Nation & World News
Attack on helicopter leaves 16 Americans dead
A transport helicopter was
hit in Iraq Sunday, killing
at least 16 Americans and
injuring about 20 others
By Stephen J. Hedges
and E.A. Torriero
Chicago Tribune (KRT)
AL HUSAY, Iraq — At least 16
Americans, many on their way out of
Iraq for military rest and recreation
leave, were killed Sunday when their
transport helicopter crashed after be
ing hit by what witnesses said was a
shoulder-fired missile.
The strike was the deadliest single
attack on U.S. forces since the March
19 invasion of Iraq.
The CH-47 Chinook helicopter
crashed and burned at 9 a.m. Iraq
time shortly after departing the
Army's Camp Ridgeway, formerly
Iraq's Al Taqaddum air base, 35 miles
west of Baghdad. At least 20 others in
the helicopter were injured.
The U.S. military would not offi
cially disclose the cause of the crash
but witnesses and an Army source in
Fallujah pointed to a possible rocket
propelled grenade or an SA-7 missile.
The chopper went down en route
to Baghdad International Airport as
it passed over the wheat fields and
groves of date palm trees surround
ing this simple, scattered farming
village, about 9 miles southeast of
Camp Ridgeway.
The attack occurred after loyalists
of deposed Iraq leader Saddam Hus
sein had called for "days of resist
ance," and U.S. officials warned of
intelligence that suggested a marked
increase in planned attacks on U S.
military, Iraqi government and civil
ian targets.
In the town of Abu Gharib, just
miles from the crash site, a convoy of
unmarked LI.S. military vehicles was
attacked Sunday morning and set on
fire, witnesses said. The American
command did not release details of
the attacks, but the U S. Army Corps
of Engineers said that two of its civil
ian contract workers were killed.
Another American soldier died
from wounds suffered in a roadside
bombing outside Baghdad.
The U.S. deaths came after one of
the most violent weeks in post-com
bat Iraq. More than 70 Iraqis and
Americans have been killed in eight
days of violence including a rocket at
tack on the A1 Rashid hotel, where
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wol
fowitz and coalition officials were
staying, and five suicide bombings.
The number of casualties in Sun
day's helicopter assault was certain to
increase the pressure on the White
House and Pentagon to take control
of the escalating insurgency against
soldiers and civilians in Iraq.
"Today was pretty bad," said Army
Pfc. Misty Scheirer, 23, of Knoxville,
Tenn., an 82nd Airborne Division pri
vate on guard at a base near Fallujah.
"You get kind of used to it, but of
course it brings you down. It just
makes it worse that they were almost
just out of here."
Defense Secretary Donald Rums
feld, appearing on several Sunday
morning talk shows, said "Clearly, it's
a tragic day for Americans," and that
the "work in Iraq is difficult."
"It's a long hard war, and we're go
ing to have tragic days, * Rumsfeld said
on ABC's "This Week.*
A second Chinook helicopter flying
with the first was not hit. Those on the
stricken aircraft came from a variety of
units, an Army spokesman said, and
included a number of reservists and
possibly some civilians associated
with the U.S.-led coalition. The
Army's 82nd Airborne Division has
troops deployed throughout western
Iraq, and Camp Ridgeway is one of its
operating bases.
A spokesman at Ft. Carson, Colo.,
said the Chinooks were carrying sol
diers from Ft. Carson, Colo.; Ft. Sill,
Okla.; Ft. Campbell, Ky.; and Ft.
I food, Texas.
(c) 2003, Chicago Tribune. Tribune
correspondent Mike Doming in Fallujah
contributed to this report.
Church welcomes
its first gay bishop
Despite protests by church
officials, the Episcopalian
Church ordains its first
openly homosexual bishop
By David O'Reilly
Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT)
DURHAM, N.H. — In a ceremony
that included cheers, applause,
protests and warnings of a schism, the
Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
on Sunday ordained the Rev. V. Gene
Robinson as the denomination's first
openly gay bishop.
Standing before a makeshift altar in
the University of New Hampshire are
na, Robinson, 56, vowed to be a
"faithful pastor and wholesome ex
ample for the entire flock of Jesus,"
words from the traditional Episcopal
ordination rite for bishops.
Deep divisions over Robinson's con
secration threaten a split in the church.
The Rev. Rowan Williams, archbishop
of Canterbury and spiritual leader of
the worldwide Anglican faith, said in a
statement Sunday that the divisions
"are a matter of deep regret."
The conservative American Angli
can Council said the consecration of
an openly homosexual bishop was
"heresy, blasphemy and sin," and
vowed to create a "mainstream" An
glican church.
The divorced father of two grown
daughters, Robinson has lived in open
relationship with another man for the
last 14 years. He was elected by the New
Hampshire diocese in June and his
election was ratified by the denomina
tion's General Convention in August.
Although the crowd applauded
Robinson for more than a minute, the
landmark consecration sends the
Episcopal Church USA and the world
wide Anglican Communion into un
charted territory.
Church conservatives, who believe
the Bible teaches that homosexual
acts are sinful, had warned that elevat
ing Robinson would cause mass de
fections of Episcopalians.
Eight dioceses in the United States
had threatened to disaffiliate with the
2.4 million-member Episcopal Church
USA if Robinson was consecrated.
Hod ay is a grievous day in the his
tory of our Church. Heresy has been
held up as holy. Blasphemy has been
redefined as blessing," the American
Anglican Council said Sunday in a
statement.
There were a few protesters carrying
signs outside the arena Sunday.
The consecration ceremony al
lowed for objectors early on, and five
people came forward to protest. Assis
tant Bishop David Bena of Albany,
N.Y., approached the altar to declare
that Robinson's "'chosen lifestyle' is
incompatible with Scripture and the
teaching of this church," and warned
that "the future of the (Anglican)
communion will be put in jeopardy."
Last month, Williams, archbishop
of Canterbury, called all the primates
to London to discuss the crisis. They
issued a unanimous statement urging
the U.S. church not to proceed, saying
Robinson's ordination could "tear the
fabric" of worldwide Anglicanism.
(c) 2003, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/
Tribune Information Services.
ADMISSIONS
continued from page 1A
backgrounds and cultures.
Senior Vice President and Provost
John Moseley said given the current
economic climate, he views enroll
ment this year as a success because it
was so close to last year's number of
20,044.
"We were trying to reduce students
to provide quality education," he said,
adding that it is important for admis
sions to maintain a stable and bal
anced enrollment.
"We're pretty close to where we need
ed to be and wanted to be," he said.
Director of first-year programs Mar
ilyn Linton said she has heard positive
reviews coming from faculty who
teach freshmen classes. She said this
year's freshmen seem to be highly en
gaged and motivated during class.
"It probably does all translate into
a better class experience for all stu
dents," she said.
As for diversity, Office of Multicul
tural Affairs Director Carla Gary said
she views the enrollment rise as a
good chance for all students to expe
rience multiple voices and back
grounds. She said she credits the in
crease to the University's outreach
efforts as well as word of mouth.
"This is really important for the
campus, period," she said, adding
that there are different ways to view
the increase.
Gary said in terms of actual num
bers — with 2,607 students of color in
a population of more than 20,000 —
people might say the increase is "al
most negligible." However, she said
another way to view the increase is
"we're not losing students (of color),
we're gaining."
She said while the increase is a
good step toward assuring a diverse
campus, creating an atmosphere in
which students of color want to re
main at the University is key.
"The hard task is keeping people
here," she said.
Contact the higher education/student
life/student affairs reporter
atchelseaduncan@dailvemerald.com.
EMU BOARD
MEETINGS
Fall, November 2003
iflEk_
Full Board Meeting
House Committee &
Budget Committee
-4fRllL
Full Board Meeting
House Committee &
Budget Committee
All meetings are
at 4:00 pm.
See Schedule of Events
for room location.
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