Cold War Victory Medal

[MKCM Brett Ayer]

The proposal that will not die.

Yes it's back again this year, in both the House and Senate. Since we have not had a good awards discussion if a few days, I figured I’d ask what you all think about this? I did a search and did not see another thread on this one.

Below is a cut form the house defense authorization bill for 2008:

"SEC. 556. COLD WAR VICTORY MEDAL.
(a) Authority- Chapter 57 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
`Sec. 1135. Cold War Victory Medal
`(a) Medal Authorized- The Secretary concerned shall issue a service medal, to be known as the `Cold War Victory Medal', to persons eligible to receive the medal under subsection (b). The Cold War Victory Medal shall be of an appropriate design approved by the Secretary of Defense, with ribbons, lapel pins, and other appurtenances…."

[BMCS Burt Ford]

Brett,
Stu wants it bad. He has always said he needs all the free medals he can get. In fact, he is in DC next week, maybe he can testify for its needs since he has been in two services!

really though, I dont want it.

Burt

[SKC Raymond Kurtz (Ret)]

Really, what's the point? Another innovative way to waste taxpayer dollars?

Mark me down for one that doesn't want it.

[MKCM Brett Ayer]

Brett,
Stu wants it bad. He has always said he needs all the free medals he can get. In fact, he is in DC next week, maybe he can testify for its needs since he has been in two services!

really though, I dont want it.

Burt

I'm sure Stu can speak for himself :)

I've never said if I am for or against it, but lets forget about us for a minute. What about the guys that spent the winter of 55 (or whenever) walking the DMZ or the Berlin Wall? Have we failed to adequately recognize their service?

Brett

[BMCM Wray Gillette (Ret)]

You can't re do history..... what's done is done.

To produce a medal like this would not only be a waste of taxpayers money, but put more meaningless junk on a military uniform...

Awards should be meaningful...

Wray... :cool:

[PACS Steve Carleton]

Awards should be meaningful...

Oh that's a good one Wray! Hold on, let me breath through this fit of laughter, OK, what did you say?


Awards should be meaningful...

OK, let me catch my breath again, oh boy that is funny!

[SKC Raymond Kurtz (Ret)]

What about the guys that spent the winter of 55 (or whenever) walking the DMZ or the Berlin Wall? Have we failed to adequately recognize their service?

Brett

Good point. THOSE guys and gals deserve the medal. I recommend By Any Means Necessary by William E. Burrows. The book details the spy flights that occurred during the Cold War. However, the following synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com tells it much better than I can.

"In a determined effort to collect intelligence and find targets for nuclear war, the United States flew continuous missions against the Communist bloc during the Cold War. Cloaked in the utmost secrecy, the only hint of these operations came when an aircraft was shot down. For the first time, award-winning historian William E. Burrows reveals that the Russians, Chinese, and North Koreans captured, tortured, imprisoned, and killed many of the airmen flying these clandestine missions, while the crews' loved ones grieved and the government looked away.

Using presidential archives and other government records, in addition to interviews with the men who flew these "black missions" and the widows and children of those who never returned, Burrows tells the full story. From the Cold War era to the recent Sino-U.S. standoff, Burrows provides an incisive, comprehensive, and deeply human account of this secret air war over international skies."

[BMCM Wray Gillette (Ret)]

OK, let me catch my breath again, oh boy that is funny!

Ok Senior Chief, now that you have caught your breath let us all hear what you think is so funny.....

Is this just some sort of "PA" thing I don't understand?

Wray... :cool:

[BMCM Wray Gillette (Ret)]

Ray,
I agree those that "that spent the winter of 55 (or whenever) walking the DMZ or the Berlin Wall?" Should have certainly been recognized.... Are you positive they haven't been?

Unless I am missing something, This medal as I understand it, like the cold war certificate, is for simply for being in the military sometime between 1945 and 1991. I got a National Defense and I am quite satisfied with that.. Apparently the "PA" needs more than that.. :rolleyes:

************************************************** *****

RESOLUTION 05-70: CREATION OF A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE COLD WAR VICTORY MEDAL

SOURCE: COLD WAR COMMITTEE

WHEREAS, the United States Congress has authorized the Cold War Certificate for those Americans who served in the Armed Forces, or in other government agencies, during the period Sept. 2, 1945 through Dec. 26, 1991, and whose duties contributed directly to this nation’s Cold War efforts; and



WHEREAS, the 1990 Census indicates that at least 18 million Cold War veterans were alive at that time, and further estimates indicate that as many as 22 million Americans served honorably during the Cold War; and



WHEREAS, the Cold War was of such magnitude and scope that there is no comparable event in history, and therefore must be treated as singularly unique; and



WHEREAS, the American victory in the Cold War changed the world forever, and those Americans who served honorably in the Armed Forces should be recognized in the form of a medal:


Wray.. :cool:

P.S. Steve, here is one for you.... enjoy it. :p
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.imjinscout.com/images/Cold_War.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.imjinscout.com/CWR.html&h=1864&w=2400&sz=154&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=BmyXVvK2gMHgTM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcold%2Bwar%2Bcertificate%26svnum%3D10 %26um%3D1%26hl%3Den

[BMCM Stuart S. Slesh]

Well seeing as I just re-did my medals and ribbons, I'd love to spend a little money and do them over again.

I'm all for recognizing the people whose actions won our victory in the cold war. I'm not one of those people. I have watched the Russia House, and Hunt for Red October, and all of the James Bond movies, but that was the extent of my involvement. And I was in Berlin, but that was in the 80's, and as a tourist, so unless my drinking somehow underminded the Soviet Economy .............

I fly in D.C. in a couple of hours. I could appear before Congress in my trops. If they're already set with giving it to us, I'd just suggest that they place it next to the Katrina Ribbon, just so I'll be able to remember how personnal involved I was.

I am glad that Congress is moving on recognizing the efforts of those that won the Cold War for us, and I'm sure that they would rather this form of recognition as opposed to say...... a pay raise.

[PACS Steve Carleton]

Wray,

I was laughing at your "awards should be memorable" statement. We have gone round and round and round about the awards system, both personal and campaign.

[BMCM Wray Gillette (Ret)]

Well, if it was so funny, What's your point?

You agree/disagree? what?

I'd say you disagree, but then again, you failed to comment..

Speak up....

Wray... :cool:

[PACS Steve Carleton]

Wray,

My original post was an attempt at being funny, albeit a weak attempt.

I think a Cold War Victory Medal wuld have little or no value to today's military member. There are some of us, who were on Active Duty right near the end, but can't really say that we did anything meaningful, myself included.

Not that I am trying to rehash an old argument here but remember the go around we had about the Presidential Unit Citation with regard to who did what and how much? Remember this from a previous debate in February?

FROM February 8, 2007: "I'd say the Katrina ribbon should have been awarded to those with direct involvement... About the same criteria as the Humanitarian Service Medal.... Speaking of which, the CG itself did not follow its own guidelines when they awarded it to everyone in the CG years ago...

If you're going to hand them out to everyone, regardless if they did anything or not, what meaning/value do they have?

Wray..."

I, for one, do not deserve an award for my "service" in the Cold War -- If they want to hand it out, make it available to people who flew recon missions near the borders, who stood alert duty on the ramps, who maintained a vigilent watch in the underground bunkers of missile command centers -- they deserve the recognition, not me.

If I understand your position on the Cold War Medal, you are oppossed to it? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

If you are not opposed to it, then I am using your words from a previous discussion on medals and awrds to suggest that only those with "direct involvement" should be awarded the Cold War Victory Medal if it is authorized.

[BMCM Wray Gillette (Ret)]

If I understand your position on the Cold War Medal, you are oppossed to it? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

As far as a 'blanket, across the board' award...You are absolutely correct... ;)

Members that had direct involvement should have been recognized by now with an appropriate award.

Wray... :cool:

[PACS Steve Carleton]

Wray,

You and I agree on this then.

[BMC Wayne Kidd]

I have seen this thing come up so many times I just ignore it till it goes away again. :p As for should it be issued, well I was with the 82nd Airborne and XVIII Airborne and I did deploy a few times but never to any "hot" zones (1984-1988 was a pretty quiet period) so I guess I consider myself a "Cold Warrior" as I have heard it called. Would I wear it? Sure and with a much more clear conscience than I wear the PUC. Do I feel neglected for it having never been issued? Nope.

I just hope they make up their mind and make a final decision before I retire so it doesn't screw up my shadow box :D

[BMCM Gary Keen (Ret)]

Before you dismiss this award lets look at its econimic impact. Lets just look at the post office. When the cold war certificate became available it was estimated that several million memeber were elegible to recieve the award. Has anyone given any thought what that means just to the postoffice? It was required that you send in, as I recall it to the Secretary of the Army, a preprinted form. Cost approximatley .35. Multiply that times the number of eligible members and you have a pretty nice piece of change for the Postmaster General. Then the cost of mailing out the certificate was probably at least double that. I would say it was a multimillion dollar boom for the post office. Now if they are going to issue a medal, that will probably cost at least a buck to mail out and the cost of requesting your copy is now .41. I imagine the old Postmaster General is really getting excited about this. I wonder who they are trying to impress.
Gary

[BMC Gene Daigle]

I think this is a more credible award than the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) that just came out as a result of the Katrina/Rita response. But yet, this unit has submitted numerous unit awards and none of them have been approved over the past three years. Go figure.

[S/A Gerald Griner (PSC)]

I was stationed in West Germany from '78 to '81. During my time there, a book came out called "The Third World War" (I don't recall the author). Interesting read.

It put a very serious spin on what could happen if the balloon went up. I was stationed smack dab in the middle of the Fulda Gap, the path the Soviet forces would take on their march to the Rhein. Any NATO units in the Gap were just considered "speedbumps". Our job was to slow them down enough for reinforcements to arrive from the U.S. to stop them at the Rhein River.

There was even discussion of nuking the Gap, making it unusable. We did have a nuclear engineer company on one of the kasernes in town. That lent an air of credibility to the book.

Former speedbump sends.