Was the mission during the Cold War peace or war? Do Cold War veterans have less to be proud of than combat veterans?

2015-04-23T23:18:56-04:00

I have heard and seen many Middle East veterans downplay service during the Cold War. While there are many vets that served in both, I believe many veterans misunderstand the mission during the Cold War. If the balloon had gone up, mankind and our world would be a much different place. I believe the mission was to preserve the peace, because a NATO vs Warsaw Pact war was unthinkable. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions dead and Europe, if not the world, in ruin. Such a war would have dwarfed the Middle East campaigns. Through nearly constant training, exercises, blood, sweat, tears and yes.... casualties we made crossing that border far to deadly for The Warsaw Pact to consider. The mission was peace through deterrence....Mission accomplished. I appreciate all who have served in combat theaters, please just remember that combat is not always the mission, and veterans that have not engaged the enemy are no less a veteran than those that have.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Apr 23 at 2015 11:26 PM

2015-04-23T23:26:04-04:00

Anyone who stood watch over our country at any point in our history should be proud of what they did whether or not they were deployed and whether or not they fired a shot in anger. How many of us deployed to a combat zone and the only shots we fired were on the range at the MOB station?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 23 at 2015 11:38 PM

2015-04-23T23:38:40-04:00

I served on active duty during the cold war with two tours in Germany. The mission was important, but I wouldn’t compare it to my time in Iraq. I had a blast in Germany. I did freeze my ass off as an 11B there, but I still had fun. Not so much in Iraq. This isn’t to take away from the soldiers that served during the cold war. Soldiers don’t determine what wars are fought and when. The cold war was exactly that, a cold war(no shooting, with minor exceptions). Iraq and Afghanistan are hot wars(active hostilities).

Response by PO2 Kevin LaCroix made Apr 23 at 2015 11:57 PM

2015-04-23T23:57:10-04:00

I served during the late 80"s, between Beiruit and the first Gulf War. My service is no less than any direct combat vet. We just had different missions.

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made Apr 24 at 2015 2:16 AM

2015-04-24T02:16:37-04:00

Frankly, I find the attitude that some have toward Cold War veterans to be totally offensive. Apparently, some of these people think that the world was just one big happy party prior to 9/11 --- they forget that the Cold War wasn't always "cold" ...

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Apr 24 at 2015 6:36 AM

2015-04-24T06:36:59-04:00

The Cold War, by definition, was not a hot war. That does not mean there were not conflicts and it does not mean people were not killed in both combat action and non combat training accidents. As a matter of fact, if you look at deaths in the US military from 1980 - 2010 you will see that there were more military members killed in 1980-84 than in any other years in that 20 year period. See page 11 of the link below from the Congressional Research Service.

Ther reasons for the deaths were mostly training related and you cans see that from 2001 forward the deaths go from training to combat related (page 12) but the total number of deaths event when we were engaged in two wars was never larger than during those 4 years in the early 1980's. What you did not have in the early 80's, however, was the number of wounded. The posture was different, the mission was different but lot's of people died while preparing for war with the USSR and their allies.

It is, what it is. I served from 1981-1985. I enlisted during the Iranian Hostage Crisis fully convinced we were going to go to war with Iran. It did not happen. We've been fighting with Iran ever since, just not directly.

@SSG Ronald Williams
@GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad

http://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf (you should be able to cut and paste this into your browser, I couldn't get the link to work).

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 7:38 AM

2015-04-24T07:38:39-04:00

Strategic Air Command (SAC) motto" "Peace Is Our Profession".

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 8:40 AM

2015-04-24T08:40:45-04:00

I wonder how many troops would be very happy were supplies not to get there? Food? Medical care? How about pay? Of fire departments, LEOs and finance? And just because there are no shots fired (for the most part) doesn't mean there are no casualties. As the Ft Hood guys who were shot by the Muslim Terrorist, PVT Hassan? All the hard work done to ensure safety and a smooth flow of operations would not be done and when war time with shots being fired in firefights would be in jeopardy of losing those battles? Any questions?

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 1:24 PM

2015-04-24T13:24:54-04:00

Service is service.....it's not SSgt Snuffys fault he enlisted in 1979 and retired in 2000 without seeing conflict. Folks need to get off their high horse about this......it was a different time with different opportunities.

Response by Maj Chris Nelson made Apr 24 at 2015 2:13 PM

2015-04-24T14:13:44-04:00

I can see parts of BOTH statements being correct.

It WAS a defensive posture/campaign. We held the line, only letting those that were trying to escape/defect through. I was in a Lance Missile BN (Short range tac nuke)....but the infantry/artillery/cav guys were rotated through boarder duty every so often. It was more of a Psyc Ops campaign instead of a shooting one....large game of Chess.....

It was also a mission of peace...Peace through military resolve to enforce the peace/protect the peace. We all know that the American Forces were there to hold the line for as long as they could awaiting back up from CONUS....BUT by showing readiness, it helped enforce a stalemate/peacetime (tho chilled) posture.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Apr 24 at 2015 3:44 PM

2015-04-24T15:44:11-04:00

One universal constant is 10% of the world's population are too closed minded to acknowledge the achievements of others. What is particularly sad is they would diss their fellow brothers and sisters in arms.

Response by SGT Rodger Armstrong made Apr 24 at 2015 3:52 PM

2015-04-24T15:52:16-04:00

Being a newer generation vet. I never heard a joe bad mouth a Cold War era vet. Cold War was no joke. It is the same as Korea. Just waiting and seeing when a leader gets a wild hair up his fourth point of contact. Thank you Cold War vets job well done

Response by SSgt Robert Clark made Apr 24 at 2015 8:20 PM

2015-04-24T20:20:26-04:00

I've seen this to many time, and quite frankly I'm getting sick and tired of it.
I have posted my thoughts on this before, so here I go again.
I raised my right hand, swore an oath and signed my name. I agreed to go where ever and when ever my country asked without hesitation or complaint. I stood ready to go into harms way if need be and to give everything I had to defend my country and all that I hold dear.
It isn't my f*ing fault we had no wars to deploy to during my time with the exception of DS/DS that was over almost as fast as it started. The veteran status arrogance of some is amazing. I am to the point I don't even claim being a vet, not because of my service but because of the pompous asses that exist among the ranks.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 9:09 PM

2015-04-24T21:09:19-04:00

I actually read an article about a Major who has killed on the East/West Germany border in Army magazine last week. I was very young when the Cold War ended. I'm barely old enough to remember Operation Desert Storm/Shield. Through my own reading I was already aware of what happened in Beirut, Panama, and Grenada but casualties in Germany was news to me. Cold War history is certainly not something that's widely discussed in military or even educational settings.

As my picture suggests, I think it's important to maintain perspective. Whether it's a combat tour, a Ranger tab, or a Purple Heart there's always someone who has done more and sacrificed more. While I wouldn't equate spending time in Germany in the 80's to a tour in Iraq or Afghanistan wholesale, that does not make a Cold War Vet's time less honorable. An OIF/OEF Veteran denigrating a Cold War Vet's service is childish and frankly bullshit. We're all Veterans first.

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made Apr 24 at 2015 9:11 PM

2015-04-24T21:11:10-04:00

SSG Ronald Williams: Although I responded to this earlier today, I didn't even notice until just a few minutes ago that your question seems to assume that a Cold War veteran is not a combat veteran. On what basis do you make such an assumption?

Response by SSG Paul Lanciault made Apr 24 at 2015 9:51 PM

2015-04-24T21:51:20-04:00

Alerts, Ramp up, Ramp down, On post with a full load 24hrs a day. ready for 10 to 12 highly trained highly motivated individuals, armed with....... or ready for the East German and Soviet Army to head west, in your direction at a moments notice. Sure it was a cake walk. Where does all that tension go? Lets not forget events like the disco bombing in Berlin and the car bomb at Rhien Main.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 11:36 PM

2015-04-24T23:36:53-04:00

Everyone that enlisted or was drafted during the Cold War fully expected to fight World War III, it just never happened. Thank God.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Apr 25 at 2015 9:56 AM

2015-04-25T09:56:20-04:00

The Cold War was an ERA, which consisted of numerous Conflicts, including most notably the Korean War & Vietnam.

Just like the Middle East ERA consisted of numerous Conflicts, including Gulf 1, OEF & OIF.

We cannot look at War, let alone Hot War as a series of on/off events like a lightswitch. It is more like a wave with ups & downs.

In essence, since WWII, we have never been at Peace. To say we have, is misleading. We have been at a constant state of readiness with what we touted as an Enemy, one of equal size, equal capability, and equal willingness to use force. How is that not War in Actuality?

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Jul 24 at 2015 2:10 PM

2015-07-24T14:10:51-04:00

Anyone that thinks the Cold War was "less" important than the War on Terror is SADLY mistaken. Without the dedication of those who were actively fighting in those wars (Korea and Nam), and those who were "Toeing the line" along the Eastern front in GE, we wouldn't be here now. And anyone who thinks those Vets are less than these "Combat Vets" running everywhere with the "cool one shot stories" is a fool and 8up from the floor up. But I guess it could be the generational gap; the "ME" generation vs. everyone else. The last part isn't everyone of that generation, but the designator given to them. There are those in this generation that know their history and respect it.

Response by TSgt Keith Wright made Jul 26 at 2015 10:16 AM

2015-07-26T10:16:16-04:00

During the cold war the russians would advance into Germany fireing bullets, and tanks, so its like a real war.

Response by SGT Thomas Lucken made Dec 2 at 2016 5:48 PM

2016-12-02T17:48:05-05:00

My son did 2 tours in Afghanistan! I did 2 tours, 4 years on the DMZ! He agrees that the mission we have back then was tough if not tougher at times! Lesser gear, tougher weather conditions, and lesser facilities!!!! He had all the high speed gadgets to play with and stay in touch. I had 2week old letters and MWR calls! It all depends on your mission and where in the Cold War to! DMZ was a real combat mission, I know because I carry the scars from it!!!! No we didn't have to worry about IEDs, we had to worry about land mines and minefields that were all over the DMZ, worst the floating mines at that!!!!

No combat pay, very few CIBs and other awards! Incidents happen, they were scrubbed to keep out of site!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKX-mdvT7Jg

The 2nd Forgotten Korean War "Incidents" 1954 to 1991 - Part 1

“Incident” is another word for combat action on the DMZ. Our orders were to keep North Korea at bay without escalating these incidents into a larger war. The...

Response by SGT James Colwell made Dec 13 at 2016 10:23 AM

2016-12-13T10:23:11-05:00

I served from 1982-1987. I don't recall any blatant crap from combat vets, many of whom I served with. Most of the Vietnam vets I served with were pretty serious about training, for obvious reasons. I think there is some institutional bias towards combat or combat era vets (VFW and American Legion). That is mainly because of their charters. By strictly legal definitions there was no formal declaration of war during the Cold War, but neither was there a declaration of War in the middle East campaigns. The last declaration of War was World War II. So that can't be the litmus test for determining if an era was an era of war or peace. My opinion is that the term Cold War has the word war in it for a reason. The temperature of that war fluctuated pretty much constantly.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 13 at 2016 9:28 PM

2016-12-13T21:28:45-05:00

The slogan of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) was "Peace is our profession".

Response by SSG Shawn Ireland made Jan 10 at 2017 3:15 PM

2017-01-10T15:15:04-05:00

The Cold War was a standoff between the USSR and the NATO FORCES deployed in Europe. It was a time when we were installing Nuclear Weapons and watching every move made by the Eastern Block. Though there were few Units actually stationed on the boarder, we were within 30 kilometers from the boarder and had units moving all along the 1 kilometer zone. Our objective was to take positions in the Fulda Gap and prevent at all costs being overrun by the Eastern Block Forces. And if need be to die in position to allow time for the rest of NATO FORCES to reinforce us and have the forces in the states deployed to Europe to help defend our position in Europe. We were to stay in position and die in place if it came to being overrun. To say it was a peaceful time is in my mind an understatement. During the 70's and 80's when I was to serve two tours overseas for a total of 4 1/2 years we were alerted countless times and move to our prestageing positions and wait for further orders and issuing of live ammo and provisions. In 83, I believe we were a stone throw away from going to war as this was the first time we were waiting in our motor pool for our live ammo to be delivered to us even before we reached our prestageing positions. The looks in the senior officers faces and the fact that I was the Company Commanders APC Driver, as this was prior to receiving and training with the Bradleys gave me insight and knowledge to the happenings of that day. We also had Russian spies that were active in our areas of operations and postings. We had been informed to be on the lookout for anyone who looked out of place and was watching our operations. There were soldiers killed and taken and some even turned into traders giving out any information they could for what ever deal they could make. We also had active terrorist within our areas as well, as some will remember the assasination atemp on Alexander Haigh. But we were not given medals on The War Against Terrorism! In fact a soldier on guard was given either a night stick, or his M16, and a five round magazine of live rounds which were not allowed to be loaded into the weapon but remain in his ammo pouch. The only time the weapon could be loaded was after the third attempt to stop and identify the individual or group with no success. Then once loaded you still had to challenge them once again before deadly force could be used. Now I want to say the I said he and not she, as at that time we had no females within our ranks at Basic or at our Duty Station. The only female soldiers were in the hospital or in finance or one of the higher secretary jobs. We didn't even have any working in the mess hall. So the time I spent in Germany was not so peaceful as one would think. Now the Soviet Block Units were locked and loaded. They had machine guns pointed towards us and we could not make any jestures towards them so as not to provoke an incident. I saw many soldiers injured doing their jobs to enclude myself and there were even some deaths. That's the real picture that we were under. Yes we went to the gausthauses and drank our beer and enjoyed ourselves when we could as did every generation that served. To say we had it easy and knew of no harm is a false statement and one that personally offends me as a veteran who serve his nation on their terms and rules. I have no disrespect for anyone who served our nation honorably and received an Honorable Discharge from service! We all had a job and we can't control the times when wars start or end, but we all served and I trained my men well as none of them died in any of the Wars that followed my being medically discharged honorably. And to that I thank the Lord above. I would only say that our government has done us Cold War Veterans an injustice by not allowing us the National Defense Medal, nor signing the petition for a Cold War Service Medal as every other conflict has two to three medals for service in them.

Response by SFC Jim Ruether made Jan 10 at 2017 3:56 PM

2017-01-10T15:56:52-05:00

When I was in the service our mission was a rapid deployment to Germany and the Fulda Gap as it was called. Our mission was a delaying tactic to stop the advance of the Russian Army for 3-4 days until reinforcements could be brought in from the US. We were expected to die in place. This was our mission. We had certain warheads available on our guns to insure that we could hold the lines even against superior numbers for a limited amount of time. We were versed in Direct fire procedures and had several other specialty rounds in our ammo trucks to aid in a last stand effort.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Jan 10 at 2017 8:02 PM

2017-01-10T20:02:15-05:00

No matter what time you served, you did more than the vast majority of Americans have done. Cold war vets had a mission and they did it. That's like I am a 11B series, went to war (Iraq), but don't have a CIB(because of assignment). Does that make me less of a soldier? Not in my eyes.

Response by SFC William "Bill" Moore made Jan 11 at 2017 9:01 AM

2017-01-11T09:01:21-05:00

I severed in both, my only concern is that we forget the training and preparedness we went through in the 70's and 80's. Combat with WARSAW nations is totally different than that of the Middle East. Fighting an equally trained, equally prepared and equally equipped enemy is what was faced by Cold War Veterans. Like fighting a hard striking mirror image with different doctrines and global destruction capabilities. Our best chance of retaining that preparedness is to train the hard ass warriors we have now to the different doctrines and tactics of the "Cold War/Weather" enemies they may face, while we still have Cold War veterans to train them.

Response by SSG Paul Lanciault made Feb 2 at 2017 11:28 AM

2017-02-02T11:28:52-05:00

Many folks see both sides of the discussion. Some soldiers carried full combats loads everyday ready to go, Officers and enlisted were on edge in bombers or silos ready to go. Some MPs/Cav units etc. were involved in active shooter situations. PRP sites, Border Patrols, etc Other MOSs did their duty as well. Yet all are "Veterans". I take exception with those who sat stateside while the unit served in Grenada, Panama, Etc. and they are "War Veterans". Can't blame a person for taking advantage of a benefit that is given. I blame the system.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Feb 4 at 2017 1:24 PM

2017-02-04T13:24:00-05:00

My Bn. trained for war, we were doing training for the European Theater.

Response by SGT Matthew S. made Feb 4 at 2017 3:16 PM

2017-02-04T15:16:38-05:00

I feel the phrase "If you want peace, prepare for war" perfectly sums up the Cold War period. I believe that had the U.S. military not trained; prepared; and stood ready for the moment the Soviets decided to try to end humanity, it likely would have come to pass.

Although my knowledge is sketchy on all of the conflicts and incidents that happened during that time period, I refuse to look down upon or denigrate anyone's service simply because it wasn't a so-called "real" war.

While I was deployed to Iraq the first time (2003-2004), my unit suddenly stopped conducting operations and went out in to the desert around Baghdad to train to fight the Russians... so we could go back to Germany and train to fight the Russians.

At the time, I didn't grasp the significance of it and considered the whole ordeal stupid and a waste of time & resources, especially during a deployment with a completely different manner of conducting combat.

As the years went on, though, I realized my mistake. No matter the current theater of operations or state of world politics, the threat of a full-on force-on-force war with an equal - or possibly superior - adversary never goes away.

The Cold War, in turn, was an imminent, perpetual state of that very danger.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 5 at 2017 11:16 PM

2017-02-05T23:16:54-05:00

Ron, I think your comments are right on. I would only add that a key reason for the Cold War ending was because the Eastern Bloc with the USSR leading the way tried to keep up with the NATO partners in matching military strength. Due to the economic strain on their economies they were bankrupted in their attempt to do so. This lead to the wall coming down, the break-up of the Eastern Bloc and the end of the Cold War.

Response by SFC Jim Ruether made Mar 13 at 2017 12:51 PM

2017-03-13T12:51:24-04:00

I think it was Peace through superior training and firepower. Neither side were opposed to tactical nuclear rounds with lower yields on the battlefield. A scary time indeed.

Response by PO3 Donald Murphy made Jan 8 at 2018 2:55 PM

2018-01-08T14:55:34-05:00

Was the mission war or peace? Well, that depends on which side of the tv screen you're on. The Russians trying to depth charge us for penetrating their harbor had less than peaceful intentions. The North Koreans killing us for chopping trees on their border had less than peaceful intentions. For a time of peace (1947 - 1991), there sure was a lot of war...

Response by SPC David Willis made Jan 8 at 2018 3:05 PM

2018-01-08T15:05:58-05:00

The cold war is a funny one in that the hot wars within it were given different names. Korea and Vietnam conflicts were both fought to stem the tide of communism. The bay of pigs was a mission to overthrow communism in Cuba. I'm not up on all my history so I cant list every instance, but I know there were others. Now I would argue that cold war veterans that never saw combat wouldn't be classified as "combat veterans" but Ill also counter that with the fact that an overwhelming majority of soldiers deployed for OIF and OEF and continuing operations haven't seen combat either and this wouldn't be considered "combat vets". Bottom line if you're a combat vet, you're a combat vet regardless of which conflict you served in. If you're a military veteran that's incredibly honorable and just as combat vets their service is equally honorable across any time of peace or war, but it is just... different than that of a combat vet. In the end though combat vet or not all veterans regardless of time served, rounds fired or theatres served in should have nothing to be ashamed of at all.

Response by SGT Philip Roncari made Jan 8 at 2018 7:30 PM

2018-01-08T19:30:10-05:00

I have said it on other similar posts, we that took the Oath and wore our Country's uniform during any time period in our Country's history know our service time was in defense of our Nation,no time greater or lesser than another .

Response by LT Brad McInnis made Jan 8 at 2018 7:41 PM

2018-01-08T19:41:12-05:00

No one that signs on the dotted line should be embarrassed about their service. Service is service, and some of the things that those Cold Warriors did will give you goosebumps!

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jan 8 at 2018 8:00 PM

2018-01-08T20:00:05-05:00

Every service member signs the same check. Some are cashed. Some aren't. For this reason, those who served during the Cold War are as entitled to respect as those who served in any other. Also, keep in mind that those who fought in most wars spent most of their time planning, practicing, and maneuvering. I don't believe any others spent as much time in actual combat with enemy forces than those who served in Vietnam. The Gulf War, for example, was just a few days of hot contact after months of preparation. WWII veterans spent an average of four years in the combat theater but only 30 days in combat. So let's drop the pissing match and respect one another...

Response by SGT Mark Halmrast made Jan 8 at 2018 9:56 PM

2018-01-08T21:56:41-05:00

Cold War vet. 82nd Airborne.
Trained with intent...ready to deploy.
Proud of service.

However...nothing like live combat, so let's acknowledge those who have closed with and destroyed the enemy. #respect

Response by SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter made Jan 22 at 2018 10:59 PM

2018-01-22T22:59:20-05:00

SSG Ronald Williams We all should be proud to have served honorably regardless of what era. The world affairs dictate rather there was a combat conflict or not. The Cold War era was tense but fortunately it did not lead to nuclear holocaust. We as a group of Veterans should support each other and not play that tic for tac game of who is more of a Veteran it really in makes no sense. We all did what millions of other America’s never have.
Peace!

Response by PO3 Jay Keaty made Oct 20 at 2018 1:52 PM

2018-10-20T13:52:04-04:00

I get so damn frustrated when this argument comes up.

During a conventional conflict, there is a large percentage of people that never see combat. They are stationed in the States, or far behind enemy lines. Yet these Veterans are recognized, purely for the time period that they were in the service. They are given the same respect and offered the same recognition as the soldiers that have experienced the fog of war. Does this mean that they are not veterans, deserving of the recognition? Of Course Not.

Military service is not just a job. It is something else entirely. Joining the service can be for many reasons, but when it comes down to it, signing on the dotted line means that we have just given the next 3,4,6, whatever years of our life to the United States Government. Our lives became theirs to be the hero or to waste in a suicide mission. Our choices became the last thing to consider when it comes to decision making in Washington. During peacetime or full scale war.

The Cold War was a period of time where it looked like peace, it sounded like it, it smelled like it, it even felt like it for the civilian population. Sure there were the constant drills of hiding under a desk in our classrooms, as if that would do any good. But while the civilians and future veterans of today were enjoying this blissful peace, men and women were working exceptionally hard to make sure that our home was going to remain free and clear of totalitarian aggression from behind the Iron Curtain.

It didn’t feel like peace to me.

My Service was aboard a Ballistic Missile Submarine. That means: Along with the Men that held the Border in Berlin or Patrolled the DMZ in Korea, I was on what would be called the front lines of the Cold War. This was anything but a Pretty Pony Birthday Party.

It is hard, ugly and thankless work. No there weren’t flying body parts or blood spraying everywhere. But the stress of worrying about whether or not we come home was constantly there.

Trying to be silent when moving slowly through the ocean in a metal tube that has the power to throw the entire world well into the dark ages, while quite unnaturally managing to keep our crew alive at depths that no human being can survive more than a couple of seconds, hiding form other machines whose sole purpose of to locate, monitor and destroy you if they think you are going to unleash the nuclear apocalypse was pretty stressful. A lot more than your typical civilian job.

So when some folks are dissing on Cold War Veterans, they might want to think about what it takes to be a veteran of any era.

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made Oct 20 at 2018 3:05 PM

2018-10-20T15:05:35-04:00

I note that this question was published about three years ago, but it could just as easily been published after any conflict or war we've been involved in from the Revolution on. After VN, some vets wouldn't maintain a membership in the VFW or similiar organizations because the old WWII vet sitting down at the end of the bar didn't like VN or loudly proclaimed VN was not nearly as much of a war as WWII or Korea. I'm sure there was some Civil War vet that said the same about the people coming back from the Spanish American War.
I've known a lot of highly decorated Marines and soldiers who never expressed such feelings. You sign up to defend the USA and the Constitution. A minority of servicemen ever participate in face to face action against the enemy; it's the commitment that counts. As long as you maintained your readiness to deploy, you served and don't have to consider yourself secondary to anyone.

Response by MSG Danny Mathers made Oct 21 at 2018 11:36 AM

2018-10-21T11:36:33-04:00

The cold war was not a joke as some believe. It was both a defensive reactionary effort and an offensive operation to defeat the Soviet Block and drive them back across the borders. REFORGER was an annunal rehearsal of simulated attack which USAER would react with delaying operations by controlled retrograde operation back to the Rhine River while US and NATO forces would have time to deploy and push the enemy forces back across their borders and await further instructions. My unit would have all leaders, squad leaders and above travel to the borders and walk their defensive positions and including their fall back delaying positions. Back in my day, 1976 to 1979, we took the probability very seriously the " Baloon" could go up. We had frequentl assembly alerts and loadup and conducted most of the training exercises in the winter. The units conducted several major training events, Graf, Baumholder & Wildflicken including supporting Tank Gunnery. There was little free times and many weekends were spent in the motorpool working on armored personnel carriers and bull shit AGI Inspections. Germany was a tough assignment if you were in the Infantry, Armor and CAV. I believe there should have been some kind of ribbon for this service. The overseas ribon doesn't cover it. Life isn't fair and neither is the award system.

Response by PO3 Len Dempsey made Dec 18 at 2018 3:16 AM

2018-12-18T03:16:35-05:00

I grew up in Europe as a Military Brat, then later joined the Navy. There were terrorists like the Red Brigade who kidnapped one of our Generals and killed the Italian president I believe. There was always this feeling of being in a spy movie, where anything could go wrong at any time. I even got to go to Berlin, and take a tour in East Germany by going through Check Point Charlie. You could tell it was two sides amped up against each other. US vs Them, when you saw the wall and all the guns,mines, guard houses and more on the East German side you knew they were not our buddies. I grew up in Italy, and knew a thing or two about what was going on in the area. You would get this sixth sense, later it is called Hyper Vigilance. A lot of the people stationed where I was, were former Vietnam Veterans. There were plenty of people fighting their own war of PTSD, and it carried over into other things. The spy thing, the neither confirm or deny thing carried over into my time in the service. I went in from the Cold War through Desert Storm, at first searching for Russian Spy ships who would try to hack our comms or other things. Later we were up in the gulf, where we got our first glimpse of pirates, Iranians and other people in our way. I will say that you could sense something going bad in that area, would happen even after our short war was over. It had that feeling you get, when your in Berlin and your radar is going off about something not being right. I do not look at the Veterans who served during the cold war, with any disdain or disrespect. They were on watch, doing their best to keeps things from escalating. Not every person who serves, is going to get sent off to war. My father who was a Captain in the Marines, got out a couple years before Vietnam started. Though I am sure he would have gone to war like anyone else who signed up to protect our country. If you serve during a less active war time scenario, you can be proud that you are part of the 1% that does serve. Thank you all for your service.

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Dec 18 at 2018 9:13 AM

2018-12-18T09:13:56-05:00

I've said for years that Cold War Veterans don't get the respect they deserve. Without firing a shot--practically, not literally--the EXISTANCE of the Cold Warriors prevented WWIII. They were highly trained and prepared for what they had every reason to believe was the eventual fight with the other most powerful military bloc in the world, which luckily never happened.

Whether its the minding the Fulda gap, Checkpoint Charlie, the Arctic or the 38th parallel, the reason your not speaking Russian today is thanks in no small part due to the Cold Warriors.

Response by CW3 Kevin Storm made Dec 28 at 2018 5:51 PM

2018-12-28T17:51:46-05:00

In 1945 the Allies defeated the German Army, Churchill had been voted out of Office, Roosevelt Passes away, and Stalin is left unchecked. While the US could defeat the Soviets on the High Seas and Air, the formidable Soviet Army would of been a nightmare to defeat on its own. Russia made some overtures very early on they had no intention of giving up Eastern Europe, and that there was a race to knock out the Japanese out of the War. Stalin and Stalin alone was the reason that there was a Cold War. The Soviets were in a position to take all of Europe, and tried unsuccessfully to take Greece. They blockaded Berlin, and did countless other acts we will never know about.

We had at one time over a million service members there to act as a stop gap measure till the main US forces could rally. We were a deterrent, but that deterrent lost over 10,000 service members to accidents and injuries in the line of duty. So was it war, no. But their is no Cold War Memorial for those who didn't come home either. In some ways it was harder than my tour in Iraq, and in others not so bad.

Response by SPC Bill Ratajczak made Jul 24 at 2019 9:08 PM

2019-07-24T21:08:30-04:00

I was attached to a combat engineer co (A co 78th combat engineer) in Germany during the mid 80's. We had alerts every few weeks, we loaded up and moved out. No one knew if it was a real mission or practice. I still have nightmares thinking east Germany was lobby a tac nuke at us. Cold war service was no joke. Damn the man who says it is.