VFW Magazine articles from February 2001

VFW Magazine archives from February 2001

Fulfilling campaign pledges: when George W. Bush was campaigning for the presidency, he promised to make the armed forces an overriding concern. (Armed Forces Top Priority).
February 1, 2001... By all indications, President George W. Bush has assembled an impressive foreign policy team. That team will determine how and when U.S. troops are deployed abroad for the next four years. Statements issued by the President, cabinet...

More for younger members. (mail call).(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2001... I very much enjoy reading VFW magazine and learning the history of this great nation. My only concern is the slant of the magazine's content. While very informative, it is targeted mainly toward the older generation. At only 32, I am constantly...

Correction to association list. (mail call).(Korean War Veterans Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The correct address for the Korean War Veterans Association is: Harley Coon, President, Korean War Veterans Association, 4120 Industrial Lane, Beavercreek, OH 45430; (937) 426-5105. Fax: 937-426-8415.

WWII Memorial debate continues. (mail call).(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2001... Re: "WWII Memorial: One Step Closer to Reality" (December). The proposed design and location of the WWII Memorial would block the Mall view. It is a desecration of our national shrines on the Mall. Moreover, ancillary elements will damage the...

3rd Infantry Division at Chosin. (mail call).(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2001... Once again, the 3rd Infantry Division was overlooked in an account of the Chosin Reservoir ("Chosin Reservoir: `Saga of Epic Heroism' "by B. Gordon Wheeler in December). Without the 3rd, the evacuation from the Chosin would not have been...

Correcting the casualty count. (mail call).(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2001... Gordon Wheeler's account of the Chosin was enjoyable, but the accompanying casualty figures for the 7th Infantry Division were way out of line. Between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 1950, the 7th Division sustained 1,091 killed in action and 905 wounded...

Lifetime health care. (mail call).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Editor's Note: Our watchful readers pointed out that "Some Military Retirees Assured Lifetime Care" (December 2000) erroneously stated that civil service employees enrolled in FEHBP have 100% of their medical costs covered. To clear up any...

VA secretary possibly Principi. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Anthony Principi may be selected to head Veterans Administration)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... At press time, Anthony Principi had been selected by President Bush to be the new VA secretary. A VFW life member, Vietnam vet and 1967 Naval Academy graduate, Principi appears to have all the proper credentials. He was the department's...

No Gun Ri investigation complete. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(refugees shot in 1950 during Korean War )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The U.S. Army's investigation into the killing of Korean civilians in July 1950 at No Gun Ri was completed in December. It found GIs had killed an undetermined number of refugees. But supposed orders issued by high-ranking U.S. officers to...

Controversial school gets new life. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation replaces School of the Americas)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation opened its doors on Jan. 17 at Fort Benning, Ga. It replaced the School of the Americas, formally closed in December, which had been located at the fort since 1984. The new...

Powell attacked by British press. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Secretary of State Colin Powell)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Secretary of State-designate Colin Powell is already being attacked by elements of the European press that fear Europe is about to lose its protector. For the last eight years, Europe has been able to call on the U.S. to do its dirty work in...

Project needs Gulf War letters. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(The Legacy Project)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... A national non-profit initiative called The Legacy Project is seeking war-related letters sent by Persian Gulf War veterans. The letters will be compiled into a book to be published by Scribner in 2001. All proceeds from the book will be...

Surviving tragedy. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... For six years, TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) has helped military families cope with the loss of a spouse. It provides a peer-support network, means of communication, grief counseling referral, case worker aid, advice on...

VFW Chief patrols Kosovo. (Security).(Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander-in-Chief John Gwizdak)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... VFW Commander-in-Chief John Gwizdak toured several U.S. military installations in Bosnia and Kosovo in November. He said VFW's presence in those locations made a clear statement about how strongly the VFW supports U.S. military personnel...

120,000 U.S. troops still in Europe. (Security).
February 1, 2001... GIs have been based in Europe since World War II. But in recent years, Bosnia and Kosovo have received the most media attention. Those two countries comprise, however, only about 10% of all U.S. service personnel stationed in Europe. More than...

'Reclaiming' Memorial Day. (Legislation).(legislation would emphasize observance of day; support of claims from prisoners of war against Japanese companies)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... S. 3181--The National Moment of Remembrance--would rejuvenate the emphasis placed on honoring the true meaning of Memorial Day. Introduced by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), it calls for citizens throughout the nation to observe a "national moment...

Homeless Vets Burial Program expands. (Service).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... VFW's Department of Kentucky has jumped on an initiative to provide burials and proper honors for homeless veterans. The Homeless Veterans Burial Program, already in place in St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo., will now be available in the...

VA applications available online. (Service).(Veterans Administration)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Veterans can now apply for VA benefits and health care online. Three online applications--VA Form 21-526, Veteran's Application for Compensation and/or Pension; VA Form 28-1900, Disabled Veterans Application for Vocational Rehabilitation; and...

VA salutes hospitalized veterans. (Service).(Veterans Administration sponsors National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... VA celebrates its 23rd National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week, Feb. 11-17. VA encourages individuals, veterans groups, military schools and local celebrities to visit VA hospitals during the celebration. "The week provides an...

Recording your war memoirs: veterans who write their memoirs will benefit themselves and their families. But you need to know how to create a product that does justice to your story. A leading memoirist offers some tips.
February 1, 2001... Harold Grunewald, a WWII Navy veteran, is happy with the story of his life. Mary O'Brien Tyrrell, a memoirist and gerontologist in St. Paul, Minn., wrote Grunewald's life story two years ago. "All efforts have been made to preserve Mr....

Help for the sleeping impaired: if you're experiencing one of the four major causes of sleeplessness, read on for a solution.
February 1, 2001... Shakespeare said that sleep "... knits up the ravelled sleeve of care." Cervantes' word imagery was equally as graphic: "Sleep covers a man all over, thoughts and all, like a cloak." Sleep may seem to be the most natural of human...

`Linchpin of the military history corridor': the Freedom Museum and planned National Veterans Center near the nation's capital are "must" stops for visiting vets. And VFW Post 7589 in Manassas. Va., made it all possible. (The Free Museum).
February 1, 2001... Freedom is very complicated" explained 81-year-old Doug Idlett, a Bataan Death March survivor. "It's not just about the Bill of Rights. It involves so many little things. It's almost impossible to explain to someone who hasn't lost everything,"...

Time for Europe to police its own backyard: for more than 50 years, Europe has relied on America to defend the continent. With intra-continental conflicts now the norm, it is high time the Europeans shared the burden of security on a proportional basis. A new European Rapid Reaction Force can do just that by getting more "boots in the mud." .(Cover Story)
February 1, 2001... There are around 2 million people in European armies in uniform today and yet the European allies bad to struggle hard to get 40,000--or 2% of their troops--to go serve in Kosovo," said NATO Secretary-General George Robertson. "Europe has 2...

Massacre at Hoengsong: on Feb. 12 and 13, 1951, at Hoengsong, elements of the 2nd Infantry Division suffered severe, tragic losses. (Korean War).
February 1, 2001... The grisly scene, horrible almost beyond belief, shocked even the toughest men of the 7th Marine Regiment. Some averted their eyes. Others broke off their macho banter to talk in hushed, churchlike tones. It was death that spooked...

Steady stand at Chipyong-ni: the 2nd Division's 23rd Regimental Combat Team makes a decisive stand at a small village in February 1951. (Korean War).
February 1, 2001... In the early weeks of 1951, the U.S. Eighth Army spent much of its time backpedaling, as Communist Chinese forces steamrolled south. By February, however, U.N. forces were again moving north, and one lead unit was the 23rd Regimental Combat...

Frontier warfare yielded legendary veterans. (Famous War Veterans).
February 1, 2001... Three centuries of war between settlers and Indians on America's borderlands produced a unique crop of veterans--civilian, military and Indian alike. Some became the stuff of legend; others made their names in more mundane yet critical...

VFW prides itself on community giving. (VFW in action: VFW members and Posts demonstrating community service.).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The face of VFW's kindness comes in many forms. When tragedy hits or needs arise in the community, VFW members answer the call in any way possible. Take Post 2524 in Culpeper, Va., for instance. In 1947, members established a medical...

VFW helps educate nation's youth. (VFW in action: VFW members and Posts demonstrating community service.).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... VFW recognizes that the future of America lies in the hands of our youth. To ensure their paths in life are promising, Posts encourage and honor both students and educators throughout the country. In Kings Park, N.Y., for example, Post 5796...

Grand winner grateful for prize: VFW handed out prizes in a membership raffle in Milwaukee to boost membership. (membership).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)
February 1, 2001... When Dale McCoy, Jr., signed up as a VFW member in September 1999, he was proud to be associated with the organization. The benefits of membership for him were the same intangibles that attract many members, such things as patriotism,...

500 members signed up in Korea. (membership).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... VFW's two top Membership officials-Director Jim Rowoldt and Assistant Director Dan Pestinger--traveled to Korea in November to recruit new members for the organization. In eight days of recruiting they signed up nearly 500 members. Rowoldt...

First to encounter Chinese. (mail call).(5th Regimental Combat Team in Korean War)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The 5th Regimental Combat Team, while attached to the 24th Infantry Division, was the first U.S. infantry regiment to engage Chinese Communist soldiers. It was during the last week of October 1950 in the Taechon and Kusong areas. The 5th...

Reunions & claims.(veterans )
February 1, 2001... REUNION COORDINATORS: To publicize your unit) reunion, fill out the form on page 51 of the January 2001 VFW magazine 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,...