NEWS WALL-TO-WALL CLEARANCE ALL NEW MERCHANDISE EVERYTHING MUST GO! O SATURD APIE 2901 10 AM - PM Orthodox Marine Ousted For Refusing To Fight WIN fte, 4 E' MN, ". ■ TOM TUGEND Thu Special to The Jewish News L • 4 t. 1 ! FABULOUS SELECTION OF LEATHER ON SALE FOR UNBELIEVABLE PRICES! SECTIONALS • SOFAS • LOVESEATS • CHAIRS • DINING ROOMS BEDROOMS • WALL UNITS & MUCH MORE! Large Selection of ALPA LEATHER 75% OFF CENTURY & STANLEY BEDROOM & DINING ROOM SETS ALL DINETTE SETS 50% OFF 50% OFF SHERWOOD WAREHOUSE SHERWOOD IWAREH()USE 24760 CRESTVIEW CT. FARMINGTON HILLS 476-3760 - Day of Sale 354-9060 - Prior to Sale ca cr 0 0 CC 3 IMMEDIATE DELIVERY NOMINAL CHARGE ALL SALES FINAL GROUPS SOLD AS COMPLETE SETS 0 2 2 U/ ti ti FARMINGTON HILLS w ES INDUSTRIAL CTR. LIJ 0 (,7 Q - U) 1 Mt) i a cc 0 a uj ,.5) TEN MILE ROAD RELIABLE AND EXPERIENCED SINCE 1930 insurance estimates accepted expert color match, foreign & American TOWING & RENTAL CARS AVAILABLE La Salle Body Shop Inc. 28829 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 BETWEEN 12 & 13 Mile Rd. MAX FLEISCHER, FOUNDER 52 FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 1991 553-7111 t. Tony Homayoun Moradian, a helicopter pilot raised as an Or- thodox Jew, will be dismiss- ed from the U.S. Marine Corps for refusing to fight a war in defense of Arabs, a military judge ruled last weekend. Lt. Moradian, who was born in Iran, was found guil- ty of leaving a troop ship at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 10 that was taking his light attack helicopter squadron to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm. He was sentenced to the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge and a $3,000 fine. During his court-martial at Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, the 26-year old Lt. Moradian said that "being brought up as an Or- thodox Jew, being aware of the animosity of the Arab- Israeli conflict and consider- ing myself a Zionist, (I couldn't see) going and defending an Arab nation that doesn't believe in my right to exist. But I wanted to be a Marine." The Los Angeles Times, which ran the story under the headline "A Collision of Faith and Duty," reported that defense witnesses de- scribed Lt. Moradian as an outstanding and dedicated Marine. His loyalty to the corps was equaled only by his deeply rooted religious convictions, one witness testified. Religious faith and military duty were never in conflict until the escalation of the confrontation with Iraq, the defendant testified. Even then, he said, he believed that he could find a solution and do his duty. "I'm not a coward, nor am I afraid to take part in any battle," said Lt. Moradian, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1985. "I knew I had a duty to this country and I thought I had come to peace with myself. But once I got aboard the ship, I found those duties overwhelming." After leaving the troop ship, Lt. Moradian caught a commercial jet to the mainland and immediately reported to the Marine base at Camp Pendleton. He real- ized he would be punished for what he called a des- perate decision, but he hoped he would be allowed to con- tinue his military career. During the trial, the government prosecutor, Maj. Carlos Baldwin, upbraided Lt. Moradian, charging that "his tour in the Marine Corps is remarkable only for its selfishness. All he want- ed to do was fly, under his terms and conditions." Maj. Baldwin added that many female Marines had served in the Gulf war to defend Arab countries whose wo- men do not enjoy equality. The executive officer of Moradian's unit, Maj. George Trautman, testified that its effectiveness was weakened by Lt. Moradian's absence and that all 43 helicopter pilots in the squadron saw combat duty in Kuwait. "He tarnished the reputa- tion of the unit and hurt morale," Maj. Trautman told the press outside the courtroom. In sentencing Lt. Mora- dian, the judge, Col. Edwin Welch, said that he had decided against imposing a prison sentence, in part be- cause Lt. Moradian had promptly turned himself in after flying from Hawaii to California. After the trial, Lt. Mora- dian said he was relieved he was not going to jail but dis- appointed that he will no longer be a Marine. ❑ Peruvian Indians Make Aliyah Tel Aviv (JTA) — About 100 Peruvian Indians who claim to be descendants of Marranos will immigrate to Israel in August. They will be settled in Elon Moreh, a settlement in the West Bank near Nablus founded by the Gush Emunim. Their immigration is being organized jointly by the settlers and the Jewish Agency. A special rabbinical court was sent from Israel to Peru to supervise the group's con- version. The community, which calls it self Bnei Moshe and lives in northern Peru, claims its ancestors were Marranos, Jews from Spain who converted to Catholicism in the 16th cen- tury to escape the Inquisi- tion but secretly practiced the Jewish faith. The Bnei Moshe proclaim- ed their background 40 years ago, cutting them- selves off from neighboring groups.