VFW Magazine articles from August 2000

VFW Magazine archives from August 2000

New century of service: 2000 is a pivotal year in the fight for veterans rights. And VFW members must play a key political role. (On The Front Lines).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)
August 1, 2000... VFW members have shown throughout the primary season that they are a force to be reckoned with in the electoral arena. Candidates running for office took notice when record numbers of veterans turned out to vote. That involvement and...

Cover says it all. (mail call).
August 1, 2000... What a pleasure it was to get my copy of the June/July issue of VFW magazine, The front cover says so much about the contents one finds inside. Nicholas Fotiadis East Moline, Ill. The cover of the June/July 2000 issue is one of the...

`Best issue ever'. (mail call).
August 1, 2000... You have really outdone yourselves! The Korean War commemorative issue (June/ July) is the best issue ever. I have never read a copy of the magazine so thoroughly. Finally, we got some real facts about the Korean War and its veterans. Well...

Clarifying casualties. (mail call).
August 1, 2000... As a proud Korean War vet, I want to thank you for the excellent commemorative issue and the outstanding article, "Killed in Korea: The Untold Story." It is right on target. Incidentally, the Texas Korean War Veterans Memorial (and very...

Who was the last KIA of Korea? (mail call).
August 1, 2000... Editor's Note: Several readers wrote to point out that Sgt. Harold R. Cross was the last Army KIA only. He died 80 minutes prior to the 1953 cease-fire. If you have additional details on Cross or any of the others, please contact us. *...

War's last battle. (mail call).
August 1, 2000... On July 26-27, 1953, the 3rd Bn., 31st Regt., 7th Div., fought the last ground action of the Korean War in the Chorwan Valley. The Chinese launched battalion-size attacks on Outpost Westview and Outpost Dale, held by Companies K and I,...

First casualty of task force Smith. (mail call).
August 1, 2000... While the name of the first KIA (Pfc. Kenneth Shadrick was incorrectly identified as such by war correspondent Marguerite Higgins) of the Korean War might be open to question, the first WIA [at Osan] was most likely Ed Kjonas. He was shot in...

Reliving the hell of Hadong. (mail call).
August 1, 2000... I was an infantryman with the 3rd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment at Hadong on July 27, 1950. The events of that day will always stay with me. We were not raw recruits: 90% of us had about one year in the Army and had advanced infantry...

Sports figures missing from list. (mail call).
August 1, 2000... The list of well-known Korean War vets (see page 26, June issue) omitted Washington Redskins quarterback Eddie LeBaron, New York Yankee and American Baseball League president Bobby Brown and football coach James "Buddy" Ryan. Correction:...

An editor's note on the chronology. (mail call).
August 1, 2000... Please keep in mind that we could not include every action of the Korean War. Generally, however, the goal was to list major combats that resulted in heavy U.S. casualties. Many units not covered in the chronology will more than likely be...

Tracking Korean War memorials. (mail call).
August 1, 2000... The May issue was very good indeed! The color pictures of the state memorials to honor Korean War American dead were really excellent. But a slight correction is in order: Santa Nella is located just off I-5, approximately 20 miles west of...

No Gun Ri story discredited. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Associated Press report of an atrocity is questioned)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... A widely circulated story by Associated Press last year alleging an atrocity at No Gun Ri, Korea, in 1950, seems a bit flimsy. A detailed investigation by U.S. News & World Report uncovered some discrepancies, to put it mildly. A supposed...

WWII Memorial update. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(World War II Memorial planned)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... One hurdle remains for groundbreaking on Nov. 11, 2000: design approval. That approval is expected before summer's end. A design must be approved prior to issuing a building permit. The deadline for securing it is Dec. 31, 2005. As of June...

Korea KIA Honor Roll Certificates free. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Family members and friends can now obtain certificates for relatives and comrades killed in the Korean War or after in the DMZ from the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). The certificate includes information about military service, as...

WWII trivia. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(greatest loss of American lives aboard a troopship in World War II)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Did you know that the greatest loss of U.S. lives aboard a troopship during WWII occurred Nov. 26, 1943, in the Mediterranean Sea when the British troopship Rohna was sunk by a secret German air-to-surface guided missile. 1,015 U.S. soldiers...

School of the Americas survives. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(will be renamed: Defense Institute for Hemispheric Security Cooperation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The congressionally chartered School of the Americas will "reopen" later in 2000 as the Defense Institute for Hemispheric Security Cooperation. Besides the new name, the Fort Benning, Ga.-based school will have a new charter and new curriculum....

22 new Medals of Honor awarded. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(World War II: Medals of Honor )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The number of Medals of Honor awarded for valor in WWII now stands at 463. Some 21 Distinguished Service Crosses and one Silver Star were upgraded to the MOH. Seven living vets, including Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), were on hand for the June...

House passes improved GI Bill. (Legislation).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Nearly a year after the Senate, the House unanimously approved its version of legislation in May that would upgrade the Montgomery GI Bill. By a vote of 417-0, the House passed H.R. 4268--The Veterans and Dependents Millennium Education Act,...

Senate approves retiree health bill. (Legislation).(military retirees)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The Senate overwhelmingly approved a plan in June to allow military retirees to remain in the Pentagon's health care program, Tricare, after they turn 65. Currently, retirees are forced into Medicare. The bill, S. 2669, passed the Senate by...

Forums to focus on women vets/volunteers. (Service).(Veterans of Foreign Wars: National Convention)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... VFW's National Veterans Service (NVS) will coordinate a VA volunteer workshop and a women veterans forum at the 101st National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis. VFW and the Ladies Auxiliary will conduct their second joint VA Volunteer Workshop...

VFW seeks full accounting in South Asia. (Security).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Achieving the fullest possible accounting of GIs missing from the Vietnam War is a top priority for VFW. This is especially true for VFW Senior Vice Commander-in-Chief John Gwizdak, a Vietnam War infantry vet. In March, Gwizdak traveled to...

Resolving live sighting reports. (Security).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The delegation first visited Bangkok, Thailand, from March 19-22. After meeting with U.S. Ambassador Richard E. Hecklinger, the VFW officials discussed "live-sighting" reports with two members of the "Stony Beach" organization, which is part of...

Searching for remains in Laos. (Security).(missing in action)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... After leaving Thailand, the VFW delegation spent six days in Laos. Calling it the "highlight of our trip," Gwizdak said each member of the VFW group visited three excavation sites and worked side-by-side with Army troops from the Central...

Cooperation in Vietnam. (Security).(attempting to find the remains of the missing in action in Vietnam)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... From Laos the delegation traveled to Vietnam. In Hanoi, the VFW members met with U.S. soldiers at "the Ranch," headquarters for JTF-FA Detachment 2. As of the VFW visit, 1,519 Americans were still unaccounted for. Of that total, 593, or...

Sharing service to America: combining their zeal with that of like-minded groups, VFW and the Ladies Auxiliary initiated a two-day series of community service workshops and seminars. The event's success bodes well for it becoming an annual affair. (Cover Story).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)
August 1, 2000... As the name implies, the inaugural VFW and Ladies Auxiliary National Community Service Conference was a full-scale effort highlighting the two organizations' shared commitment to serving their communities. Part of the new focus is building...

Miss America sheds new light on homeless veterans: Heather French has spent her year speaking on behalf of veterans.
August 1, 2000... Heather French has always considered herself a "daddy's girl." As a small child she would warm her father's seat before he came home in the evenings. At 25, French is now too busy to warm anyone's seat, but keeps her father always close at...

Former foes patrol for peace: Russian and American soldiers team up in Kosovo to combat smuggling and keep the lid on ethnic tensions.
August 1, 2000... For a few weeks it seemed the Cold War was back with a vengeance. As NATO troops gathered on the border of Macedonia for their move-in on Kosovo, Russian soldiers gathered up their gear June 10, 1999, left their positions in Bosnia and made for...

`In peril upon the seas': `Surf soldiers' make the ultimate sacrifice; over a century-and-a-half, the U.S. Coast Guard saved the lives of thousands of seafarers, but few Americans are aware of the "Coasties" who themselves died in doing so during peace and war.
August 1, 2000... It's sort of the Coast Guard's unofficial motto: "You have to go out, but you don't have to come back." And over the 210-year history of the service, thousands of crewmen and aviators did not come back. They battled the natural elements...

Pusan Perimeter besieged: tagged the most successful mobile defense in the annals of U.S. military history, the holding of the Pusan Perimeter between Aug. 5 and Sept. 15, 1950, was deadly. GIs sustained 19,165 casualties (including earlier engagements) through this ordeal of fire. (Korean War).
August 1, 2000... As July turned to August in 1950, American forces in Korea continued their retreat. The seemingly unstoppable North Korean divisions rolled south like a tsunami (tidal wave), bent on pushing U.S. and South Korean armies into the sea. Once...

Dump your doctor? When and how you should look for another physician.(ending a relationship with a doctor)
August 1, 2000... While many people are happy with their doctors, one out of every five patients isn't pleased at all. And it's usually not because of excessive fees. It's the doctor's professional or "bedside" manner that causes the dissatisfaction. Just...

Saving the Star-Spangled Banner: VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary contributed $10,000 early in the effort to preserve this historic flag for posterity.(186-year-old flag is being preserved)
August 1, 2000... No doubt its size impressed many who saw it on display at the National Museum of American History (NMAH) in Washington, D.C. But dust, humidity, temperature fluctuations and sunlight have taken their toll, dulling the colors and making the...

Milwaukee is waiting for you; enjoy this look at what the `Genuine American City' has to offer VFW members and their families.(Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention)
August 1, 2000... For those planning to attend VFW's 101st National Convention in Milwaukee, here's a sample of the many dining and shopping opportunities available. And for those still unsure, this is likely to be tempting enough to get you to the Genuine...

Images of `imperial soldiers': Philippines War 1899-1902.(anti-imperialists and the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902)
August 1, 2000... Veterans of the nation's only colonial war, in the Philippines, were portrayed at home far differently by pro- and anti-war factions. Lasting from February 1899 to July 1902, the war called 130,000 men to the colors and claimed 1,073 of their...

Still celebrating victory over Japan; Posts remember the sacrifices of GIs in WWII by commemorating V-J Day. (VFW in action: VFW members and Posts demonstrating community service.).(Veterans of Foreign Wars: celebrating V-J Day)
August 1, 2000... Victory-over-Japan, or V-J Day, is an occasion still celebrated in smaller towns scattered around the nation. Most celebrate it around Aug. 14 or 15, the period hostilities between Japan and the U.S. ended in 1945 (Japan officially surrendered...

New membership program ensures VFW's `future'; an ambitious plan to recruit young, active-duty, Guard and Reserve members is beginning to see results. The Military Initiative Program is adding 5,000 new members a month. (membership).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)
August 1, 2000... After eight months of "research and development" and a bit of fine-tuning, VFW's most concerted effort to recruit young veterans is coming to fruition. "It took us a while to find out how this program would work," said Jim Rowoldt, VFW's...

Variety of benefits available. (member benefits).
August 1, 2000... The VFW Member Benefits Department offers a variety of valuable voluntary benefits. For specific information regarding any of the programs listed below, please contact the Member Benefits Department at (816) 968-1164, e-mail: ktemp@vfw.org or...

Reunions & claims.
August 1, 2000... REUNION COORDINATORS: To publicize your unit's reunion, fill out the form in the February 2000 issue or print out a form from VFW's website: http://www.vfw.org/magazine/51.shtml. Send to VFW Magazine, 406 W. 34th St., Suite 523, Kansas City, MO...

Jest a minute.
August 1, 2000... * Moving along a dimly lighted Memphis street recently, a friend of ours was suddenly approached by a stranger who had slipped from the shadows nearby. "Please sir," asked the stranger, "would you be so kind as to help a poor, unfortunate...