I posted this in the Army Infantry forums and want to post it with my fellow Marine service members so we can get the word out.

Two bills were introduced into Congress to authorize a Cold War Service Medal to eligible veterans who served during that period (1946-1991). The first is Senate bill (S. 2743). Here is a short press release:

"WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Jim Webb (D-Va.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) today introduced the Cold War Service Medals Act of 2009, bipartisan legislation to authorize the secretaries of the military departments to award Cold War Service Medals to American veterans. To date, no medal exists to honor the men and women who served and defended the United States during the Cold War.

The second companion bill is in the House of Representatives. It is bill (H.R. 4051) which was introduced by Rep. Steve Israel (NY-2). It also calls for the authorization of a Cold War Service Medal to eligible service members.

For over a decade Cold War Vets have been fighting for the creation and authorization of a Cold War Service Medal to honor their service. Over the years legislation has been introduced in Congress only for it to be later stripped out in conference committee.

November 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. We are hoping that this legislation will finally become reality so that all Cold War Vets can receive the proper recognition they deserve.

Please contact your Senators and ask them to co-sponsor senate bill (S.2743) Also contact your congressman and ask them to co-sponsor house bill (H.R. 4051). We need as many co-sponsors as possible to make this a reality!

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

John

Rocketmann

The Marine Corps is all about earning something and not being a give away service for just because issues. Dont you Army Guys get a ribbon for just throwing a Granade? I understand your wanting this, but is it needed? Before you say anthing I would likely get one too...

I understand your point but with all due respect this is about honoring our past service members who served during the Cold War Period. Many Cold War Veterans never received any type of medal or award for their service (not even a Good Conduct Medal) simply due to the fact they served inbetween wars such as Korea & Vietnam.

This is not an Army specific award. If passed, it would be awarded to all eligible service members (past & present) who served at least 2 years during the Cold War period. I admit that very few active duty service members would be able to wear the ribbon unless they served during the tail end of the Cold War. This is more about honoring our past veterans so they can be properly recognised with a military service medal.

quote:

who served at least 2 years during the Cold War period

Well another reason not to be for it then, those before and after this time deserve it as well. It has too wide spread of a group, medals should be for something special and not just to add to hard wear on your chest...

Couldnt they just add the dates to the National Defense Medal lists?

Not sure this needs a special medal all its own. But, thats just me...

quote:

Originally posted by Marine46:
Couldnt they just add the dates to the National Defense Medal lists?

Not sure this needs a special medal all its own. But, thats just me...

Good question...that would also be an option.

Regarding the 2 year requirement many Cold War vets who pushed for this bill objected to the 2 year requirement. Previous bills in congress usually only had 30 days consecutive service requirement.

We are hoping the bill gets amended so that more Cold War vets are included.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rocketman69:
Many Cold War Veterans never received any type of medal or award for their service (not even a Good Conduct Medal) simply due to the fact they served inbetween wars such as Korea & Vietnam.
QUOTE]

SOOOOOOOOO???
WTF does a war have to do with a good conduct medal?

maybe we squids should get a 'mess cook', head cleaner, line handler medals to increase the salad bundle...??? GEEESH

quote:

Originally posted by hockeybear:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by rocketman69:
Many Cold War Veterans never received any type of medal or award for their service (not even a Good Conduct Medal) simply due to the fact they served inbetween wars such as Korea & Vietnam.
QUOTE]

SOOOOOOOOO???
WTF does a war have to do with a good conduct medal?

maybe we squids should get a 'mess cook', head cleaner, line handler medals to increase the salad bundle...??? GEEESH

I was referring to service members who did not put in 3 years of service to rate the award of a Good Conduct Medal.

quote:

Originally posted by rocketman69:
I was referring to service members who did not put in 3 years of service to rate the award of a Good Conduct Medal.

and whose fault/decision/responsibility might that be???
i didn't get a SEAL TRIDENT either...boo fuggin hoo...BECAUSE I WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH TO BE AWARDED ONE.

i didn't get a 6th good conduct award either...
cuz i farked up on my 1st hitch and didn't stay long enough for another...MY DECISIONS.

I'm not faulting anybody. Many of these vets were draftees in the 50's & 60's whose enlistments were shorter then 3 years.

Unlike this proposed "Cold war" medal, Marines earn their good conduct medal.

Do you have any Idea, how hard it is not to get Caught doing things that will disqualify you!

quote:

Originally posted by rocketman69:
I'm not faulting anybody. Many of these vets were draftees in the 50's & 60's whose enlistments were shorter then 3 years.

BooHoo....Heck, for the Navy during the 60's, when I served, we had to have 4 years good conduct to rate the medal/ribbon.

I had only 7 years-9 months and 7 days.
Shipped over early my first hitch, so did not have a full 8 years to rate the second award but like corvette, I ain't *****ing about it, my decision.

You have "spammed" a number of forums with this sillyness.
The one in the Navy forums got shut down by a MOD.

BoatsBM1

quote:

Originally posted by BoatsBM1:

You have "spammed" a number of forums with this sillyness.
The one in the Navy forums got shut down by a MOD.

BoatsBM1

Spammer? No...just trying to get the word out to fellow vets who would hopefully support this issue.

I guess I was wrong in thinking that fellow vets and service members would support another fellow vet on this type of issue. Like I mentioned in another forum...I'll just stick to contacting VFW members, Legions members, DAV members, and CVSO's. The response from these groups have been overwhelmingly positive unlike what I've seen here from the likes of you.

I know I earned my Good Conduct Medal, I would be a lyer if I said I did not dodge a charge sheet or two. Most of us did a time or two...lol

quote:

Originally posted by rocketman69:
The response from these groups have been overwhelmingly positive unlike what I've seen here from the likes of you.

'from the likes of you'...nobody forced you to spam here...
don't like us here...then GTFO and go spam somewhere else.

The major difference between the Mrines and other branchs is that we beleive in earning it...

quote:

Originally posted by hockeybear:

don't like us here...then GTFO and go spam somewhere else.

Wow!

I checked out a few of your recent postings. Are you like 10 years old or something? Honestly...your comments are something I would expect to hear from a 10 year old on a school playground.

I guess I'd expect more from a supposed retired Chief Petty Officer.

Oh well...it's been entertaining to say the least!

That's enough of your sh*t, rocketboy!

Hockey's earned his stripes around here.

Go stink up some other forum!

Rocketman, your welcome has been worn out here. Either you leave or......

quote:

Couldnt they just add the dates to the National Defense Medal lists?

Now, that makes sense.
BTW, wasn't a Cold War Certificate issued a while back?

quote:

Originally posted by TomHansen:
Rocketman, your welcome has been worn out here. Either you leave or......

RATZZZZ!! mods threw out another decent CHEWTOY

quote:

Originally posted by hockeybear:

quote:

Originally posted by TomHansen:
Rocketman, your welcome has been worn out here. Either you leave or......

RATZZZZ!! mods threw out another decent CHEWTOY

Not really...I just decided to leave on my own.

It's been quite an education gentleman. No hard feelings...Semper Fi!

Handled Already!!!

Salts are Quick!

AWildEagle26
Semper Fidelis

quote:

Originally posted by carlwdusmc:

quote:

Couldnt they just add the dates to the National Defense Medal lists?

Now, that makes sense.
BTW, wasn't a Cold War Certificate issued a while back?

I wouldnt even know how to check but it just makes more sense to me. The days of bare chested recruits graduating are over I guess. You have to issue a 3 ribbon bar during the EGA ceremony now-days.

quote:

Originally posted by carlwdusmc:

quote:

Couldnt they just add the dates to the National Defense Medal lists?

Now, that makes sense.
BTW, wasn't a Cold War Certificate issued a while back?

Greetings fellow Marines!

Since the topic of the expanding the dates of the NDSM to the entire Cold War era is coming up quite a bit, I'm posting a cut-n-paste of my comments on the topic; the comments are taken from the Cold War Service Medal thread over in the General Discussion section of this Forum (and I wasn't certain how often you might decide to read the stuff on that section of the Forum). Not trying to spam anyone, but my typing skills are not exactly legendary (and thus, the cut-n-paste). My apologies in advance if I've broken some Forum protocols.

Cordially,
USMC_Kinda_Guy

quote:
Originally posted by Dave_M:
They could just add those of us who served during the cold war to the National Defense Service Medal eligibility. That way those who served during overlap periods would already have the medal.


Dave_M,

Excellent suggestion, and one that has been made by a great many people. However, a proposal to award a NDSM to address the gaps in coverage during the Cold War peiod (1946-1991) has three major problems:

1) It would directly contravene the initial directive's/subsequent legislation's clear intent of what was envisioned as constituting a period of "national emergency." The NDSM has only been awarded for the time periods assigned to the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, and GWOT, so it seems quite evident that the concept of "national emergency" is to be equated (more or less) with what is commonly termed a "shooting war." Fair enough, and I don't think most people have a particular problem with this equation. One's only recourse would be to argue that the entire Cold War period constituted a single, overarching "shooting war," like an Orwellian concept of eternal war/conflict. Even if one could pull off the argument, there is still...

2) DoD's anticipated objections that expanding the NDSM would "cheapen" the award to those who already received it, as well as "cheapening" the other awards within the wider awards system. Certainly in the case of the NDSM, and given the context that was provided in the preceding paragraph, I would have to agree with DoD. This is working on the assumption that, even if you were not actively engaged in a shooting war, there certainly existed the possibility that you could sent to one if indeed you served during the four authorized periods for the NDSM. (As an aside, DoD's claims regarding the impact of an award on the wider awards system have always failed to convince anyone, especially since it happily went along with the plethora of medals created during the GWOT). In any event, in my humble opinion, there is simply no way you're going to get an expanded-period coverage past DoD, and even if you could...

3) It would still fail to recognize the Cold War as a unique conflict; a conflict that was waged for almost a half-century, with the approval of numerous U.S. Congresses and 9 American Presidents, which marshalled an array of military, intelligence, diplomatic and economic resources of the Western democracies in a number of treaty organizations, and which culminated in the collapse of one of the most powerful empires the world has ever seen, with the result that tens of millions of people were freed from tyranny, and the world's geo-political framework was changed as fundamentally as it had been at the end of WWII. Instead of subsuming the Cold War into an expanded, and woefully generic NDSM, it would be better to recognize the manifold accomplishments entailed in winning the Cold War with an actual Cold War Service Medal (as some of our NATO and SEATO allies are considering).

USMC_Kinda_Guy

quote:

Originally posted by rocketman69:

quote:

Originally posted by hockeybear:

don't like us here...then GTFO and go spam somewhere else.

Wow!

I checked out a few of your recent postings. Are you like 10 years old or something? Honestly...your comments are something I would expect to hear from a 10 year old on a school playground.

I guess I'd expect more from a supposed retired Chief Petty Officer.

Oh well...it's been entertaining to say the least!

From a Lance Corporal to a sargent first Class...GTFO if you want to talk to a member here!! E3 to E7 you POG

Sick-'em FNG!! GROWLLL- WOOFWOOF!!

quote:

Originally posted by Jonsey36:
Sick-'em FNG!! GROWLLL- WOOFWOOF!!

quote:

Originally posted by F.N.G.:

From a Lance Corporal to a sargent first Class...GTFO if you want to talk to a member here!! E3 to E7 you POG

LOL!

I've spent more time in the Army latrine than you've spent in the Marine Corp. Before typing ignorant replies like this you might want to wipe the milk off your chin. LOSER!

why does this thread remind me a few years back, when so many whiners were sobbing about not having A BERET like the green berets and airborne???

boo fuggin hoo....OK , you can ALL wear them now.

EVERYONE is the same now...happy?