Erie County (N.Y.) -- Maps.]]> New York (State) -- Erie County.]]> Real property -- New York (State) -- Erie County -- Maps.]]> F.W. Beers & Co.]]> Western New York Genealogical Society (repository)]]> Grosvenor Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Late Nineteenth Century (1850-1900)]]> Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- United States.]]> Veterans -- United States.]]>
Witnessing the ravages of war in Vietnam Tom decided to leave the Brothers of Mercy and join the Navy as a hospital corpsman (medic). He served three tours of duty beginning in 1966. He flew 221 combat missions with Marines and treated their wounds on the front lines of battle. Eagles was wounded twice.

While in Vietnam Tom also tended to Vietnamese civilians whose villages had come under attack.

During the war he married Karin Tran, a Vietnamese native. They had two sons. On April 29, 1975 Eagles and his family were among the last Americans to be evacuated from the war-torn country. They were airlifted off the roof of the U.S. Embassy.

After the war, Tom managed to bring eighteen of Karin’s nineteen family members to the United States. He served in the Navy until 1993 and developed emergency medical equipment still carried in Marine Corps first aid kits.

Tom Eagles passed away in 2016 at the age of 71. His family says he had suffered from exposure to the deadly herbicide Agent Orange, used by the United States to clear jungle areas where the enemy in Vietnam was hidden. At the time of his death he was the most decorated enlisted man in the Navy. He medals include The Legion of Merit, a lifetime career award for distinguished service.

One retired Marine said of “Doc” Eagles, “We have lost a true American hero...God now has one of the best care givers in the world. A true Lifesaver then and Caregiver always.”

The Navy has an award in Eagle’s name given to a corpsman who distinguishes himself in combat.

Eagles was once quoted as saying, “I don’t really know how many Marines and sailors I helped save. I do remember everyone one I lost.”
]]> Newberg, Rich]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> ]]> Panama—History—American Invasion, 1989]]> Drug control -- Latin America.
]]> Drug control -- United States.]]> Military assistance, American. ]]>
The mission took place about three years after U.S. forces invaded Panama, removing dictator Manuel Noriega from power. Some members of the 914th had participated in the invasion, called Operation Just Cause.

Noriega was brought to the U.S. where he was tried and convicted of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering.

WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg and photographer Paul Woodson accompanied the 914th on the mission and produced a four part series for the station. ]]> Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Reporter)]]> Woodson, Paul (Photographer, editor)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Nolf, Neil (Niagara Falls Airbase Public Affairs Officer)]]> eng]]> Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- United States.]]> United States -- History -- 1969-]]> Veterans -- Mental health -- United States.]]> War -- Psychological aspects.]]> Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Psychological aspects.]]>
These were some of the stories brought to public light by WIVB’s Rich Newberg in his series of reports dealing with the lasting wounds of war.

Delayed Stress Syndrome
A condition called delayed stress syndrome surfaces as Vietnam War veterans suffer the psychiatric after effects of combat. Five years after the war ended on April 30, 1975, sudden noises can trigger fearful reactions. Some vets have developed a distrust of people, while others cannot tolerate angry responses in a conversation. Outreach centers begin cropping up to deal with these issues.

Max Cleland
Max Cleland, a severely wounded Vietnam War veteran who headed the Veterans Administration under President Jimmy Carter, expresses concerns that President Ronald Reagan will cut funding for outreach centers.

Cleland, who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam, has written a book called “Strong at the Broken Places.” He believes war veterans need counseling to help them develop positive outlooks toward life.

William Duxbury Suffers Without Much Relief or Compensation After Being Exposed to Agent Orange
William Duxbury of Wilson, New York was nineteen years old when the Marines assigned him to handle Agent Orange in Vietnam. Now he says his joints are deteriorating and that he has a nervous condition that cost him his job. His wife gave birth to a stillborn child and their five children suffer from bone and muscular disorders.

Duxbury says he knows of only one Vietnam veteran in Erie County who is being compensated for his toxic exposure to Agent Orange. He says the veteran is dying of liver cancer.

William Duxbury Receives a Surprise Visit from a Marine Buddy He Thought was Killed in Vietnam
Mike Metcalf walked into Bill Duxbury’s life eighteen years after each had thought the other was killed during a shelling attack by the enemy in Vietnam. By chance, Metcalf had seen the story of his friend on WIVB-TV. Metcalf had become a trained mental health counselor and was now in a position to help his fellow veteran deal with issues related to his experiences in Vietnam.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington Gets Mixed Reviews
(2 pieces)
A national salute to Vietnam Veterans will take place in the nation’s capitol. The names of the 57,939 American soldiers killed in the war will be read. There is concern that the ceremony will conjure up suppressed anxiety and stress for some who lost friends in combat.

A black granite wall in Washington DC bearing the names of those killed in the Vietnam War gets mixed reviews. There is “unresolved scar tissue that still remains over Vietnam,” according to Jan Scruggs, founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation.

The war ended about six years earlier but now is brought back in a way that forces visitors to the memorial to confront their own memories. The faces of spectators reflect minds that are “searching, reflecting, pondering, mourning,' according to this CBS News report.

Vietnam Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange Seek Compensation
Vietnam Veterans exposed to Agent Orange testify about the impact on their health. New York State lawmakers are learning that some veterans are suffering from cancer and painful lumps under their skin. Children of exposed vets are being born with birth defects. Eleven million gallons of the herbicide containing deadly dioxin were used to defoliate the jungles of Vietnam.

Three thousand Vietnam veterans have sued five chemical companies claiming they knew Agent Orange could be deadly but failed to warn the government or its troops of the dangers.
Exposed veterans say they cannot receive free treatment at VA hospitals because it difficult to prove their ailments were caused by dioxin.

Vietnam Ten Years Later
(Series)
April 29, 30, & May 1, 1985
Ten years after the end of America’s most unpopular war, WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg looks back at the televised conflict that divided the nation. Veterans of the war are still suffering from flashbacks and nightmares.
New programs are being created by fellow Vietnam veterans who understand the nature of the lasting wounds of war.
Close to 2,500 American soldiers and civilians are still missing in Vietnam.

Western New York families of POW’s or those missing in action keep the memories of their loved ones alive. The stories of Col. Robert Dyczkowski and Jimmy Rozo are featured.

The Case of Col. Robert Dyczkowski—Missing in Action
In 2001 the United States Air Force closed the case of Col. Robert Dyczkowski. His remains, personal artifacts and parts of his fighter plane that crashed near Hanoi in April 1966 during the Vietnam War have been discovered. He was a husband and father of three children. His widow never remarried. Thousands of people had taken on Robert’s cause, wearing his POW-MIA bracelet. Thirty-five years of uncertainty finally came to an end. On April 6, 2001 Robert Dyczkowski’s remains were buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Remains of Col Robert Dyczkowski are Buried in Arlington National Cemetery
While one mystery is solved, more than 1,900 families in 2001 were still waiting for answers about their missing loved ones.]]> Newberg, Rich]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
]]> Kim Root (Photographer)]]> eng]]> Terrorism--United States--Prevention.
]]> Yemeni Americans--New York(State)--Lackawanna.
]]> Muslims--Civil rights--New York (State)--Lackawanna.
]]> Civil rights--United States.
]]> Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946-]]>
President Bush maintained that The Patriot Act had been instrumental in the arrests of the so-called “Lackawanna Six,” a group of friends from a small city outside of Buffalo, New York who attended a al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan just months before the 9/11/2001 terror attacks on the United States.

While President Bush had referred to these men as belonging to a “terrorist cell,” their defense attorneys said the six had been lured to attend the camp, not realizing what it was all about. After being addressed by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-laden, most tried to leave the camp early. According to their attorneys, they wanted nothing more to do with al-Qaeda.

Faced with a trial and potentially lengthy prison sentences, they all pleaded guilty to “providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.” They received sentences of seven to ten years in prison and agreed to share information with the US government.

WIVB-TV senior Correspondent Rich Newberg reports on President Bush’s visit to Buffalo and the Patriot Act support he received from US Attorney Michael Battle and Buffalo FBI Agent In Charge Peter Ahearn.

Four days after the president’s visit, Fox News journalist Geraldo Rivera conducted a debate on the Patriot Act during a live Fox News Channel cablecast originating from Buffalo’s City Hall. “At Large with Geraldo Rivera” took a second look at the case of the The Lackawanna Six.

In reviewing the case, Rivera reports that the FBI had been tipped off by an anonymous letter that a group of Arab Americans that had traveled to Afghanistan was there to “meet bin-Laden and stay in his camp for training.” Rivera states that the men had told their neighbors they were going to Pakistan for religious instruction.

President Bush had stated that the Patriot Act “helps us to be able to connect the dots.” However, University at Buffalo constitutional law professor Dr. Lee Albert maintained that The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 had already allowed the CIA and FBI to cooperate in the Lackawanna Six case. “I don’t think the Patriot Act had a lot to do with this case,” he said.

FBI Special Agent Peter Ahearn disagreed and said, “The dots were connected” through the Patriot Act. He said shared information between the CIA and FBI led to the connection to a foreign terrorist organization. He said it had started as a criminal investigation but that the “spin of this case” changed. He added that seeing “the whole picture” helped reveal “how al-Qaeda operated overseas.”

During the debate, Patriot Act proponent Heather MacDonald of the Manhattan Institute maintained that there had been “utter paralysis in the country’s intelligence community before 9/11.” She added, “For months after 9/11 the political community, the media, was railing against our failure to connect the dots. The Patriot Act solved that.”

Patriot Act critic, former US attorney Bob Barr, said there has never been a federal law that prohibits intelligence agents and prosecutors to talk with each other. He said there is a danger that the Patriot Act could be used “as a subterfuge to undermine the Bill of Rights.” He added, “If we say, well prosecutors should be able to get anything, anytime, anywhere that they want simply because they say it’s to fight terrorism, then we might as well just throw the Bill of Rights, and especially the 4th Amendment (the right against unreasonable searches and seizures) out the window, and I don’t think we ought to do that as a country.”
]]> Newberg, Rich (Guest on “At Large with Geraldo Rivera”) ]]> Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Terrorism--United States
]]> Yemeni Americans--New York(State)--Lackawanna
]]> Muslims--Civil rights--New York (State)--Lackawanna]]>
Discussions centered on whether or not the six friends from Lackawanna, New York, just outside of Buffalo, were actually part of a terrorist “sleeper cell.” Questions were raised about the practice of what has been called “preemptive justice,” meaning the arrest of individuals who were considered possible threats for violent acts that were never committed.

Prosecutors argued that attendance at a terrorist training camp and failure to disclose the fact to the FBI, were grounds for the arrests. All the defendants ended up pleaded guilty to “providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.” They were given sentences ranging from seven to ten years.

Defense attorneys maintained that their clients were lured into attending the training camp and realized too late what they had gotten into. They accepted plea bargain agreements that limited their prison terms. They agreed to cooperate with the U.S. government regarding information they had obtained during their time in the Middle East.

During their stay at the camp in Afghanistan the men from Lackawanna had been addressed by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden who said the United States would be a target of terrorist activity. Most of the defendants, according to their attorneys, decided they wanted to leave the camp early and have nothing to do with any attacks on America.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Hochul said the defendants were told by bin-Laden that “forty to fifty men (would be) enroute to attack America,” but chose to remain silent when they returned home in the summer of 2001.
He questioned whether that information might have helped avert the attacks on 9/11.

Defense attorney John Molloy said all six had remained silent “out of fear.” He said they “were petrified” on 9/11 and that “they were afraid that they were next.”

]]> Newberg, Rich (Guest on “At Large with Geraldo Rivera”) ]]> Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Terrorism--New York (State)
]]> Yemeni Americans --New York (State)--Lackawanna]]>
They had attended a al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in the Spring of 2001, just months before the attacks on the United States.

In his State of the Union address in 2003, President George W. Bush referred to the six as being part of an “al-Qaeda cell.” He said that along with other alleged cells broken in Hamburg, Milan, Madrid, London and Paris, “We have the terrorists on the run. We’re keeping them on the run. One by one the terrorists are learning the meaning of American justice.”

The men had grown up in the second largest Yemeni community in America and were all native born or naturalized U.S. citizens. One was a soccer star in high school. Another was voted “friendliest” in his graduating class.

There was never proof that the six had been plotting terror attacks on American soil or that they were, in fact a homegrown terrorist cell.

However, in December 2003, faced with possible long prison sentences if found guilty during a trial, all pleaded guilty to “providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.” They were given sentences ranging from seven to ten years.

Author Dina Temple-Raston, who wrote the book “The Jihad Next Door: The Lackawanna Six and Rough Justice in an Age of Terror,” says the men left the training camp early when they realized America would be a target.

During a 2007 interview on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation,” Temple-Raston, NPR’s FBI correspondent, said the men were addressed by Osama bin Laden, who told them there were suicide bombers ready to take action against the United States and Israel.

After returning to Lackawanna, she said the men were not truthful to the FBI about their activities in Afghanistan and were later arrested.

As part of the plea bargain agreements, the defendants agreed to cooperate with federal terrorism investigators.

A seventh suspect from Lackawanna, Jaber Elbaneh, escaped from a Yemeni prison but later turned himself in to Yemen authorities in 2007. He had been placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list.

The alleged recruiter of the Lackawanna Six, Kamal Derwish, was killed by a drone in Yemen on November 3, 2002.]]> Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)]]> Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Erie County (N.Y.) -- Maps]]> New York (State) -- Erie County. ]]> Real property -- New York (State) -- Erie County -- Maps. ]]>
An index has been created for this atlas at this link.]]> Stone & Stewart, publishers]]> Grosvenor Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Late Nineteenth Century (1850-1900)]]> Tutu, Desmond]]> Eve, Arthur O.]]> Apartheid -- South Africa]]> Racism -- United States]]> African Americans -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> African Americans -- Civil rights]]>
Apartheid, which means “apartness” in the language of Afrikaans, was the name given to the official separation of the race. The practice was enforced by a government dedicated to principals of white supremacy. The National Party came to power in 1948.

The National Party, through legislation in 1950, classified South Africans according to race. Based on racial classification, the government decided where people could live and work, what type of schooling they could receive, what facilities would be open to them, who they could associate with, and whether or not they could vote.

Archbishop Tutu called the practice “evil.” His 1989 visit to Buffalo came at a time when an anti-apartheid faction within the National Party was beginning to make significant changes.

Tutu, who won the Nobel Peace Prize, told Buffalo audiences they could help in the fight against apartheid, even if it was just by saying a prayer. He compared the policy of apartheid to Nazism. He preached non-violence in the tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

WIVB-TV anchor Jacquie Walker interviewed Archbishop Tutu for a special program that documented his appearances in Western New York and his thoughts on civil rights. He said he believed he would see an end to apartheid in his lifetime.

In a report by WIVB’s Rich Newberg, African American inner-city residents living on Buffalo’s East Side shared thoughts about their own struggles for equality and the consequences of systemic racism. Violent crime was affecting their quality of life. There were also demonstrations against police brutality.

Deputy Assembly Speaker Arthur O. Eve told Mr. Newberg that conditions had worsened since the urban race riots of the late 1960s. He said there were more homeless people of color, that the Buffalo infant mortality rate among Blacks and Latinos was the highest in the nation, and drugs and Aids were wreaking havoc in the inner-city.

The campaign to end apartheid achieved success in 1994 with the formation of a democratic government in South Africa. The white minority’s rule through fear and intimidation had finally ended. ]]> Walker, Jacquie (Anchor, Reporter)]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter)]]> Sawabini, Wadi (Reporter)]]>
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)]]> eng]]> Christopher, Joseph G.]]> Serial murders -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Racism -- New York (State) -- Buffalo.]]>
Catherine Pelonero, author of the book “Absolute Madness,” makes the case that “Christopher’s crimes might have been prevented if he had received the psychiatric help he was seeking.” Ms. Pelonero provides the on-camera introduction and conclusion to this compilation of WIVB-TV reports.

An intensive search for “The .22 Caliber Killer” ensued after the first four homicides.
Two more African American men were murdered on October 8th and 9th. They were taxi cab drivers who had their hearts cut out. Christopher would later confess to these two killings, although evidence pointed away from Christopher as the perpetrator. Both cases remain open and unsolved.

In November 1980, Christopher enlisted in the U.S. Army. While on Christmas furlough, he journeyed to Manhattan and, on December 22nd, allegedly stabbed four people to death. He then became known as “The Midtown Slasher.”

A week later, on December 29th, after returning to Buffalo, another black man was stabbed to death. The following day, on December 30th, an African American male in Rochester was slashed and died from his injuries.

In January, Christopher reported back to his Army base at Fort Benning, Georgia and attacked a black soldier with a knife. The soldier lived and Christopher was confined to the stockade, where he attempted to take his own life with a razor.

In a session with a psychiatrist at the base, it has been reported that Christopher said he “had to” kill Blacks. At that point, Christopher’s home was searched by the police. They found evidence linking him to three murders. In April 1981, Joseph Christopher was indicted based on this evidence.

At his trial in 1982, Christopher rejected attempts by his mother to provide him with lawyers. He represented himself before a trial judge and was found guilty. However, the ruling was overturned because the judge had not allowed psychiatric testimony about Christopher’s mental ability to stand trial.

In 1985, after being found competent to stand trial, he was again found guilty and sent to Attica Correctional Facility. At the prison he was quoted to have claimed credit for thirteen killings. Author Pelonero says Christopher allegedly claimed eighteen victims during “a savage four month reign of terror…”

Christopher died in prison on March 1, 1993. Although it was reported at the time that he died of a rare form of male breast cancer, Ms. Pelonero’s research determined that the cause of death was testicular cancer. He was 37 years old.

This compilation of WIVB-TV news reports includes the manhunt for Christopher and a massive Buffalo rally against racism. Reporter Rich Newberg traveled with photographer Mike Mombrea, Jr. to Fort Benning, Georgia for first hand accounts from soldiers in Joseph Christopher’s barracks. This retrospective also includes special WIVB-TV coverage of an appearance by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, during Christopher’s reign of terror.
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Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)

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Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)

]]> Vetter, Tom (editor)]]> Terranova, Michael (editor)]]> Cheektowaga (N.Y.) -- Maps.]]> Cheektowaga (N.Y.) -- History.]]> Erie County (N.Y.) -- Maps.]]> Reinstein, Julia Boyer, compiler]]> Grosvenor Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Mid-Twentieth Century (1925-1975)]]> McKinley, William, 1843-1901-Death and burial.]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Pan-American Exposition (1901 : Buffalo, N.Y.)]]> McKinley, William, 1843-1901-Assassination.]]> Czolgosz, Leon F., 1873?-1901.]]> Danelson, James Edwin]]> Grosvenor Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Pan-American Exposition (1901 : Buffalo, N.Y.)]]> McKinley, William, 1843-1901-Assassination.]]> Czolgosz, Leon F., 1873?-1901.]]> Danelson, James Edwin, Compiler]]> Grosvenor Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Pan-American Exposition (1901 : Buffalo, N.Y.)]]> McKinley, William, 1843-1901-Assassination.]]> Czolgosz, Leon F., 1873?-1901.]]> ]]> Danelson, James Edwin, Compiler]]> Grosvenor Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Real estate business -- Periodicals]]> Real property -- Periodicals]]> Real property -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Real estate business -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Haas & Klein (Publisher of original)]]> eng]]> Late Nineteenth Century (1875-1900)]]> Real estate business -- Periodicals]]> Real property -- Periodicals]]> Real property -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Real estate business -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Haas & Klein (Publisher of original)]]> eng]]> Late Nineteenth Century (1875-1900)]]> Real estate business -- Periodicals]]> Real property -- Periodicals]]> Real property -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Real estate business -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Haas & Klein (Publisher of original)]]> eng]]> Late Nineteenth Century (1875-1900)]]> Real estate business -- Periodicals]]> Real property -- Periodicals]]> Real property -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Real estate business -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Haas & Klein (Publisher of original)]]> eng]]> Late Nineteenth Century (1875-1900)]]> Real estate business -- Periodicals]]> Real property -- Periodicals]]> Real property -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Real estate business -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Haas & Klein (Publisher of original)]]> eng]]> Late Nineteenth Century (1875-1900)]]>