Should Cold War Veterans be allowed to join the American Legion and the VFW?

SGT Hiller. We lost a lot of very fine highly committed people during the supposedly "cold" war. Most accepted their efforts would not be disclosed for many years - if they may ever be openly acknowledged. Some were lost while in uniform. Others were lost while undercover, out of uniform and/or seconded to a civilian agency. Some were lost at home while standing watch in their missile silos. Others were lost underwater, in the air, on land, or in between while stimulating the enemy to react, monitoring enemy response, shadowing enemy weapons platforms, or evading enemy weapons platforms, running a blockade, infiltrating or exfiltrating high value assets, foraging for crypto and/or nuclear materials on the deep sea floor, splicing into remote secure communication cables, on active assignment, or simply walking down the street while minding their own business between missions. Most were not seeking any recognition or awards for their work. Most were only acknowledged even after death by an anonymous star on a wall or a classified note in a file. In this sense, I would wonder about whether anyone may want to be a member of an organization that excluded officers and/or enlisted personal who put their lives on the line every day during the supposed "cold" war with no backup and no hazardous duty pay. Warmest Regards, Sandy

I walked into the local AL/VFW (they are combined in my small town) and was offered an application to be a waitress before I even opened my mouth.

Your question is very political. The truth is that war is hell, be it hot or cold. The Cold War was not ended until President Reagan fought it like a "real" war and won it (Oh, I can't wait to see how people jump on that observation). Maybe, the VFW should acknowledge that fact and accept those who served in the Cold War the same as they accept those who fought in hot wars.

Politically, it seems similar to the conundrum of those who were killed and wounded during the Fort Hood shooting. Initially branded "workplace violence", these victims were denied Purple Hearts. Now they are receiving them because of a change in the political climate.

I wonder if, by the same reasoning, we will return to the War on Terror after the Administration passes into new hands, and the same question asked here of Cold War service will apply to those who serve during the War on Terror.