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TIMES LEADER STAFF WRITERS
Thursday, March 20, 2003 Page: 6A
In Iraq the bombs screamed and the sun rose.
In the Wyoming Valley, the darkness blanketed.
But windows glowed blue as we gathered around televisions, waiting for word
from the country with which our nation’s hopes, interests and future have
become so entangled.
For Grace Boris of Wilkes-Barre, the start of war brought a strange sense
of relief – even though her son, Charles Boris, 21, is in Kuwait across the
border from Iraq.
“I was watching it off and on since around 7,” she said. “I really knew
that it was going to come to this. I just wanted it to start so it can come to
an end.
“I really prayed that it wouldn’t happen while I was at work so I could
watch it alone with no one else around.”
She hasn’t spoken with her son, a Coughlin High School graduate, who is
serving with the U.S. Navy Seabees, since Thanksgiving.
Grace Boris believes the government knows much more than the public does;
she never wavers in her support for the troops.
“Some days I’m more confident with my ideas that (the war) is correct, but
some other days I have to wonder. I really don’t believe our government would
do this without good reason.”
Right now, all she can do, she said, is to pray that it’s over soon with
few injuries and deaths.
The contemporary issues class at Lake-Lehman High School has discussed the
prospect of war for weeks. And, senior Megan DeCesaris senses that most
classmates oppose the attack on Iraq.
But, DeCesaris supports the president’s decision, she said as the strike
began.
“Whether it’s the right decision, I don’t know, but I support it. You’ve
seen this coming. I guess I was a little taken back when I first saw it on the
news.”
Some of her fellow seniors have signed up for military service. “It’s scary
to think people I know might be going out there.”
Tom McGroarty planned to go to bed early Wednesday for a good night’s sleep
before a 7 a.m. Mass today to mark the first anniversary of his mother’s
death.
But the Wilkes-Barre mayor found himself sitting before his television late
into the night, watching NBC’s Tom Brokaw.
“It’s almost a responsibility for Americans” to follow the war closely,
McGroarty said. “Look at how many people are putting themselves in harm’s
way.
“Everyone was saying how easy it would be,” said McGroarty, a reservist.
“It’s never easy.”
Wilkes-Barre City Councilman Jim McCarthy was at home, also watching
television – three of them.
“I’d love to be there,” said McCarthy, a Marine veteran and retired CBS
correspondent. “This is history in the making, and I love my history.”
McCarthy said he hopes and believes the American strategy of killing Saddam
and his top lieutenants – “cut off the head of the cobra and leave the body
wiggling” – will be successful.
“We’re telling the Iraqi soldiers and the Iraqi generals, `If we want to
find you, we can. If we want to kill you, we can.’ ”
At Grotto Pizza bar at Harveys Lake, three of the two dozen televisions
played the news. The rest were tuned to college basketball.
Of approximately 40 customers in attendance at 11 p.m., four or five
watched war coverage intensely. The rest joked and drank.
One man in his early 20s toasted his circle, raising a glass of draft beer
and saying, “The war in Iraq has begun.” His companions paid him scant
attention.
War was “inevitable,” said Bob Witkowski of Wilkes-Barre.
Nevertheless, it’s not too late for cooler heads to prevail, the peace
activist said.
“I think it’s still important to speak out for what you believe in.
There’s a vigil (today) at 5 p.m. on Public Square.”
David Frey of the Peace Center confirmed the plans. “At this point I’m
beyond anger and just kind of sad.”
Coughlin High School history teacher and boys basketball coach John Quinn
estimates he coached or taught at least 100 students who ended up in the
military.
Quinn, a former sergeant in the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 109th Field
Artillery Battalion in Wilkes-Barre, said he could do little more than pray –
and ponder the region’s commitment to serving our country.
“I just try to say some prayers, because people who played for me or were
students are there,” said Quinn of Wilkes-Barre Township. “I just hold my
breath and hope everybody comes back alive.”
“The first day I walked into Coughlin in 1972 I got goosebumps when I
looked at those plaques (honoring) the war dead from World War I and World War
II.”
Maria Orzel, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Scranton, pointed to Pope John
Paul II’s words.
“He has made comments that war is a defeat for humanity. (The pope) is a
strong proponent of peace and would have preferred to see a peaceful
resolution.”
“I prayerfully, prayerfully watch the news,” said Nancy O’Toole of West
Pittston, coordinator of Mothers of Military Service Members. Her son, Adam L.
Pugh, is a first lieutenant in the Air Force.
“I try not to keep my eyes on what I see, but on what I know is just,
right and true” – meaning the defeat of Saddam Hussein, she said.
“As much as I wish my own son were not part of this, he feels privileged
to be part of this.”
Her son, a battle manager of air defense for coalition ground troops, is a
member of the leading squadron providing air protection.
“I have faith I will see him again, either here or on the other side.”
Across southern Luzerne County, television coverage focused attention of
the beginnings of war.
Bowlers put down their balls and rushed to television sets at Bowl Arena in
West Hazleton. “The whole place stopped, and it takes a lot for 16 lanes to
suddenly stop,” said Bill Dagostin, an owner.
Casual chatter turned serious inside the Battered Mug in Hazleton. Gossip
seemed trivial.
“We’re basically glued to MSNBC,” said manager Ed Gombeda. “The mood is
somber. Everybody’s talking about war.”
State Rep. Thomas Tigue, D-Hughestown, wasn’t surprised when the strike
began. He just hopes his hunch is correct and the military action doesn’t last
long.
The former U.S. Marine, who has served in the state House of
Representatives since 1981, fully agrees with the action.
“I support what the president is doing,” said Tigue, who accumulated 27
years military service. “Even those who don’t agree with the president would
say they support the men and women in uniform.”
Wednesday was a rough day for Coughlin High School senior Frank Sperlazzo,
who hit the sack early. He didn’t realize the military attack had started
until he was awakened by a reporter.
“I knew it was going to happen sooner or later,” Sperlazzo said.
The 17-year-old, who is headed to Liberty University in Virginia to pursue
a religious major in missions, doesn’t have an opinion on the military action
but thinks it’s an honor to serve in the armed forces.
“I really don’t get involved in politics but if you’re called to serve your
country, then it’s an honor. To die fighting for your country would be a great
honor.”
Staff writers Lauren Roth, Joseph Petrucci, Renita Fennick, Michael
McNarney, Jennifer Learn-Andes and Lane Filler contributed to this report.