Put Thad In!! ll.imj. Olaiict "VMPs Most Responsible Newspaper!" VOLUME LXXVIII Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia February 24,1989 NUMBER 18 International News: Khomeini Puts Out A Contract the seven factions will gain con- As result of his book The trol. There are currently four Satanic Verses, author Salmon fundamentalist and three Rushdie is in hiding. The nationalist movements fighting Ayatullah Khomeini has placed a against the Najibullah regime. bounty of $5.2 million on his In 1943, the bodies of more life. In response to the death than 4,000 Polish officers were threat, the nations of the Euro- discovered in the Katyn forest pian Community have near Smolemsk. The Soviet withdrawn their ambassadors to Union has long placed blame on Iran. Iran has responded in kind the Germans after their invasion by severing diplomatic relations. of 1941. It has been Polish con- Iran warned that a continuation tention that the massacre was of such actions will have severe done by the Soviets. Last week, repercussions for the West. Odrodzenie, a Warsaw weekly, Now that the Soviets have published a report which sets the withdrawn from Afghanistan, date of the killings to be between the rest of the world waits to see March and May of 1940. This is if President Najibullah's pro- more than a year before the Nazi Soviet government will remain invasion. The Soviet Union has in power and, if not, which of not yet responded. Novelist Stephen Coonts National News: Visits VMI FBI Clears Tower By Lance Pickering By Dan Franzen In 1986 Stephen Coonts ex- recently retired as a Commander have goals as we go through life. —An FBI probe of the reports concluded that Tower ploded onto the literary scene in the Naval Air Reserve, and he I think it's one of the great private life of John G. Tower has drank heavily in the 70's but with the explosive bestseller is now writing fiill time. tragedies in life that a lot of peo- revealed "nothing that would now drinks only in moderation. Flight Of The Intruder, which On February 10 I had the ple as they move into middle age bar him from serving" as —The trial of ex-Marine Lt. spent 28 weeks on the New York pleasure of speaking at length surrender all the goals of their Secretary of Defense. Tower, a Col. Oliver North began this Times' bestseller list. In 1988 with Mr. Coonts about his work. youth. They accept whatever it former Senator and arms week with accusations of lying Stephen Qxints once again He is an open, friendly man who is they got and wherever they are negotiator, was nominated by and portraits of patriotism. pounced on the literary world genuinely enjoys writing and in life. They say, "Oh, this is all President George Bush to head Following juiy selection, the with his powerful second novel talking about it. He does not see I'm every going to get.' I think the Department of Defense. The trial began Wednesday at 9:30 Final Flight in which looks to be himself as a great, literary that's sort of sad. One of my Senate Armed Services Com- a.m. The prosecution op)ened by an even bigger seller than Flight giant, but merely as a man who goals was to be a naval aviator. 1 mittee received the report at one calling North "a liar" and Of The Intruder. is trying to write stories that a achieved that. One of them was of its hearings regarding claiming that he put himself Stephen Qxints, a native of few people will like. Mr. Coonts to write a novel, and by God 1 Tower's nomination. Allega- "above the law" to support" the West Virginia, graduated from started writing Flight Of The in- was going to do it. I didn't have tions and rumors had surfaced Contras. The prosecution main- West Virginia University with a truder after his divorce in 1984. to be published. Of course, I about Tower's past drinking and tains that patriotism is not a valid degree in political science and a As he puts it, "For the first time knew the odds of being pub- social habits, culminating in defense for the crimes North has commission in the Navy. From in my life I had plenty of time lished are very slim. That was rumors of his keeping secretaries allegedly committed. North's 1971 to 1973 Mr. Coonts flew and no money at all. So I decided completely out of my control. as mistresses and sleeping with lawyer countered with an open- A-6 Intruders from the deck of to try and fiilfill a life long ambi- What I could control was the KGB employees while at arms See NAT'L. NEWS the USS Enterprise in the Viet- tion. Of course what I wanted to ability, my work habits, and get- negotiations in Geneva. The FBI (continued on page 2) nam War. He later served as a write about was flying in com- ting it done. So I decided to do flight instructor on A-6 aircraft bat, flying jets in combat in that." and as a catapult/arresting gear Vietnam." He wanted to "go Mr. Coonts also feels that he officer aboard the USS Nimitz. back to those days and to relive was lucky in the timing of his In 1977 Mr. Coonts left active them and write alx)ut them." first book, which came out right INSIDE: duty in the Navy and moved to at the crest of the recent rise in Coyle Gives Ten Grand Colorado. After working briefly After Mr. Coonts had finished popularity of Vietnam. "The Pg- 3 as a cab driver and police offi- Flight Of The Intruder, he fact is it was almost serendipity. Track Team Takes 2nd Pg- 5 cer, he attended law school. "didn't even think it would ever It was luck. I had written th Indecision At UVA After receiving his degree, he get published. I didn't really ex- b(x)k, and the publisher had pg. 6 worked as an attorney for an oil pect it to get published. I just agreed to publish it. It had been Fake-Out '89 pg- 3 and gas company in Denver for thought it was something I edited and was within two or seven years. Mr. Coonts now wanted to do. 1 wanted to com- See C(X)NTS lives in Boulder, Colorado. He plete a novel. 1 think a lot of us (continued on page 7) Page 2, The VMI Cadet, February 24,19(9 C9I. Hammond concludes that "this would authorize unlimited extended weekends for First Classmen, further National removing their presence from the leadership of barracks they claim to want." But by leaving on Friday evenings. News Firsts would only miss Saturday morning BRC (they can (continued from page 1) already miss Friday SRC through use of FCP). BRC is a ing statement preturing North as short formation; how can Col. Hammond feel that the a loyal officer carrying out the absence of some First Classmen from one formation affect orders of his Commander-in- Hammond Lays our leadership of barracks? Also, as the school year winds Chief. North "never con- its way down, it is the time for Second Classmen to begin ten^lated" that he would com- mit crimes in the course of his A Brick assuming the leadership roles. actions. North's trial is expected What better opportunity for Seconds to begin to assume "In order to assist the transition of a cadet to 'citizen to last at least several months. leadership roles than at a short formation on Saturday mor- soldier' and/or other selected fields they go into, it is rec- —The Coast Guard has made ning? additional changes in its "zero ommended that academic First Classmen who have no Perhaps Col. Hammond, sitting in his office across the tolerance" boat-seizing policy. classes or military duty on Saturday be authorized to depart parade ground is further removed from the day to day ac- Originally, any boat could be on a weekend at the completion of military duty Friday." tivity in barracks than he realizes. What gives him the seized at any time by the Coast This sums up the permit submitted to the Executive Guard if any evidence of drugs moral right to countermand proposals that come from the Assistant to the Superintendent, Col. Leroy Hammond, not was found on board. The regula- commandant's office, which is right here in barracks? by the First Class president, but by the Deputy Comman- tion was changed after a public' If Col. Hammond cannot simply follow the reconmienda- dant, Capt. Harold Wilcockson. Col. David Harbach uproar to protect large merchant tions of the conmiandant's staff, then how can any one ex- vessels. The newest changes himself, wrote across the top of the permit, "Concur!" pect communication to remain open between barracks and now protect personal craft and Col. Hammond refused, however, to approve the privi- Smith Hall? yatchts, so that only commercial lege, explaining, "this is logical, but I don't even like the fishing vessels may be seized by permission we have granted for BRC departure on Satur- the Coast Guard. The boats may day. be seized if more than a He further explains that, "once (the permit is) known on "personal use" amount of drugs the stoops (it) would be likely to impact on class schedule (1 gram of cocaine or heroin or 1 ounce of marijuana) is found. techniques. I see this as one more brick falling out of the —Fourteen people died in two wall and cannot recommend approval.