. State Department spokesman James Rubin said they were relocated to the As pen Institute’s secluded Wye River Con ference Center to await court action over whether Elian should be allowed to re turn to Cuba. Rubin also announced that, at the fa ther’s request, four playmates of Elian — each accompanied by an adult — will be allowed to come from Cuba to visit him for about two weeks. A teacher and cousin, previously granted visas, planned to fly to the United States on Wednesday. The Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, a supporter of Juan Miguel Gonzalez’s ef fort to be reunited with his son, said the children are friends of Elian from his school and neighborhood in Cuba and were being brought here to create “a sense of normalcy for him about the life he has lead and will lead.” President Clinton, meanwhile, said Elian’s reunion with his father, nearly five months since the' 6-year-old was rescued after a shipwreck in the Atlantic, “was long overdue.” He urged that the fami ly be given “the space it needs to heal its wounds and strengthen its bonds.” Speaking at an unrelated White House ceremony, Clinton also praised the fed eral agents who swooped in and removed Elian from the Miami house on Saturday morning for a “ very, very difficult job to do with no easy choices.” He also warm ly commended Reno — a warmth she did not get from Republicans on Capitol Hill. “This use of force was totally un necessary,” Sen. Connie Mack, R-Fla., said after the meeting. And Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said that despite Reno’s expressions of concern about guns, “they had no evidence of guns in the house.” Nor were any found, he said. Officers were in the house for just three minutes, and the only object of their search was Elian. But Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, one of only three senators invited by Lott to the ses sion sympathetic to the admiistration’s handling of the case, told reporters, “they chose to show force so they wouldn’t have to use force.” “We don’t need 100 armchair attor neys general,” Dascie said, speaking of the 100 Senate members. At the same time, the Democratic leader said he would not oppose Lott’s plan to hold hearings — although he said did not see why there was such a rush. A seior Justice Department official, speaking on condition of not being iden tified, said Reno’s meeting was not tense nor adversarial and that there were no Euan SEE PAGE All News Briefs ■ Federal court declares Ohio motto unconstitutional Cincinnati (AP)—Ohio’s motto, “With Gbd, all things are possible,” was declared unconstitutional Tuesday by a federal ap peals court that said the phrase amounts to a government endorsement of Chris tianity. The 2-1 decision by the 6th U.S. Cir cuit-Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s ruling that permitted Ohio’s use of the motto. The motto was taken from the New Testament, specifically Matthew 19:26, which quotes Jesus Christ. “When Jesus spoke to his disciples, he was explaining to them what was need ed of them to enter heaven and achieve salvation, a uniquely Christian thought not shared by Jews and Moslems,” Cir cuit Judge Avern Cohn wrote for the three-judge panel. - In a dissent, Circuit Judge David Nel son said he found Ohio’s motto no more troubling than the words “In God We Trust” on U.S. coins. ■ Jury flips coin to decide murder over manslaughter - Louisville, Ky. (AP)— Jurors who couldn’t decide whether to convict a man of murder or manslaughter in the shoot ing death of his girlfriend flipped a coin and found him guilty of murder. How ever, the judge declared a mistrial after finding out about the coin toss. Phillip J. Givens II, 28, would have faced life in prison if convicted of mur der in the death of Monica Briggs, 29, last May. A new trial was scheduled for Sept. 12. The jury of five men and seven women deliberated about nine hours over two days last week before issuing the ver dict Friday. Jury foreman David Melton told The Courier-Journal for today’s editions the jurors decided to flip a silver dollar to avoid a hung jury. Because all agreed on the coin toss, they thought it was legal, he said. “Realistically, I didn’t think we had anytliing to lose,” Melton said. “We were going to be hung without it.” Sera Tec can help you earn some fast cash! New donors can earn... $25 First Donation $40 Second Donation Regular donors can earn * $40 per calendar week! [Bring I.D. w/ Date of Birth & Social Security Number Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri - 7:30-4:00 • Tues & Thurs - 7:30-5:00 _Now Open Saturdays - 9:00 -1:00_ 1-77 8c 8105 Two Notch Road • Columbia, SC 29223 (803) 736-5600 • (803) 736-1241 Fax wwwjmichotels.com .J^RADUATION (Celebration ‘69 Stay at the newly remodeled Ramada Plaza Hotel. 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