Many people may not be aware of the importance of the Cold
War because a nuclear bomb was never dropped on the United States. The Korean war came to
be known as the forgotten war, but the Cold War is the war that never happened. Anyone who
can remember being trained in the correct actions to take during a bomb drill or possible
alert, news reports of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kruschev pounding his shoe on a podium
saying, "We will bury you!", or actually considering buying a bomb shelter knows
the political tensions of that time.
The fall season of 1999 will be the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and there is a movement to honor the Cold War's military veterans with medals and a victory celebration. Medal legislation sponsored by Senator Phil Graham, Republican-Texas, has passed the Senate. A similar bill, by Rep. Rick Lazio, Republican-N.Y., is pending in the house. Interest in the cold war has been peaking as the end of the century nears and information about the era flows more freely from the former Soviet Union. Are you eligible for the new Cold War Veteran Recognition Certificate? How to apply for the Defense Department's new Cold War Veteran Recognition Certificate: WHO IS ELIGIBLE: All members of the armed forces and federal government civilian personnel who faithfully served the United States during the Cold War era, September 2, 1945, to December 26, 1991. Individuals requesting a certificate will certify that the character of their service was honorable. ACCEPTABLE DOCUMENTS FOR PROOF OF SERVICE: Any official government or military document with recipient's name, Social Security number/foreign service number and date of service is acceptable. HOW TO REQUEST A CERTIFICATE: Mail or fax a letter with proof of eligibility to: Cold War Recognition, ATTN: AHRC-CWRS-3N45, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22332-0471. Email address is: cwrs1@hoffman.army.mil ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Telephone number is: 703-325-5864, or use the Web site https://www.perscomonline.army.mil/tagd/coldwar/default.htm |
