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Gen. Zinni Urges a New Strategy for World StabilityPaul Stimmler ’62 VSB and his wife, Gale,present a full set of 1842 coins to theRev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., ’75 A&S,University president.Stimmlers Donate Coins fromYear of Villanova’s FoundingBY ANDREW SHEEHAN ’06 A&SPaul T. Stimmler ’62 VSB and his wife,Gale, have donated to VillanovaUniversity a complete set of coins mintedin 1842, the year Villanova College wasfounded by the Augustinian community inPhiladelphia.Paul Stimmler, who majored in economics,retired in 2002 as vice presidentof Triumph Group, Inc., an aerospace fi rmin Wayne, Pa. He now is an adjunct professorof business logistics at PennState University’s UniversityCollege. The couple residesin Downingtown, Pa.Convinced that hisVillanova educationplayed a major role inhis corporate success,Stimmler decided togive back to the Uni-versity. Upon discover-ing that his coin collection,inherited from hisfather, contained a silver dollar mintedin Philadelphia in 1842, he decided tocollect a full set of 1842 coins from thePhiladelphia Mint. In September 2006,he presented this beautifully displayedset to the Rev. Peter M. Donohue,O.S.A., ’75 A&S, University president.Father Donohue is pleased that theUniversity will be able to display this collectionas a reminder “to connect our presentwith our past.” The display alsoincludes a hand-colored engraving of thePhiladelphia Mint.BY IRENE BURGORetired Marine Gen. Anthony C.Zinni ’65 VSB visited VillanovaUniversity on October 25, 2006, to speakon peace initiatives and strategies. Hebased his talk on his new book, The Battlefor Peace: A Frontline Vision of America’sPower and Purpose, co-authored withbest-selling author Tom Clancy and TonyKoltz. Zinni’s talk in the Connelly CenterCinema was sponsored by Villanova’sOffi ce for Mission Effectiveness.Zinni explained why the United Statesneeds to create a plan for strategic guidanceto develop greater stability in ourcountry and abroad. Americans need toshape new policy that will promote U.S.interests in a world environment thatmust be more stable and peaceful. “Youenter a new world and greater challengethan what I faced,” Zinni said.Outspoken about his disapproval ofU.S. policy toward Iraq, Zinni argued thatnational security policy is not addressing theroots of instability, and that could endangerAmerican interests and lives. “America’s illconceivedwar with Iraq has put this nationat risk,” he said. “The nation is in a positionit has never experienced before—the solesuperpower in the world with less internationalinfluence and credibility than everbefore.” He believes Americans can andshould change the U.S. political climateby demanding and voting for changes ingovernment and its structure.“I don’t believe we will ever again see aworld like the one we went through in thegood times,” noted the retired general whoserved 40 years in the U.S. military. “TheSecond World War demonstratedthe best of what we are about.The entire nation was mobilized,went to war proudly and laterrebuilt the societies affected bythe war. War, therefore, hasbecome our metaphor for dealingwith problems, especially terrorism—i.e.,the war on terror. Terrorismis a tactic; you can’t makewar on a tactic,” he admonished.“But what is it we’re fighting for?We can’t even define it.”“Angry young men,” Zinnisaid, have become the platformthat feeds the cause of Osama binLaden. The challenge is to stopthat anger. Zinni noted, “Takeaway the anger, and you destroyOsama bin Laden. Fighting on the ground,fighting tactically—he’s ready for that. Butif you don’t ever cut off that flow [of manpower]—moreimportantly, the reason forthat flow—you’re never going to prevail. Ifyou’re never going to understand that thepolitical, economic and social conditionsthat drive those angry young men, thatmake easy canon fodder for the radical formof Islam that bin Laden preaches, thenyou’re never going to effect change. That’sthe thing we don’t get.” The faculty, staffand students in the audience had lots ofquestions for Zinni after his talk.As commander in chief of the UnitedStates Central Command (CENTCOM)from 1997 to 2000, Zinni was responsible forU.S. forces in a 25-country region, includingthe Middle East. Overall, he has spent some20 years in that region. He participated innumerous presidential diplomatic missionsto Somalia, Pakistan and Ethiopia-Eritrea,among many other nations.Following his retirement from theMarine Corps in September 2000, theConshohocken, Pa., native continued toserve his country. Zinni was the U.S.peace envoy in the Middle East whileserving as special advisor to then-Secretaryof State Colin L. Powell. His experiencealso includes service as special envoyto the HD Centre for HumanitarianDialogue in Geneva, Switzerland, and asnegotiator for the Indonesian peace effort.While on campus, Zinni also spoke tostudents in the Professional DevelopmentProgram (see next story).“Terrorism is a tactic; you can’t make war on a tactic,”noted retired Marine Gen. Anthony C. Zinni ’65 VSB inhis talk last October for Villanova’s Offi ce for MissionEffectiveness.JOHN WELSH50 Villanova Magazine