Posted on 11/17/2009 08:02:30
HR 4051 picked up a co-sponsor overnight. It is Bill Pascrell (D) of New Jersey. Keep those cards and letters coming.
Posted on 11/12/2009 12:29:32
I went back to Thomas, carefully re-read the entire bill S.2743 and couldn't help but wonder if there is a bigger problem for eligibility. Read for yourself and tell me if I'm wrong;
`(c) Eligible Persons- A person eligible to be issued the Cold War Service Medal is any person--
`(A) served on active duty in the Armed Forces for not less than 24 consecutive months during the Cold War;
`(B) was deployed as a member of the Armed Forces outside the continental United States for a period of at least 30 days during the Cold War; or
`(C) performed such other service in the Armed Forces during the Cold War as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe for purposes of this section; and
`(2) who, if discharged or released from the Armed Forces, was so discharged or released under honorable conditions after service in the armed forces characterized as honorable.
The way I'm reading this is that to be eligible, you must meet ("A" and "B") (not "A" or "B") or "C". The word "or" coming at the end of "B" is the give away. Requirement "C" stands on its own. If that is the case, then active duty folks who only saw CONUS duty wouldn't even qualify. Now keep in mind I'm reading this as an English teacher might and consider how punctuation and conjunctions, etc. can change a meaning. Not trying to stir anything up but does anyone else get the same meaning from the way it is written?
Posted on 11/12/2009 06:17:18
NACVSO Leg, thanks for the well wishes. I attended a parade in downtown Houston yesterday. It was moving to see the elder Veterans still wearing the uniforms with pride. Thousands lined the street and stood for the entire 1 1/2 hour event.
I also took the time to write a personal e-mail to all my buddies and they answered in kind. We are a band of brothers, regardless of branch, service period or type of service. God bless you all.
Posted on 11/10/2009 14:59:52
John, you have seen first hand the frustration. Even harder to swallow when fellow Veterans show little enthusiasm. You are doing the right thing. No one asked you to spread the word but you took the initiative. Thank you for committing some of your time for the cause. Now I didn't look at all your locations at Military.com but I do no of a thread titled "Time to Mobilize Cold War Vets" or something similar. It has the longest thread history I've ever seen, probably up to 50 pages by now. Many negative voices there but you could always count on Shuman (Joseph Clune) to have positive things to say and that would get another positive thinker to sound off.
Don't think what you did was in vain John. You got to be tougher than the critics or you'll flame out way too soon.
Posted on 11/10/2009 13:37:45
LG Era Vet, no need to ever delete a prior post unless it was blatantly false or in very bad taste. All civil posts accepted here.
Folks can claim to not be angry or at a minimum, severely disappointed but it is not believable because I would be if in those shoes and I am disappointed none the less for all who served and may, I repeat, may come up short.
We can tell ourselves little lies like "I'm all in" for the 4 guiding principles of the ACWV. 1. A national Cold War monument. 2. A national day of recognition. 3. Education, to educate the population at large on the events of the Cold War. 4. A federal service or victory medal for everyone who served with honor.
Now the hard part. How many are really here ONLY for a medal? Its okay to be honest with at least yourselves. Let me be brutally honest with all of you. If the requirements for the VSM were different and it was awarded for service up to May 7, 1975, I would probably never found the original organization and taken an interest in a CWSM. I wanted tangible proof that my service meant something. While I personally know that my service had value, that one medal would have meant everything to me. It won't ever happen and I move on. So, do I too seek a medal? You bet. My world won't end without it and I still believe in the other three goals, two of which may be gaining traction thanks to the hard work of people who care and those two items I believe go in to Sean's column.
Just remember, if we accomplish 75% of our stated goals, that is a far higher percentage than any VSO has ever obtained, and we'll be doing it not just for ourselves but for the sake of history.
Posted on 11/10/2009 06:46:06
Read the dissent, understand the anger, but it is misplaced. Silent no more on the subject I must start by saying you get out of this group what you put into it.
Start with leadership. Never ending the fight, using the knowledge we have gained over the last decade, we / they kept up the heat and a bill materialized. Don't sell anyone short for an elected officials perspective on how they see this going to the floor, getting it into an NDAA and hoping for a victory. No one in Congress plans to introduce a failure. It is in their interest to submit a winner.
Next, words of being sold out by the leadership is a preposterous notion. Go to Military.com and read some comments there. Bitter only begins to tell the story, again, in a way that is derogatory to those who keep up the fire.
Third, as of now, Jerry and the board are looking for people to run for office. Easy to criticize from the outside. Here is an opportunity to see first hand the difficulties and sacrifices folks have made on every single Cold War Veterans behalf, not just the membership or forum posters. If you stay on the outside looking in, you'll never understand. You want change, run for office. Those who have served are tired. New ideas needed. You do matter and need to stand up as well.
Fourth, I think it was Kerry Yen who said we need to stay united more than ever. Absolutely. Guard and Reservists are now acting as if the medal has been approved and only those of us with active duty are now parading down Main St. wearing our new medal. There is no medal! The fight continues.
Next, you have to build a case. We all showed up is a fact but not one likely to garner support. Be smart, do your research. I can find no Service Medal that requires two years of service. No precedent for that kind of time. You could have enlisted 3 months
after WWII ended and still received a Victory Medal. If the medal bill, as proposed gets past, I see it at par with the AFSM and that has no two year requirement. Hell, the award of the CIB was the only criteria for receiving the Bronze Star for meritorious service in WWII. Take the time, research requirements for every service medal and have facts at the ready. You can't win an argument on passion alone.
Lastly, we have all pledged our support for every individual with skin in the game to be recognized. No one has backed away from that premise. However, the choices made by reservists and guardsmen was a conscious choice made by the individual and if never federalized or called to active duty, you may get the short straw. If you choose to drop out of high school, get a diploma or go on to grad school, you made a choice and in doing so, receive what the world has valued you at. No ones fault for doing what they wanted to do but again, the leadership is not at fault.
In summary, stay with the program, get involved beyond writing e-mails and sounding off on the forum. We are all brothers / sisters who did our share. If a movement grows to break away and start anew for those who feel left out, both groups will be weaker, quieter and less potent.
I salute every one of you for doing your part. We won the Cold War as a team, not individuals. Brothers all. Happy Veterans Day my fellow Veterans and you are indeed Veterans.
I spoke here today with passion, of my own sense of a need, for many of you made me want to shout and cry at the same time. It was hard reading the posts daily and staying quiet knowing the majority doesn't understand the hell and passion these good folks dove in to. I shall say no more on the subject except if you think we don't have burn out, please notice I will not seek any elected position this year. I have done my time on your behalf and I am tired. Not going away but I don't need a title to help.
Please feel free to rebutt in open forum or by private message.
Posted on 11/05/2009 07:39:15
Its a positive step forward. Any resolution recognizing the victory and the men and women who helped attain that victory can only help us in the long run. It is another round in chamber. Congressman Poe of Texas had a resolution recognizing the end of the Berlin Wall. All these may be cost free to the tax payers but it does keep the Cold War, at least for this year on the radar. Thanks for the posting Jerry.
I guess I could look it up but how much support is there, regarding co-sponsors.
Posted on 10/29/2009 05:05:42
Jerry, you can't stop getting older and these things, unfortunately will become more frequent (more ouchies).
Since you are back at the keyboard, we'll assume you are willing and able to keep driving this train. Just a little FYI, I too will undergo some pain next week as the medical profession will try to remove 8 kidney stones from my left kidney. If the pain they said to expect materializes, I will have the pleasure of taking some of the best our pharmacies have to offer and then prepare to do it all over again for my right side. Now in my defense, I swear I drink enough malt beverages to avoid build up of deposits but I now realize I must redouble my efforts.
You take care buddy and don't overdue it. I know I won't.
Posted on 10/21/2009 17:24:06
Jim, we always had your six. And just when I thought all those recent posts by you meant a revitalization by you, I now realize it was sort of a last hurrah, temporarily. I agree with the library route, it works and can't beat the price. Just look in on us, keep the fire burning and when you come back, and I'm sure you will, we'll be here.
Take care and thank you for all you've done. See you soon.
Posted on 10/21/2009 11:23:47
No offense taken Jerry, everything in Texas is bigger! My waist line and neck size are a few of the examples. I am a lotto player and will spread the word. Already notified the Post to get ready to buy.
An interesting note is that State Senator Van De Putte who sponsored this lotto bill is the same women who earlier wrote and got passed the Texas Resolution to petition the US Government to issue a Cold War medal. She is truly a friend of Veterans.
Posted on 09/30/2009 09:51:22
Just to be very clear, we have not had one single declared war since December 8th, 1941 when the Congress Declared war on the Empire of Japan and extended that declaration to include Germany and Italy as of December 7th. Every military action we have undertaken, including today's Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom are undeclared. So was the first Gulf War, Dessert Storm. Nope, no declaration for Panama or Grenada either and yet they are all recognized by campaign or expeditionary medals.
On the subject of the NY State Department of the American Legion, as I understand resolutions, the only function any body or entity of the Legion should undertake is a formality, reviewing for proper writing of the resolution and making sure it conforms to the by-laws. I sent one up the chain and it made it all the way to the floor of the National Convention and that was for a National Day of Remembrance on May 1st. It was eventually defeated because of the May 1st date but it was never blocked by the 22nd District, 2nd Division or Department of Texas and it was the Department who carried it to National. Something is amiss in the Empire State.
Lastly and hopefully for the last time, I say we stand together for a Cold War medal, stop concerning ourselves with other VSOs and retain focus on our prescribed goals. If they are ever realized, other endeavours can take place. If anyone needs a fire lit under them, it should be the EDVA to keep trying again and again.
Posted on 09/28/2009 06:14:28
After doing some extensive research on both the VVA and ROA, it seems there is something different regarding support then what has been talked about here. First, lets correct the VVA mantra. It is
"Never Again Will One Generation Of Veterans Abandon Another". Now, as to their action or lack of, I agree with USMC Kinda Guy that we can't expect support from everyone. If they don't believe in it, so be it. They can't even agree on who is worthy to have the VSM.
The ROA has had an existing resolution of support for a Cold War SERVICE Medal that was originally endorsed on June 12, 2004 and again reaffirmed on June 30, 2007. There is no mention anywhere on their site of support for the re-institution of the ADSM with device to indicate Cold War Service.
The above is what was discovered by me on their web-sites but probably not definitive. Unless someone was willing to contact each for clarity, I'll assume what I read was correct.
Now the crux of the matter is respect. We want it, we've earned it. The other groups are not in our debt and owe us nothing. We have for the most part, been in this fight alone with little tangible support from those outside. I've said it in the past, several times that other VSO's have a limited amount of pull on Capitol Hill and must advance their own causes with the time and resources they have.
This is no place to keep belittling other VSO's for not conforming to our agenda. They, as we, have earned the right to do what they and their / our members want, unencumbered by outside influences.
Posted on 09/21/2009 06:02:13
Much talk here in the month of September 2009 refering to this Poll. By posting to it, it brings it back up front for the new folks to see and remind the rest of us what the reults were.
Posted on 09/21/2009 05:55:56
Not even close. Health care and Afghanistan dominated.
Posted on 09/18/2009 08:28:34
National POW/MIA Recognition Day 2009 Message
On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we recognize and honor a small, but very special group of Americans: our former prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action. Each year, the third Friday in September is set aside to honor the commitment and the sacrifices made by this nation’s Prisoners of War and those who are still Missing in Action, as well as their families. America’s POW/MIAs should be honored and recognized rather than memorialized, with the focus on the need to account as fully as possible for those still missing, alive or dead. Since the Revolutionary War, America’s men and women have made unselfish sacrifices to defend freedom. In each of America’s wars, America’s prisoners of war have faced extraordinary hardships and overcome them through extraordinary sacrifices. To observe this important day, the National League of Families POW/MIA flag is flown over the Capitol, the White House, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and other locations across our country. It is also the only flag on permanent display in the rotunda of our nation’s Capitol. The flag, nationally known as POW/MIA, features a white disk bearing in black silhouette a man’s bust, a watch tower with a guard on patrol, and a strand of barbed wire. White letters “POW” and “MIA”, with a white five-pointed star in between, are typed above the disk. Below the disk is a black and white wreath above the motto “You Are Not Forgotten” written in white, capital letters. Hewt Heisley, a World War II pilot, designed this flag. The importance of the POW/MIA flag is a solemn reminder of our Nation’s enduring obligation and promise to our courageous service members who remain missing and a tribute to those who have been imprisoned while serving their country in conflicts around the world. The flag symbolizes the United States’ resolve to never forget POWs or those who served their country in conflicts and are still missing. More than 78,000 Americans are unaccounted for from World War II, more than 8,100 American servicemen from the Korean War, and at the end of the Vietnam War, there reportedly were 2,583 unaccounted for American prisoners, missing or killed on action/body not recovered. In June 1985, President Ronald Reagan said, “This country deeply appreciates the pain and suffering endured by families whose fathers, sons, husbands, or brothers are today still missing or unaccounted for. These families are an example of strength and patriotism of all Americans. We as a people are untied in supporting efforts to return the captive, recover the missing, resolve the accounting, and relieve the suffering of the families who wait.” In August 2009, Navy officials announced that the remains of the first American lost in the 1991 Persian Gulf War was found in the Anbar province of Iraq after a nearly 20-year search. The Navy pilot, Captain Michael Scott Speicher, was shot down flying a combat mission in an F/A-18 Hornet on Jan. 17, 1991, whose fate had been listed with uncertainly and the only American missing in action from that war. “Our Navy will never give up looking for a shipmate, regardless of how long or how difficult that search may be,” said Admiral Gary Roughhead, chief of naval operations, in a statement. “We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Captain Speicher and his family for the sacrifice they have made for our nation and the example of strength they have set for all of us.” Over the years, we hear the stories of the returned prisoners of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam and we marvel at how they kept going. The most common thread in these stories was three things that helped them survive captivity and return with honor: faith in God, faith in their fellow prisoners, and faith in their country. May I say to all former prisoners of wars that you are a testament to the strength and the character of the American people. You are a symbol of our nation’s patriotic spirit. Your heroism is as old as war itself, as old as names like Andersonville, Los Banos, German Stalag, Camp 5, and the famous Hanoi Hilton. These places are empty today but those who suffered there clung on to the belief that their government and their loved ones would be semper fi—”always faithful.” We honor you, those still missing in action and that honor is unending. Thank You. God Bless you and God bless the United States of America. Jessie Bellflowers is All-American Post Commander of VFW Post 10630 in Hope Mills; District 8 Senior-Vice Commander; and National Aide de Camp.
Posted on 09/10/2009 12:21:36
High school and college students won't put up with any bull. They can smell it so I'd be sure to present facts and add only a little editorial comments based on your experiences.
You might start by looking over past issues of The Cold War Times. For years they have been presenting some very good info.
It is very important to emphasize that every conflict we involved ourselves with directly or through proxies, from the end of WWII to the fall of the Soviet Union was a confrontation against communism with the exception of Panama.
You can link the USS Liberty to the Cold War by taking the Israeli explanation as truth (LOL). If it was a Egyptian ship as they claim, the Soviets were financing and backing them as a counter to our support of Israel. You see, you can pretty easily tie just about everything that happened then to our struggle against communism and their struggle against the freedom loving people around the world.
The USS Pueblo is another obvious case of communist aggression against us. Start with a clear understanding of how WWII ended and divided Europe. The Truman Doctrine and the belief that if one nation fell to communism, it's neighbor would be next. This also was an underlying reason for Korea (1950-53). Probably more so for the benefit of European allies. If we could show a willingness to stop expansion in Korea, we would be more believable to our allies in Europe.
What did the Berlin Wall mean to a divided city, nation and continent. The symbolism was an outrage as was the way the East Germans would shoot first, ask questions later.
The new section here on Cold War casulaties could also be used.
I think if you go through with it, be well prepared and have facts on hand to back up your comments. I would seriously consider a Q and A. It would be a good test of what today's student know or more likely, how little they know.
Posted on 09/10/2009 08:22:28
I just completed an e-mail to the State Senator requesting info on who was the driving force that got her to initiate the resolution. I also thanked her on our behalf. I did a little search on her bio. It seems the good Senator is very active in Veteran Affairs:
Senator Leticia Van de Putte, a pharmacist for more than 29 years, represents a large portion of San Antonio and Bexar County. A former-five term state representative, she is now serving her fourth term as a Texas State Senator for District 26. She is a strong advocate for children, veterans, quality public education and has consistently authored and sponsored bills aimed at improving economic opportunities for all Texans.
She has been recognized by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Edward R. Roybal Award, the Vietnam Veterans of America "Legislator of the Year Award," the Texas Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Committee "Department of Defense Exceptional Support Award" and the Center for Policy Alternatives "Arthur S. Fleming Leadership Award" for her tireless advocacy on behalf of the people she represents. Following the 81st Legislative Session, she was chosen as one of Texas Insider's Top Ten Legislators for her work on behalf of veterans and their families and for Texas Watch's Legislative Honor Roll for her work on behalf of Texas consumers and homeowners. She is the subject of a new book written by Dr. Sharon Navarro titled, "Latina Legislator: Leticia Van de Putte and the Road to Leadership."
Nationally, Senator Van de Putte served as co-chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, joining the ranks of Texas women, including Barbara Jordan and Ann Richards. She has been actively involved in the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), serving as President from 2006 to 2007. Senator Van de Putte is a member of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, where she served as President from 2003 to 2005.
Senator Van de Putte currently serves as Chair of the Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee, and serves as a member of the Senate Committees on Education, State Affairs and Business and Commerce. She is also the Chair of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus.
We may have a new friend in Texas politics. If I get a response from her or her staff, I'll pass it on.
Posted on 09/09/2009 05:02:35
Great opportunity Cannon. First, who is the target audience? Elementary school needs a very different approach than high school. I have spoken several times to 5th graders in Texas and they don't want to dwell on facts. They are more interested in personal experiences and given the opportunity for a Q & A, they can amaze you with what they'll ask.
I say never turn down an opportunity to speak regardless of the target audience. Give us more info and we'll help provide the ammo.
Posted on 09/05/2009 09:08:41
OUTRAGE!
Either I viewed the wrong page / question or they removed our question and the EDSM question. Could I be wrong? If it is true, it means they don't take us seriously and don't care about the amount of votes.
Okay, thanks USMC Kinda Guy. Glad I got it wrong. Now my next question; Did I drink all those beers to get over my anger for nothing or was it inevitably going to happen on a holiday weekend anyway?
