I have already recommended that said medal be called The Cold War Medal, the name speaks for itself.

                                                                               WILLIAM P. BOYLE
                                                                                N.J. State Director

Gentlemen and Ladies,

I just felt that I needed to weigh in on this issue. The naming of the eventual "Cold War"medal is significantly important and not a trivial matter. "Word-smithing" is the lifeblood of the politician and the naming, type, and award criteria is what will either garner more support, or cause us to lose support. Many people over the years have debated what we should call the medal, or whether a new medal should even be sought after, and though I respect everyone's right to honestly debate the issue and to voice their own opinions, I will again lay out for everyone why the drive for the "Cold War Victory Medal" was initiated and why most veterans, veterans groups, and politicians, support this incarnation effort over other medal creations.

Forgive me if this is elemental, but we have to start with the basics first so we stay focused. First we have to start with the question we want answered. The question posed originally was this:

"Military veterans participated in an organized and comprehensive United States led civil and military operation to oppose Soviet led communist aggression and expansion from 1945 through 1991. This operation was known as the "Cold War". With the objectives of the operation successfully achieved that culminated in the collapse of the communist Soviet Union, what type of official recognition can the military veterans who participated in the operation expect to receive from their government?"

The "operation" was rightly coined the Cold War in 1945, because it was in fact, a war. War is defined in many ways, but one Webster's Dictionary definition fits the conflict best:
 "a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism; a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end." Further, Webster's defines the term "cold war" as follows: "a conflict over ideological differences carried on by methods short of sustained overt military action and usually without breaking off diplomatic relations."

 Ironically, there were many "hot war" campaigns held "covertly" and with the assistance of proxy powers on both sides of the Cold War. Some have posed the theory that Congress must officially "declare war" for a state of war to exist and therefore try to limit veteran's benefits and recognition to only those "official wars". Again, the irony in this thinking is apparent in the way veteran's recognition and benefits have been authorized by the United States. Most people don't know that 2 of our nation's most bloody armed military conflicts are not considered "official wars". They are the half-century long "Indian Wars", and believe it or not, the American Civil War. If this line of thinking were held correct, then all of the 2,500,000 brave soldiers and sailors who participated on just the Federal side of the Civil War, and the over 360,000 of them who died as a result of their service, would not be entitled to any "war service benefits" today.

In short, there is tons of research available to support the case that the Cold War was an actual war by definition and the veterans who served, fought, were wounded, are still reported as missing in action, and who have died as a result of the war, should receive proper military recognition and benefits.

So the question remains, what type of military recognition is available and customary for military veterans who serve in our country's wars?

To answer this, we must first understand the awards and decorations system of the U.S. military. It has been the established custom of the United States to award visible and uniform wearable items of distinction to its soldiers, sailors, and airmen since the first award created by President George Washington in 1782 called the "Badge for Military Merit". It was only given to 3 soldiers. We know this award now as the Purple Heart.

Since that time, this precedence has evolved into the current awards and decorations system. There are two main types of individual uniform wearable military recognition for war time service: The "Service Award" and the "Merit Decoration". Merit decorations are exclusively given to individual service members for individual acts of merit or valor and are always given in medal form. Service awards come in the form of service or campaign medals and are given for honorably completing terms of service. By this distinction, recognition for Cold War veterans to be most effective and in line with established precedence should be in the form of a service award and not an individual decoration.

So, what type of service award would be most appropriate?

Beginning with the end of World War I, the nation at this time was also not sufficiently taking care of the veterans who served during the war and many veterans were left languishing on their own, poor and in ill health. In 1919, veterans decided to fight for benefits due them for their service and began to form veteran's organizations to lobby the government for action. The result was the creation of the U.S. Veterans Bureau, the forerunner of the Department of Veterans Affairs. With the creation of the "V.A." came the associated bureaucracy to determine which veterans would be eligible for which benefits. The United States had found itself so taxed by its involvement in such a large scale and global conflict, and in order to "leave no one behind" it began the precedence of awarding a new type of "Service Award" specifically to denote our nation's unity with our allies and our combined victory. The World War I Victory Medal. The awarding of this medal authorized the new "V.A." to provide service members with due benefits.

It is also significant to note that this award was created by an Act of Congress at the urging of the newly forming veterans organizations, and not by the President or the War Department on their own. This award did not duplicate any other campaign or service award of the time, but was authorized as a separate distinct award to all those who served during the time of the conflict, regardless of service area or whether assigned in an actual combat theatre.

The precedence was further cemented into the military's awards and decorations system on July 6^th, 1945 when Congress enacted the legislation to create the World War II Victory Medal. An interesting note for the criteria for this award as it relates to the Cold War is that the official awarding period to all service members is from 7 December 1941 through 31 December 1946.

 The ending date is significant because one of the Department of Defense's opposition points to the current criteria for award of any Cold War medal is that it would duplicate the award of already created service awards. Technically, they would be correct in this assumption that any criteria for a service award for the Cold War would have to start officially no earlier than 1 January 1947, as the period of service from 2 September 1945 through 31 December 1946 is already covered by the World War II Victory Medal.

With the creation of both Victory medals and the new "V.A.", the precedence was set that provides the bureaucratic framework that Cold War veterans today have to work within for recognition.

Technically there are no official campaigns designated for the Cold War, since it was a "cold war", and even though there was actual war and armed conflict during the operation. Like both World War I and II, there are campaign medals and devices authorized for particular service in designated campaign theatres for the hot wars contained within the overall Cold War operation, however, unlike the earlier wars, the Cold War to date, does not have a corresponding Victory Medal.

The result to Cold War veterans who did not serve in one of the hot war designated campaigns is that their Cold War service and contributions to our nation's and our allies' victory over Soviet Communism goes unrecognized appropriately. Unlike the veterans of both World War I and World War II, the veterans of the Cold War who served their country honorably and provided a victory to our nation's people go unrecognized for their service.
          The V.A. is promoting a new program called the "Veterans Pride Initiative" that encourages all military veterans to proudly display their medals earned while serving their country on national holidays and special events on civilian clothing. If our government wants our participation and our support, I would ask the V.A. and the government officials if they want Cold War veterans to pin the piece of irrelevant and nontraditional form letters known as the Cold War recognition certificates on our uniforms and civilian suits.   

          The government created bureaucracy that was instituted by them in order to provide benefits to our nation's military veterans is now being used against us to deny the creation of any Cold War medal. You see, because of the intertwining of medals and benefits, creation of any medal that officially recognizes our Cold War service would mean that the government would have to officially provide benefits to those veterans, and that costs money. Since they cannot create an appropriate medal without providing the appropriate benefits, the government and the Department of Defense bean counters would rather keep denying the veterans and their families who chose to sacrifice and serve their country honorably in a time of great tension and world conflict the traditional and visible recognition they deserve for their victory. They would rather save a benefit-buck and try to look good to their superiors for their bottom line.

                What they fail to recognize however, is that their superiors are really the voting citizen soldiers of this country and their supporters.

David, very well thought out and spoken exactly the way we all feel. Just any medal will not suffice. A "service" medal is not what we are looking for either.

It must be "Victory" medal, and yet as you so eloquently spelled it out, it does run into opposition in DOD,

and as it would appear, also in the Senate.

We ALL need to continue our letter, email, phone barrage to our members of Congress. If every member were

to contact their elected officials at least once a week possibly the deluge would convince Congress that we

are indeed serious and speak with one voice. Give us a Cold War Victory Medal.

Ask them all to cosponsor S.1097, although that bill does not spell out if it will be serice or victory. That is something that will have to be addressed.

If that fails, ask each and everyone of your elected officials to have a provision inserted into the NDAA 2009
authorizing a "Cold War Victory Medal".

Jerry

I wouldn't worry about the Russians' sensibilities.  They have a Cold War Service Medal for their submarine personnel.  Plus the commies actually struck a medal to celebrate the "Liberation of Berlin."  They got ahead of themselves a little bit on that one.  Brings up the fact that we are hitting the 60th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.  Atleast the U.S. struck a medal to celebrate that important victory in the Cold War.  But, it was not named a "Victory" medal.  We will probably not see that term.  Pushing for a "Victory" medal as opposed to a campaign or service medal, will lead to increased opposition from DOD and Dept of State.  Again, I will be satisfied if a medal with "Cold War" in its title.  Something generic will not give the Cold War its rightful place in military history.