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Thursday, July 4, 2013
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Why soldiers enlist
Reaction split on delay of health law By DAVID THOMAS
Voice your opinion
dthomas@shawmedia.com
with THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Tyler Fowler does pushups for two minutes as Sgt. Joe Valdez, future soldier leader, counts off during a physical assessment test June 26 for new U.S. Army recruits at Huntley Middle School. “I want to defend because the people who try to make the world worse don’t take a day off,” said Fowler, paraphrasing Bob Marley.
New Army recruits discuss reasons they serve their country By FELIX SARVER fsarver@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Tyler Fowler comes from an Army family, but tradition alone didn’t push him to join the Army’s Future Soldier program. Fowler, who graduated from Rochelle High School this year, recently enrolled in the program designed to transition fresh recruits from civilian life to military life. His mother’s work with foreign exchange students has shown him how many wish they could live in a
society with the educational advantages and the quality of life Americans enjoy. One friend from Vietnam wants to come to the United States and serve in the Army. “He said: ‘If you haven’t noticed, people are trying to get in your borders, but nobody is trying to get out,’ ” Fowler said. The decision to enlist isn’t always clear-cut, but as the Fourth of July approached, Fowler and other new recruits discussed why they wanted to defend America’s free-
doms. People join the military because they are looking for education, job training, new skills, a direction in life or an opportunity to travel, said Pat Grobschmidt, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Milwaukee. But their affection for their country also makes them want to do something greater than themselves, she said. Since July 1, 1973, the military has been an all-volunteer force, she
See SOLDIERS, page A4
Inside n Aurora World War II veteran trying to return Japanese flag. PAGE A2 n A listing of Independence Day events and fireworks. PAGE A4
DeKALB – The Illinois Chamber of Commerce joined other business groups Wednesday in applauding the one-year delay in a central requirement of President Barack Obama’s health care law, but a consumer group said the delay will hurt some workers. Meanwhile, local lawmakers were divided along party lines on their criticism of the law, and what the delay means for the Obama administration going forward. The administration unexpectedly announced Tuesday that medium and large companies – those with 50 or more full-time employees – would get a one-year reprieve from fines for not providing employees with health insurance. “It’s very welcome relief to many employers in the public and private sectors alike,” said Laura Minzer, executive director of the Illinois Chamber’s health care council. “But with the delay comes unanswered questions and there are still problematic provisions that have to be addressed through Congress.” Chief among the problems for the business community is the law’s definition of “full time” as 30 hours a week or more, she said. Employers would rather see full time
What’s your reaction to Obama delaying key portions of the Affordable Care Act? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle. com.
See HEALTH CARE, page A2
Egyptian army ousts president, then suspends constitution The ASSOCIATED PRESS CAIRO – Egypt’s first democratically elected president was overthrown by the military Wednesday, ousted after just one year in office by the same kind of Arab Spring uprising that brought the Islamist leader to power. The armed forces announced they would install a temporary civilian government to replace Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, who denounced the action as a “full coup” by the generals. They also suspended the Islamist-drafted constitution and called for new elections. Millions of anti-Morsi protesters in Egypt erupted
in celebrations after the televised announcement by the army chief. Fireworks burst over crowds in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, where men and women danced, shouting, “God is great” and “Long live Egypt.” Fearing a violent reaction by Morsi’s Islamist supporters, troops and armored vehicles deployed in the streets of Cairo and elsewhere, surrounding Islamist rallies. Clashes erupted in several provincial cities when Islamists opened fire on police, with at least nine people killed, security officials said. A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood party said Morsi was under house arrest at a Presidential Guard facil-
ity where he had been residing, and 12 presidential aides also were under house arrest. The army took control of state media and blacked out TV stations operated by the Muslim Brotherhood. The head of the Brotherhood’s political wing was arrested. The ouster of Morsi throws Egypt on an uncertain course, with a danger of confrontation. It came after four days of mass demonstrations even larger than those of the 2011 Arab Spring that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Egyptians were angered that Morsi was giving too much power to his Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists and had failed to tackle
the country’s mounting economic woes. Some protesters are concerned whether an army-installed administration can lead to real democracy. President Barack Obama urged the military to hand back control to a democratic, civilian government as soon as possible but stopped short of calling it a coup d’etat. Obama was “deeply concerned” by the military’s move to topple Morsi’s government and suspend Egypt’s constitution. He said he was ordering the U.S. government to assess what the military’s actions meant for U.S. foreign aid to Egypt – $1.5 billion a year in military and economic assistance.
AP photo
Egyptians wave national flags as fireworks light the sky over Tahrir Square, where hundreds of thousands of opponents of Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi celebrate Wednesday in Cairo, Egypt. A statement on the Egyptian president’s office’s Twitter account has quoted Morsi as calling military measures “a full coup.”
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