Time to Mobilize Cold War Vets
Category: News and Politics

It is time to mobilize the drive for Cold War Service Medal in our state. The CWVA needs us to ask for senators Clinton and Schumer for support on the cold war medal. Where Hillary Clinton is concerned, everyone ask her to offer an amendment to the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2007. A letter writing,email, and phone drive needs to start now. Tell your friends, family, co-workers and anybody who will listen to do the same. Network at Amvets, Legion ect. and help get word out. Lets express to our leaders this is long overdue. If your not in NY do the same in your state for more info:



http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListA...-9064-7a4ecae84717ML

Hell, when you said "Time to Mobilize Cold War Vets", I thought you meant mobilize for active duty. Now you went and got me all worked up for an amphibious cavalry assault up the Tigris River!!

ROTFLMAO!!!

Ya got me all wrong. I'm behind the Cold War Medal 100%.

TD

I too am 100% behind this medal, it's long overdue.

I was just laughing at the photo.

quote:

Originally posted by shuman14:
I too am 100% behind this medal, it's long overdue.

I was just laughing at the photo.

Thanks brother, but it was GELNHAUSEN_PANMUNJOM that I was trying to straighten out about my post. From his screen name, I'll assume he served in Korea and got his Cold War ribbons, which were well deserved.

quote:

Originally posted by GELNHAUSEN_PANMUNJOM:
I am against the medal because already received the National Defense Medal.

Which was NOT for the Cold War.

The NDSM has been awarded for:

Korea

Vietnam

Gulf War

War on Terror

While Korea and Vietnam were campaigns within the greater Cold War, that does not make a NDSM a "Cold War" medal.

quote:

Originally posted by GELNHAUSEN_PANMUNJOM:
Guy, if you want a medal then I hope you get one.

I think you miss the point, I have over two dozen awards for service, training and merit for basically doing my job over the last 17 years. It's not for "me" that I want this medal approved.

While I was just a simple Private during the Cold War and really did nothing of any importance during that period other than, again, my job, there are numerous people that were on the tip of the spear during the Cold War.

Most were overseas but many CONUS as well and they don't even have a single medal or ribbon to recognize their service to our Nation because of their status as a draftee and/or the time of their service.

That's just not fair, in fact it's as wrong as two boys f@ck'ing.

These honorable men and women deserve and to be recognized for defeating Communism, keeping us all safe and, most importantly, winning the Cold War.

Who will or should be eligible?

quote:

Originally posted by PzGen:
Who will or should be eligible?

I'll use the requirements of the other two Victory medals, the WWI Victory Medal and the WWII Victory Medal: any Honorable service during the period of the conflict.

So to be even clearer, every veteran of the USA, USN, USAF, USMC, and the USCG, to include their National Guard and Reserve components who served one day of Service during the Cold War and received an Honorable discharge on leaving the Service should receive a Cold War Victory Medal.

Couldn't agree more. The Air Force trooper who sat in a silo in North Dakota did just as much to "tame the bear" as the Marine sweating on an LPH in the med. A victory without bloodshed is even better than a battlefield win. We played nuclear chicken, and they blinked.

quote:

Originally posted by shuman14:

quote:

Originally posted by GELNHAUSEN_PANMUNJOM:
Guy, if you want a medal then I hope you get one.

I think you miss the point, I have over two dozen awards for service, training and merit for basically doing my job over the last 17 years. It's not for "me" that I want this medal approved.

While I was just a simple Private during the Cold War and really did nothing of any importance during that period other than, again, my job, there are numerous people that were on the tip of the spear during the Cold War.

Most were overseas but many CONUS as well and they don't even have a single medal or ribbon to recognize their service to our Nation because of their status as a draftee and/or the time of their service.

That's just not fair, in fact it's as wrong as two boys f@ck'ing.

These honorable men and women deserve and to be recognized for defeating Communism, keeping us all safe and, most importantly, winning the Cold War.

Define winning the Cold War.....

Others include the implementation of the policies of glasnost and perestroika, public discontent over the Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan, and the socio-political effects of the Chernobyl accident in 1986. East-West tensions eased rapidly after the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev. After the deaths of three elderly Soviet Union leaders in a row since 1982, the Politburo elected Gorbachev Soviet Communist Party chief in 1985, marking the rise of a new generation of leadership. Under Gorbachev, relatively young reform-oriented technocrats rapidly consolidated power, providing new momentum for political and economic liberalization and the impetus for cultivating warmer relations and trade with the West.

Why have no other countries involved in the "winning" of the Cold War seen fit to issue an Medal?

quote:

Originally posted by PzGen:
Define winning the Cold War.....

Others include the implementation of the policies of glasnost and perestroika, public discontent over the Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan, and the socio-political effects of the Chernobyl accident in 1986. East-West tensions eased rapidly after the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev. After the deaths of three elderly Soviet Union leaders in a row since 1982, the Politburo elected Gorbachev Soviet Communist Party chief in 1985, marking the rise of a new generation of leadership. Under Gorbachev, relatively young reform-oriented technocrats rapidly consolidated power, providing new momentum for political and economic liberalization and the impetus for cultivating warmer relations and trade with the West.

Why have no other countries involved in the "winning" of the Cold War seen fit to issue an Medal?

Winning - We (the USA and NATO) still exist, while the USSR is shattered and the Warsaw Pact is no more. Communism is as dead as Marx is and all the Countries in the former Eastern Bloc are developing Democracies now. That's winning.

Why have no other Countries issued a Cold war Medal? I don't know, hopefully we'll start a trend.

Regardless it's not my place to tell other Countries' veterans and militaries what to do with their Awards Systems. That's for them to do themselves.

quote:

Originally posted by shuman14:

quote:

Originally posted by PzGen:
Define winning the Cold War.....

Others include the implementation of the policies of glasnost and perestroika, public discontent over the Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan, and the socio-political effects of the Chernobyl accident in 1986. East-West tensions eased rapidly after the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev. After the deaths of three elderly Soviet Union leaders in a row since 1982, the Politburo elected Gorbachev Soviet Communist Party chief in 1985, marking the rise of a new generation of leadership. Under Gorbachev, relatively young reform-oriented technocrats rapidly consolidated power, providing new momentum for political and economic liberalization and the impetus for cultivating warmer relations and trade with the West.

Why have no other countries involved in the "winning" of the Cold War seen fit to issue an Medal?

Winning - We (the USA and NATO) still exist, while the USSR is shattered and the Warsaw Pact is no more. Communism is as dead as Marx is and all the Countries in the former Eastern Bloc are developing Democracies now. That's winning.

Why have no other Countries issued a Cold war Medal? I don't know, hopefully we'll start a trend.

Regardless it's not my place to tell other Countries' veterans and militaries what to do with their Awards Systems. That's for them to do themselves.

And that is due to? I thought the USSR went broke try to keep up with the US/NATO. In which case...don't the workers in the defence industry also be due a medal?

I am still trying to figure out why a medal for a war that was never declared it required ....for people who were simply doing their job.

Was war ever declared in Korea? Were any medals issued?

quote:

Originally posted by deddygetty1:
Was war ever declared in Korea? Were any medals issued?

Got to tell ya....Just doesn't seem quite the same.

It's a Victory Medal for goodness sake!

The precedence is there in the two previous Victory Medals, there were personnel in both WWI and WWII that never left the States, did just their job and got a Medal for it. (WWIVM and WWIIVM)

In WWII they got two medals for it. (WWIIVM and ACM after one year)

I've been to Korea. If you're not Stationed on the DMZ, the duty is actually better than being stationed CONUS.

To quote some of my young troops, "Yongsan and Osan are Da-Bomb!"

I guess in your mind a KDSM is a "un-worthy" medal too.

First, understand the nature of the Cold War. During the 46 years of it's existence, we were governed by the Truman Doctrine. Communist expansion could not and would not be tolerated. Roosevelt and Churchill gave away too much to the Soviets at the end of WWII but the Truman Doctrine basically said enough is enough. The first real test came in 1950 on the Korean Peninsula. Followed by Vietnam and then smaller conflicts in our own hemisphere, every time US troops were engaged, it was against client states of either the Soviet Union or China but make no mistake about it, we were engaged. Even to the last battle field of the Cold War, Grenada, we were there to stop a communist backed regime from taking control. This time from Cuban communist, supplied and supported by the Soviet Union. Panama was an exception. That is the short of it. While wars and conflicts and short expeditions all had a name, it was under the larger blanket of the Truman Doctrine and the Cold War. The US was practically without a victory during these events while winning the battles. Now, an opportunity exists to recognize the fact that those who did the dirty work while the politicians kept their hands clean can finally celebrate the overall victory. Don't let the word "Victory" become a stumbling block to your understanding. There are all types of victory. Whether we outspent them, wore them down, their own people and Warsaw Pact nations screamed for change or they finally lost face after Afghanistan, no one who ever claimed a victory cared about the how or why, just the end result. In mentioning Afghanistan, keep in mind that it was a Cold War battlefield where the Soviets were engaged against a nation supported by the US.

Whether or not a Victory Medal comes out of this year's Congress, the War IS over, the US IS the victor with it's NATO Allies and the men and women who served with honor and distinction from 1945 to 1991 ALL played a part in the final outcome. Give them their due.

Well said as always Paul.