VFW Magazine articles from August 2004

VFW Magazine archives from August 2004

A VFW tradition of service: as members, we all have an unwritten obligation to uphold the finest traditions of our organization, and that demands tenacity.(command post)(Walter Reed Army Medical Center)
August 1, 2004... This past year has been an eventful one for both VFW and the nation. American troops continue to find themselves knee-deep in a relentless war in Iraq and a grinding campaign in Afghanistan. This means our organization has its work cut out for...

WWII Memorial article comprehensive.(mail call)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... "World War II Memorial Becomes a Reality" (May) was commendable and an excellent article. It encompassed all historical aspects of the memorial: conception, planning, funding and construction. It was most informative. Frank Montoya ...

Dover policy wrong.(mail call)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Re: "Always With Honor" (May). There is only one thing sadder than the Bush Administration's ban on televising the return of soldiers' remains to the Dover Mortuary--VFW's failure to raise hell about it. Their return should be of the utmost...

Preserving our national heritage.(mail call)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I was moved by May's Command Post. It so well reflects the view of a great many of us regarding the failure to teach U.S. history to students. They are being robbed of an understanding of their remarkable national heritage. Philip N....

National Cold War memorial in demand.(mail call)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... As a veteran of two Cold War operations, I applaud "Cold War Casualties Cry Out for Commemoration" (May) by Richard Fournier. I served in Korea at the DMZ in 1964. And in the Dominican Republic in 1965, I saw the results of combat firsthand as...

MIA team sacrifices remembered.(mail call)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... My son, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Robert Martin Flynn, was depicted on the June/July issue cover. He was killed in the helicopter crash in Vietnam on April 7, 2001. Robert strongly believed in the mission he was performing. "Where They Lay:...

Overlooked heroism at Lang Vei.(mail call)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... The sidebar on page 16--"We Have Tanks in Our Wire!" (June)--failed to mention the role of Maj. George Quamo, who led the heroic reinforcing mission into Lang Vei. He was killed on April 14, 1968, and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished...

PTSD: a taboo in need of discussion.(mail call)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... It was most gratifying to read "Stress Hard to Combat in War" (June). A combat infantry veteran, I have done extensive research into this area. "Critical incident debriefing" is fortunately now being practiced. This helps prevent the onset of...

Returning from the war zone.(mail call)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Thank you for publishing "Coming Home to a Changed World" (June). I took this article to heart, as I am a Persian Gulf War veteran who experienced many difficulties when I returned home in 1991. I didn't know how to talk to my wife or deal with...

Equating religion with patriotism.(mail call)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... In his article, "Instilling Patriotism--Then and Now" Ernest Lefever seems to be equating the recitation of sectarian prayers with patriotic ideals. Such practices were chilling and offensive to my own religious sensibilities as an elementary...

Prestige vs. importance.(Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.)(Memorial Day)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A Gallup poll of the public conducted around Memorial Day found how the armed services are perceived and rated. With the intensity of ground fighting in Iraq, the ratings of the services have evened out considerably. Here is the order for...

Pledge of Allegiance intact.(Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... In mid-June, the Supreme Court ruled that the phrase "under God" would remain in the Pledge of Allegiance. But by ruling on a technicality, the judges left the door wide open for future challenges. In a separate opinion, several judges said the...

Families can be at Dover.(Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A May 26 Pentagon memo clarified that a soldier's next-of-kin or a "designated representative" is permitted to witness a remains transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. But no visual recording of the proceedings is allowed, and...

Iraq, Afghanistan vets due two years care.(Service)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... In May, VA began sending personal letters to more than 150,000 vets of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom who have recently separated from the military. The letters explain a special eligibility that increases their access to health...

VA to build 156 community clinics.(Service)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... In May, VA announced plans to modernize its health care system. Specific objectives were the result of a three-year study known as the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES). VA plans to invest $1 billion annually in the...

VA home loan increase proposed.(Legislation)(Virginia)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The House approved a bill June 23 that would increase VA's maximum home loan amount from $240,000 to $333,700. It includes a provision to link the amount to the national Freddie Mac index to guarantee the VA limit increases each year. H.R....

VA to pay teaching credential fee.(Employment)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) announced in May that VA will reimburse eligible veterans up to $2,000 for National Board Certification fees for each first-time or retake assessment. NBPTS noted in a news release...

12 GIs killed in Afghanistan.(Security)
August 1, 2004... The Marine Corps suffered its first fatalities to hostile fire in Afghanistan, while five soldiers and a sailor were killed in separate incidents over a seven-week period in May and June. Two other soldiers and a Marine died in...

20 MIA remains found in North Korea.(Security)(Missing in action)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The remains of what are believed to be 20 U.S. MIAs from the Korean War were repatriated in May and July at Yongsan Military Compound in Seoul. A joint U.S.-North Korean team found 12 sets of remains in May and one in June near the Chosin...

VA budget lacking: mandatory VA funding is a priority goal for VFW. Here's an update on a topic that could be crucial to the veterans vote in the upcoming presidential election.(issues upfront)(Veterans Administration)(The House Veterans Affairs Committee)(A Congressional Budget Office)
August 1, 2004... When VFW Commander-in-chief Ed Banas addressed a joint hearing of the House and Senate VA committees last March, he was mad. He told lawmakers that the Administration had submitted a "wholly inadequate budget request" that proposed "balancing...

WWII memorial: 'really beautiful': hundreds of thousands convened in Washington, D.C., for a sentimental journey to dedicate the long-awaited WWII memorial.(National World War II Memorial)(Reunion Tent )
August 1, 2004... WWII veterans have finally received a permanent place of honor in the nation's capital with the dedication of the National World War II Memorial on May 29. Over a four-day period, more than 300,000 people embarked on a sentimental journey to...

America's warriors return: over the past year, families and hometowns have celebrated the return of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Here is a glimpse of a few of those heartfelt reunions and joyful turnouts.
August 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Left: Army Capt. Joel Bachman, 4th Forward Support Battalion, 299th Engineer Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, gives his daughter a ride after a homecoming celebration at Fort Hood, Texas, on March 9, 2004....

Iraq--a final salute.
August 1, 2004... VFW magazine presents this memorial listing in tribute to the 144 Americans killed between April 9 and May 21, 2004, in Iraq. Deaths to Enemy Action Air Force Airman 1st Class Antoine J. Holt, 603rd Air Control Sqdn., Kennesaw,...

"I'd travel halfway around the world to meet with the VFW": Ronald Reagan 1911-2004.(VFW's Citizenship Award)
August 1, 2004... Former President Ronald Reagan, who died on June 5, 2004, had a long relationship with VFW. In August 1975, he appeared at the national convention to receive VFW's Citizenship Award. As a presidential candidate in 1980, he addressed the...

'Where Eagles Rest': from an early Wright brothers military plane to the latest F-22, the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, spans the spectacular history of military aviation with grand style.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A short one-hour drive north of Cincinnati is the world-renowned U.S. Air Force Museum. For anyone attending VFW's 105th National Convention in August, the trip to Dayton is well worth the time. The world's largest and oldest military...

A glance at the Great Lakes states.(Veterans Travel Series)
August 1, 2004... Trip 6: Great Lakes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin States touching the mighty Great Lakes offer the visiting veteran a variety of sites of martial interest. And they cover the gamut from the earliest days of the Republic to...

States memorialize their Vietnam War dead.
August 1, 2004... This is the third installment in the continuing series on state Vietnam War memorials. These states honor their residents killed in the war with public memorials. If your state is among those without a distinct Vietnam memorial, erecting...

Steady stand at LZ Bird: a savage assault by North Vietnamese Army regulars was stopped by the combined efforts of artillerymen and infantrymen at LZ Bird in Binh Dinh Province on Dec. 27, 1966.(Deadliest Vietnam Battles)(Landing Zone )
August 1, 2004... Staff Sgt. Delbert Jennings did not feel good. His stomach pains had gotten worse, and he had trouble sleeping. Besides his illness, he was worried. His undermanned weapons platoon was assigned to defend the northern sector of the perimeter at...

Patriot, hero, role model: for young Americans, the inspiring story of Pat Tillman's life should be a lesson in integrity.(young vets in focus)(Biography)
August 1, 2004... What adventurous young man wouldn't have wanted to be Pat Tillman. He played in the high-profile National Football League. He served in the elite and dangerous ranks of Army Rangers. And he died courageously in Afghanistan in April 2004....

At the Grassroots level, troop support is alive and well: with patriotic fervor, Posts and Auxiliaries across the country aim to show they care.(VFW in action: VFW members and Posts demonstrating community service.)(Veterans of Foreign Wars)
August 1, 2004... Nationwide, Post and Auxiliary members continue to display their support for GIs serving overseas. The generous support comes in the form of care packages, Operation Uplink phone cards, welcome-home parties and assistance to the families of the...

New list helps identify eligible terrorism war veterans: enterprising recruiters can now pinpoint exact areas where veterans are earning the latest VFW--qualifying medal.(membership)(Veterans of Foreign Wars)(Directory)
August 1, 2004... Veterans of the war on terrorism haven't yet received the recently approved Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, but that shouldn't stop VFW recruiters from signing them up. And to make it easier, the Pentagon released a list of...

Be featured on VFW's Web site: we are now featuring our members on the VFW Web site.(member benefits)(Veterans of Foreign Wars)
August 1, 2004... Have you been the Featured Member on the VFW Web site yet? Have you seen a member of your Post as the Featured Member? Be sure to visit www.vfw.org and click on "Click here to view VFW's featured member" in the gold "Grassroots" box on the...

Astonishing discovery of mysterious "Gold Rush" coin stuns experts: world's rarest U.S. $20 gold proof found: the San Francisco Mint 1854 Double Eagle Proof!(Collector's Report)
August 1, 2004... WASHINGTON. D.C. -- A one-of-a-kind Treasury gold proof coin has been surprisingly discovered within the vaults of the Smithsonian Institution. This 1854-S gold Double Eagle $20 coin was struck by the San Francisco Mint in its first year of...

Reunions & claims.(Directory)
August 1, 2004... REUNION COORDINATORS; To publicize your unit's reunion, fill out the form on page 50 of the February 2004 VFW magazine or print out a form from VFW's Web site: http://www.vfw.org/magazine/51.shtml. Send to VFW magazine, 406 W. 34th St., Suite...

June's question: do U.S. history textbooks present an accurate demographic profile of Americans who served in WWII?(Sound off: views of VFW members on topics of interest to veterans.)(World War II, Veterans of Foreign Wars)
August 1, 2004... Based on the article "America's Educators Rewriting WWII History" (April 2004), 95% of our readers believe WWII veterans are misrepresented in U.S. history textbooks versus 5% who feel not enough has been done to recognize women and minorities...