1972 Munich Olympics

When you think of the Olympics the last thing that comes to mind is death and hatred. During the 1972 Munich Olympics Israeli Olympians were taking captive by Palestinian radicals. This all started on the night of September 5, 1972, when five Arabs dressed in track suits broke into the sleeping corders of the Israeli wrestling team. A few minutes before 5:00AM they knocked on the door of the Israeli coach and team. What seemed right at the time wasn’t the smartest idea. The coach wailed for help which intern got him and another weightlifter shot and killed. The other members in the room tried to escape but were unsuccessful and were taken hostage. After word of this horrible incident got around the terrorists spoke up and said that they were Palestinian Arabs. At first no one had a notion as to why the terrorists were doing this. Later they announced it was because they wanted the Israeli’s to release 234 Arab prisoners in Israeli jails. Hours later negotiations were made and German sharpshooters were ordered to shoot and kill the terrorists when they arrived at the air base in Firstenfeldbruck. The plan went horribly wrong and the terrorists ended up bombing two of the helicopters killing all aboard and then shot the rest of the remaining to death. Most of the terrorists were killed but some got away and named themselves “Black September.” The Israeli prime minister released a statement saying, “We have no choice but to strike at the terrorist organizations wherever we can reach them. That is our obligation to ourselves and to peace. We shall fulfill that obligation undauntedly.” From then on they started and organization called the “Wrath of God” and were set out to find the members of the terrorist group. Weeks later there was another threat to release the remaining members or else there would be another outbreak. German police surrendered and freed the terrorist prisoners. Word spread through the air that Arab Olympians had planned to boycott the next summer Olympics in Australia because there was said to be a moment of silence for the 11 fallen Israeli competitors. The 1972 Munich Olympics are a cold reminder of the ignorance humans can have in order to achieve there goal. Disrupting a international event and taking the lives of innocent people was not the right thing to do in terms of getting what you want. Not only was it irrational and out of question to expect to obtain what they wanted by kidnapping the olympians, it was even worse to go out of the way and attack a public event. The constant hatred the Arabs felt for the Jews was another reason behind the outbreak. It showed religious intolerance at is worst form. The Arabs had preconceived notions of the Jewish people and animosity towards them, that was only based on their religious background. Not only did this put a damper on the 1972 Olympics but it left people with the feeling if competing was even right anymore. It was Avery Brundage that declared, “ The games must go on.” And so they did with Olympic flags flying at half mast. Looking back you see that violence like that of which is shown is never a good way to justify what you want. 550

Australia's Involvement in WWII

When you think of WWII you probably think of all the big contributors such as, Germany, Russia, and the US. Most people are surprised to find out Australia was involved in WWII, however was it smart of them to side with Britain? Australia entered the war after the invasion of Poland. They allied with the US and Britain in the beginning because Japan was always a threat. They started the war with the thought that Japan wanted Australian land, and the alliance with Britain would secure them from Japanese threats. Most Australians seemed to support the decision to be involved in the war. All major parties, churches and newspapers supported involvement. The only groups not to support the decision were pacifists such as Jehovah's Witnesses, and hardcore socialists who opposed involvement because the Soviet Union opposed it. When the war broke out the Australian troops were less than prepared. The Australian prime minister tried his best to recruit men by creating the AIF or Second Australian Imperial Force. At first a miniscule number of men engaged in the AIF finally they started warming up to it and they completed the AIF with over 20,000 men. The Australians strategy to ally with the British paid off greatly. The first nine months were called the “phony war” because they never actually participated in combat. Life for the Australians was fairly normal at this stage. Then with the entry of Japan into the Pacific War, there was a real fear and threat of invasion. During 1942, civilians were evacuated south in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. And Australians were put under greater government controls than any time since the convict era. There have never been such controls since that time. During the war there were also clashes between the allies. The US and Australians had a number of civil skirmishes named the “Battle of Brisbane.” However in the grand scheme of things these battles were not important and the 'battles' between the troops involved only the tiniest minority of soldiers on each side. Going into war not only affected the men but it also had an impact on the women of Australia. Many became nurses and went overseas with the AIF, labor shortages also forced woman to work for the government. Slowly the fear of attacks wore off and Australia backed out of the war. When you look back there are many positive aspects towards the Australians allying with Britain. They were stuck in between two very powerful countries. Japan was too weak to fully attack Australia without fear of the reverberating action back. For Australia to even get involved seems pointless but when you look deeper they made a smart decision siding with Britain and the US they were offered Security for help in the battlefield. It was also beneficial for Australia because they learned war techniques they never would have in the first place. In Britain’s defense they made a strong pact with Australia and had extra help from across the globe. 503