1960

Our spry classmate Bob Sanders at this writing is in Baghdad. He e-mails, "Serving with the Corps of Engineers here is interesting and challenging. Although you'd not know it from the news media...this is truly an International effort. I work and dine with soldiers from all over the world—the variety of uniforms and weapons is amazing. I get to use my smattering of German, Spanish and Tagalog and am learning some new languages from some Ghurkas I've met...Arabic escapes me. Anyhow, I am feeling productive and having a good time living on the Palace grounds in Baghdad. Best to all."

Also indirectly working in the war effort for an organization he preferred not to name, "kind of in places where I don't advertise what I do," is Gary Kanady. For 26 years Gary served as a Navy officer, 18 of them in submarines. He was captain of the U.S.S. Guardfish, a nuclear sub. He has spent eight years under the water. He assured me that currently he is "not in harm's way," and has the uncommonly high number of 18 grandchildren to enjoy.

Also involved in the Mideast in a different context are two classmates who have long sought Palestinian rights.

Ned Hanauer since 1972 has been director of the organization, "Search for Justice and Equality in Palestine/Israel." He was just back from a West Coast speaking tour of colleges when I reached him. He favors "a two-state settlement," with the Israeli settlements gone, a sharing of Jerusalem and an option for Palestinians to live in Israel, the Palestinian state, the Arab world or elsewhere. "Essentially," he says, "We'd like for the U.S. Government to push for a settlement."

Tom McBurney has been involved in Palestinian issues since teaching on the West Bank in 1962. The author of essays on the topic, he remarked, of the Israelis, "I feel any movement out of the territories has got to be good, even though its only Gaza," but he said that what President Bush did in endorsing the Sharon plan to keep major West Bank settlements was "pretty close to immoral."

Marty Budd is chairman of the Hartford Seminary's Center for Christian-Muslim Relations, with Christians Jews and Muslims represented on the board. "This is a terribly, terribly difficult issue," he told me with understatement. "I think the position of Israel has been unfairly characterized in the press in a very serious way. I'm working to try to help relations." But basically, he said, his group tries to be "very center of the road."

Allan Glick, a supporter of Israel, said he feels "the occupation issue is a canard. The death and destruction of Jews and Israel has been the focus of Palestinian and Arab energy since the moment Israel came into existence." As Jews, he said, "We are able to recognize the mortal danger of appeasing those who set out to destroy us."

The Mideast conflicts rage on, and the class of i960 is not uninvolved.

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