Thought for the day
April 5, 1999
Today, according to the Associated Press, the U.S. Armed Forces will begin issuing a certificate in recognition of service during the "cold war."
They define the cold war as running from Sept. 2, 1945, to Dec. 26, 1991 (the Japanese surrender through the Soviet "surrender" or dissolution).
This recognition was the idea of an Army veteran by the name of Mark Vogl and received support from various veteran's groups and legislators. Although it does not include a ribbon or medal (or any back pay!) it is reasonable gesture that somehow had been overlooked.
Basically, the idea is that the undeclared "cold war" was an armed conflict nonetheless. And the constantly vigilant efforts of millions of men and women prevented it from escalating into global annihilation. Now that the Soviets have been vanquished we deserve some recognition.
If you served during the these 46 years, you should visit the Army's website (they are handling it for all services) and see if it looks like something you would like to have. Or, since you can request the certificate in someone else's name, perhaps a deceased relative should be awarded this posthumously.
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