Posted on Aug 7, 2014
Should Cold War Veterans be allowed to join the American Legion and the VFW?
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Posted 10 y ago
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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.
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LTC Joseph Gross
I'm an AL member. This is really because we wanted to stand up an American Legion Riders group in Brussels but not important. One of the things I found most interesting was that the Auxiliary is a women's group. This led me to ask if you had to be a man to serve in the AL! Of course you don't and they do have a male version of the Auxiliary but I really think it time to change that.
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LTC Joseph Gross
Thanks for the update! We're standing up an auxiliary at the moment so we can sponsor a girl to Girls' State as well as give some credit to our wives and daughters who do so much here. Ride On!
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SPC Travis Grizzard
The "men's auxiliary" of the American Legion is the Sons of the American Legion, for male descendants.
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Maj Kim Patterson
As a footnote, I did clarify my reason for entering, became a member and attended several events. However, I would like to add I would happily serve my fellow veterans as a waitress. Serving those who serve is a privilege. By the time I asked for an application, the position had been filled so I stuck with my full time job as a nurse.
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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.
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.
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SFC Jim Ruether
How about the airmen who served in missile silos here in North Dakota? How about the soldiers who trained in the U.S.A. with Tactical Nuclear Rounds at Ft. Sill, OK in the event they would be called up.? I knew exactly where I was going into the Fulda Gap if the crap hit the fan. I knew my chances for survival were next to nothing but I was ready and trained to the best of my ability.
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SSG (Join to see)
I too served in the Fulda Gap. I was stationed in Wildflecken Germany with the 54th Combat Engineers from 76 to 79.
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Read This Next
It was a long 46 years and much of what went on during the cold war will
never be known by American citizens. Thank you for your service.
NATO Site #107 ( North Point )
Kriegsfeld, Federal Republic of Germany ( 1969-1971)