Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 128 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
CIVIL WAR IS RE-EXAMINED ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Nearly 150 years after the last fusillade of the Civil War, historians, authors and museum curators are still finding new topics to explore as the nation commemorates the sesquicentennial of America’s bloodiest conflict.
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
May 29, 2012
TUESDAY
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Obama says Vietnam veterans too often ‘denigrated’
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama paid tribute Monday to the men and women who have died defending America, pointing to Vietnam veterans as an under-appreciated and sometimes maligned group of war heroes who remained true to their nation despite an unwelcome homecoming. “You were sometimes blamed for the misdeeds of a few,” Obama said at the Vietnam War Memorial. “You came home and were sometimes denigrated when you should have been celebrated. It was a national shame, a disgrace that
should have never happened.”
“Even though some Americans tur ned their backs on you, you never turned your back on America,” Obama said.
Marking Memorial Day at both the black granite wall honoring more than 58,000 soldiers who died in the Vietnam War and earlier at Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from the capital, Obama noted that for the first time in nine years, “Americans are not fighting and dying in Iraq,” and the nation was winding down its role in the conflict in
AP Photo
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, Monday.
Afghanistan. “After a decade under the dark cloud of war, we can see the light of the new day
on the horizon,” Obama said to an audience gathered at the Arlington amphitheater lined with
- PAGE B4
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INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
World War II veteran Marvin Russell salutes during the playing of Silver Taps, wrapping up the annual American Legion Memorial Day Ceremony held at South Park Cemetery, Monday.
Local Memorial Day festivities honor veterans JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Memorial Day ceremonies to commemorate those who had fallen in
PENGUINS WIN HISI When it comes to suspense and drama, there was no other place to be than on Field A on Sunday afternoon at the 17th annual Hike It & Spike It Charity Flag Football Tournament, presented by the Roswell Chamber of Commerce. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Arline Mensing • Ginger Sue CalhounMorrow
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HIGH..100˚ LOW ....62˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B5 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION..................B4 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
war began around 8:45 a.m. Monday at the Chaves County Courthouse where the Patriot Guards, Murphy’s Marauders and the American Legion Riders
gathered to provide an honor guard from the Plaza to South Park Cemetery. Commander of American Legion Post 28 Santi-
ago Vasquez thanked the riders. He explained that similar ceremonies were taking place all across the See VETS, Page A6
American flags under a warm, brilliant sun. In this election year, Obama said the nation must remain committed to providing for the families of fallen soldiers and help returning service members seeking a job, higher education or health care benefits. “As long as I’m president, we will make sure you and your loved ones will receive the benefits you’ve earned and the respect you deserve,” Obama said. “America will be there for you.”
Russia condemns ally Syria
See OBAMA, Page A6
BEIRUT (AP) — A weekend massacre of more than 100 people emerged as a potential turning point in the Syrian crisis Monday, galvanizing even staunch ally Russia to take an unusually hard line against President Bashar Assad’s government. Analysts said Russia may be warning Assad that he needs to change course or lose Moscow’s support, which has been a key layer of protection for the Syrian gover nment during the uprising that began in March 2011. Russia has grown increasingly critical of Damascus in recent months, but Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s latest comments were unusually strong. Although he said opposition forces have terrorists among them, he put the blame for 15 months of car nage primarily on Assad’s government. “The government bears the main responsibility for what is going on,” Lavrov
Romney promises to maintain US military power Gila hit by SAN DIEGO (AP) — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, on the brink of clinching the Republican nomination, promised Monday to maintain an American military “with no comparable power anywhere in the world.” Romney spoke a day before Texas voters were likely to give him enough delegates to formally clinch the Republican presidential nomination, a for mality that cements his status as President Barack Obama’s general election opponent. “It’s a big day tomorrow,” Romney said late Monday. “I’m looking forward to the good news.” Texas’ Tuesday primary offers 152 delegates, and Romney is just 58 delegates shy of the 1,144 needed to become the nom-
inee. Romney will be in Las Vegas on Tuesday attending a fundraiser hosted by celebrity real estate mogul
Donald Trump. T rump earlier in the week returned to the controversy over where Obama
UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas (AP) — Police tried Monday to coax a man from a crane cab on the Southern Methodist University campus in suburban Dallas after he told officers he was armed and threatened to shoot anyone who approached him. The crane towers about 150 feet over the campus in University Park, a posh north Dallas enclave. Special tactics officers fr om the Dallas Police Department were working with SMU campus police to manage the scene and try to talk the man down fr om the crane. No
injuries had been reported. Dallas police Sr. Cpl. Melinda Gutierr ez said campus police “did call us about a person who had climbed up into the crane who was possibly armed with a handgun. At this time, we are not confirming that he does have a handgun.” The person on the crane had a radio, Gutierr ez said, but she did not know if the person was communicating with police on the ground. She said police were attempting to establish radio contact. Gutierrez declined to say if police
knew the man’s identity or if they planned to use a helicopter to reach him. The situation was first reported about 11:30 a.m. Monday. “We were informed that an unidentified man climbed a crane at our residential commons construction site,” SMU spokesman Brad Cheves said. “Fortunately, the campus is closed for the Memorial Day holiday. However, upon being infor med that someone had gained access to the construction site, through our SMU police we immediately began to secure
was born.
Romney has declined to repudiate T rump for embracing the fringe view, saying Monday evening that while he doesn’t agree with all the people who support him, he appreciates their help to get him at least 50.1 percent of the vote in November.
AP Photo
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets veterans after speaking at a campaign stop at the Veterans Museum & Memorial Center, Monday, in San Diego.
Trump again contended this week that Obama was born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia, pointing to information in a catalog from a literary agency that represented Obama two decades ago. That view has been debunked repeatedly. Obama released his longfor m birth certificate in April 2011 showing he was bor n in Hawaii while
See SYRIA, Page A6
2nd fire
RESERVE (AP) — Authorities say there’s a new wildfire in the Gila National Forest. The Wagontongue Fire has burned about 40 acres about 20 miles northeast of Reserve.
Officials say the fire began Sunday and its cause is unknown.
The Whitewater Baldy Complex Fire has been burning for almost two weeks in the Gila National Forest. It has ravaged more than 120,000 acres with zero containment so far.
Man in crane at Southern Methodist Univ. in Texas says he’s armed See ROMNEY, Page A6
and cordon off the affected area.” No students wer e on campus, Cheves said, noting only “essential personnel and visitors” were on the gr ounds. He also added that a handful of swimmers in a pool near the crane wer e told to leave. Kent Best, another SMU spokesman, said earlier that the man in the crane was a suspect fleeing from Dallas police. Gutierrez said she could not confirm that report. Police blocked off parts of the campus and much of Mockingbird Lane on
the south side of the SMU campus, as well as access to a strip mall near the crane. Observers on the ground could see signs of movement in the cab if they looked thr ough binoculars or viewfinders of cameras. The crane cab was fully exposed to the blazing Texas sun and temperatures were in the low 90s.
Gutierrez said electricity to the crane had been cut off, and she believed the radio in the cab was not affected.