NATION/WORLD
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
BRIEFLY
U.S. bombers fly
over South Korea
after North’s
second ICBM test
SEOUL, South Korea
(AP) — The United States
flew two supersonic
bombers over the Korean
Peninsula on Sunday in a
show of force against North
Korea following the coun-
try’s latest intercontinental
ballistic missile test. The
U.S. also said it conducted
a successful test of a missile
defense system located in
Alaska.
The B-1 bombers
were escorted by South
Korean fighter jets as they
performed a low pass over
an air base near the South
Korean capital of Seoul
before returning to Andersen
Air Force Base in Guam, the
U.S. Pacific Air Forces said
in a statement.
It said the mission was a
response to North Korea’s
two ICBM tests this month.
Analysts say flight data
from the North’s second
test, conducted Friday night,
showed that a broader part of
the mainland United States,
including Los Angeles and
Chicago, is now in range of
Pyongyang’s weapons.
Vice President Mike
Pence said Sunday during a
visit to Estonia that the U.S.
and its allies plan to increase
pressure on North Korea to
end its nuclear program.
“The continued provoca-
tions by the rogue regime in
North Korea are unaccept-
able and the United States of
America is going to continue
to marshal the support of
nations across the region
and across the world to
further isolate North Korea
economically and diplomat-
ically,” Pence said. “But the
era of strategic patience is
over. The president of the
United States is leading a
coalition of nations to bring
pressure to bear until that
time that North Korea will
permanently abandon its
nuclear and ballistic missile
program.”
Russia urges U.S.
to fix ties as it cuts
diplomatic staff
MOSCOW (AP) —
Amid a major diplomatic
retaliation unseen since the
Cold War era, Russia urged
the United States on Monday
to show the “political will”
to repair ties.
President Vladimir
Putin’s move to cut hundreds
of U.S. diplomatic personnel
in Russia underlines his
readiness to raise the ante
in the face of new sanctions
approved by the U.S.
Congress. The Russian
leader warned that he has
more tricks up his sleeve to
hurt the U.S., but he voiced
hope that he wouldn’t need
to use them.
Vice President Mike
Pence, visiting neighboring
Estonia, said he hoped for
“better days and better
relations with Russia.”
Putin’s spokesman,
Dmitry Peskov, said it will
take time for the U.S. to
recover from what he called
“political schizophrenia,”
but he added that Russia
wants constructive coopera-
tion with Washington.
“We are interested in a
steady development of our
ties and are sorry to note that
we are still far from that,”
he said.
Peskov’s statement
followed televised
comments Sunday by
Putin, who said the U.S.
would have to cut 755 of
its embassy and consular
staff in Russia, a massive
reduction he described as
a response to new U.S.
sanctions.
The Russian Foreign
Ministry first announced the
cuts Friday, when it said that
the U.S. should reduce its
presence to 455 employees,
the number that Russia has
in the United States. It also
declared the closure of a
U.S. recreational retreat on
the outskirts of Moscow and
warehouse facilities.
Moscow’s action is the
long-expected tit-for-tat
response to former U.S.
President Barack Obama’s
move to expel 35 Russian
diplomats and shut down
two Russian recreational
retreats in the U.S. following
allegations of Russian
meddling in the 2016
presidential election.
Venezuela defiant
as U.S. moves to
sanction president
CARACAS, Venezuela
(AP) — Venezuela’s
socialist government on
Monday claimed a popular
mandate to dramatically
recast the country’s
political system even as
condemnations of the
process poured in from
governments around the
world and the opposition at
home.
The United States added
President Nicolas Maduro
to a steadily growing list of
high-ranking Venezuelan
officials targeted by
financial sanctions,
escalating a tactic that has
so far failed to alter the
Venezuelan government’s
behavior. The Trump
administration backed
away from earlier threats
to sanction Venezuela’s oil
industry — a move that
could undermine Maduro’s
government but raise U.S.
gas prices and deepen
Venezuela’s humanitarian
crisis.
Electoral authorities said
more than 8 million people
voted Sunday to create a
constitutional assembly
endowing Maduro’s
ruling party with virtually
unlimited powers — a
figure widely disputed by
independent analysts.
The official result would
mean the ruling party won
more support than it had in
any national election since
2013, despite a cratering
economy, spiraling
inflation, shortages of
medicine and malnutrition.
Opinion polls showed 85
percent of Venezuelans
disapproved of the
constitutional assembly and
similar numbers disapprove
of Maduro’s overall
performance.
Independent analysts and
opposition leaders estimated
the real turnout at less
than half the government’s
claim in a vote watched
by government-allied
observers but no
internationally recognized
poll monitors.
East Oregonian
Page 7A
Trump awards Medal of Honor
to Army medic 48 years later
By DARLENE
SUPERVILLE
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — An
Army medic who “ran into
danger” to save wounded
soldiers during a Vietnam
War battle despite his own
serious wounds on Monday
became the first Medal
of Honor recipient under
President Donald Trump,
48 years after the selfless
acts for which James
McCloughan is now nation-
ally recognized.
McCloughan mouthed
“thank you” as Trump
placed the distinctive blue
ribbon holding the medal
around the neck of the
former Army private first
class. As the president and
commander in chief shook
McCloughan’s hand, Trump
said “very proud of you”
before he pulled the retired
soldier into an embrace.
“I know I speak for every
person here when I say
that we are in awe of your
actions and your bravery,”
Trump said, describing
McCloughan’s actions for a
rapt audience that included
numerous senior White
House and administration
officials. Among them
were Defense Secretary
Jim Mattis, Veterans Affairs
Secretary David Shulkin
and retired Marine Gen.
John Kelly, sworn in earlier
Monday as the new White
House chief of staff.
McCloughan said in
a brief statement on the
White House driveway after
the ceremony that it was
“humbling” to receive the
medal. Now 71, he pledged
to do his best to represent
the men who fought along-
side him “as the caretaker
of this symbol of courage
and action beyond the call
of duty.”
Drafted into the Army,
McCloughan
was
a
23-year-old private first
class and medic who in 1969
found himself in the middle
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
President Donald Trump bestows the nation’s highest military honor, the Medal of
Honor, to retired Army medic James McCloughan during a ceremony in the East
Room of the White House in Washington, Monday. McCloughan is credited with
saving the lives of members of his platoon nearly 50 years ago in the Battle of Nui
Yon Hill in Vietnam.
of the raging Battle of Nui
Yon Hill. McCloughan will-
ingly entered the “kill zone”
to rescue injured comrades
despite his serious wounds
from shrapnel from a rock-
et-propelled grenade.
In announcing the honor
last month, the White
House said McCloughan
“voluntarily risked his life
on nine separate occasions
to rescue wounded and
disoriented comrades. He
suffered wounds from
shrapnel and small arms
fire on three separate occa-
sions, but refused medical
evacuation to stay with
his unit, and continued to
brave enemy fire to rescue,
treat, and defend wounded
Americans.”
“He ran into danger,”
Trump said.
McCloughan, who lives
in South Haven, Michigan,
told The Associated Press in
an interview last month that
the battle was “the worst
two days of my life.”
He
described
the
shrapnel as “a real bad
sting” and recalled, “I was
tending to two guys and
dragging them at the same
time into a trench line.” He
said he looked down to see
himself covered with blood
from wounds so bad that
they prompted a captain to
suggest he leave the battle-
field to seek treatment.
“He knew me enough to
know that I wasn’t going,”
McCloughan said.
The combat medic stuck
around until the battle
ended, coming to the aid
of his men and fighting the
enemy, even knocking out
an enemy RPG position
with a grenade at one point.
In all, the Pentagon credits
McCloughan with saving
the lives of 10 members of
his company.
The Medal of Honor
is given to Armed Forces
members who distinguish
themselves by going above
and beyond the call of duty
in battle.
McCloughan left the
Army in 1970 and spent
the next several decades
teaching psychology and
sociology and coaching
football, baseball and wres-
tling at South Haven High
School. He retired in 2008.
In
2016,
Defense
Secretary
Ash
Carter
recommended McCloughan
for the Medal of Honor. But
since the medal must be
awarded within five years
of the recipient’s actions,
Congress needed to pass a
bill waiving the time limit.
President Barack Obama
signed the measure in late
2016, but he didn’t get the
opportunity to recognize
McCloughan with the
medal before his term ended
this year.
“President
Donald
Trump will be putting that
on me for the first time in
his experience of doing
such a thing,” McCloughan
said. “That’s pretty special.”