On the Home Front and Worlds Away

Juniata in a Time of War

     In the past two years, citizens of the United States have weathered a brutal terrorist attack, and waged war in Afghanistan and in Iraq. These events affect not only those who have directly experienced the horrors and exhilaration of war. The war's reach extends beyond the locus of the conflict and affects those at home, often in ways that people and educators can't anticipate.

     Juniata and its community of students, alumni and families were all touched in some way by the invasion of Iraq.

     As might be expected, Juniata's reaction to the war was far from indifferent.

     Multiple, pasionate points of view were present in our diverse student body and faculty. The glare of the issues involved in waging war in a distant land were always filtered through how best to present those issues in ways that ensured a learning experience for our students, our friends, our faculty and the surrounding community.

     In addition, the war directly affected five Juniata students in the Reserves who were called to active duty and Juniata alumni who served as career soldiers or as reservists were called up from their civilian jobs.

     In the larger sense, Juniata and its faculty and administrators found countless ways to use the breaking news of the day as grist for healthy and active debate and learning on the issues.

     One of the most effective methods of educating a community at large is a robust speakers program and Juniata's slate of speakers kept its constituents on the leading edge of breaking news. Craig Baxter, professor emeritus of politics and a retired Foreign Service officer, lectured in February 2002 on issues in Afghanistan and Southern Asia, a talk that anticipated the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Baxter also appeared on a PBS talk show to discuss the same issues.

     "It is hard to see how we got to the point where the United States would take it upon itself to unseat Saddam Hussein, against world public opinion, against the will of a majority of countries in the world and with only tepid support in this country." So began the speech "Iraq and the Future of the Middle East," delivered by Edward Walker, former ambassador to Israel and Egypt and head of the Middle East Institute, the same night President George W. Bush gave Saddam Hussein a deadline to open Iraq to inspections or face an invasion.

     Walker, whose daughter Kathryn '03 graduated in May, deftly traced the history and implications of the U.S. policy toward Iraq, while predicting some of the backlash that occurred in the postwar period. He also outlined how an U.S. invasion of Iraq could de-stabilize the Middle East in the long term. "The presidential speechwriters' tendency toward hyperbole and exaggeration may make sense in domestic politics, but it plays havoc with his credibility abroad," Walker said.

     A perfect example of collective action from the Juniata community came in March 2003 when faculty and staff organized an "Iraqi Crisis Teach-In" March 26. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors and students could stop by the lobby of the von Liebig Center for Science to hear lectures on history and politics as well as personal stories of how war affects families.

     "At the time, many faculty at universities across the country were staging walkouts," recalls Donald Braxton, associate professor of religion. "While that was discussed as an idea, we decided that shutting down classes was not the best use of our time. We decided to create a space for student engagement."

     Braxton and Hillary Sherman, assistant coordinator of community service, created an educational slate that included talks by historian Belle Tuten, politics professors Jack Barlow and Emil Nagengast and economist Bradley Andrew. The emotional high point of the teach-in came when Paula Wagoner, assistant professor of anthropology, Cynthia Merriwether-deVries, assistant professor of sociology, and Sherman spoke on the experience of having family members serve during wartime. Wagoner's husband and deVries' brother and other relatives served in Vietnam.

     Although the war was an indirect learning experience for most Juniata students, five students serving in the reserves have had a more direct and personal experience when they were called to duty. Adam Clampet '04, a senior from East Stroudsburg, Pa. and a sergeant in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, was activated in January 2003 and received additional training at Fort Stewart, Ga. and Fort Polk, La., before being deployed to Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo. Just shy of graduation, Clampet is finishing his education at a distance by taking tests and other requirements via computer. Paul Evans '04, a senior from Huntingdon, serves in the Army Reserve and will be deployed to Kuwait (see story on page xx). Brian Gates '03, a senior from Hollidaysburg, Pa., is in the Army Reserve, and Nathan Minarchick '06, a sophomore from West Decatur, Pa., serves in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.