VFW Magazine articles from May 2002

VFW Magazine archives from May 2002

At the joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees, the Chief stressed VFW's legislative priorities. (`Most Pressing Issues').(Veterans of Foreign Wars: 2002 political agenda)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... As is customary in late winter, VFW leaders from across the country convene in Washington during the Legislative Conference to rally behind the organization's congressional testimony on Capitol Hill. Here is a concise rundown on key issues...

Diabetes awareness a worthy cause. (mail call).
May 1, 2002... Re: Cover story on diabetes (March). In selecting diabetes research and treatment as a worthy cause to which to lend VFW assistance, VFW could not have made a better choice. As a diabetic, I know I express the appreciation of thousands of other...

USS Walke stirs memories. (mail call).
May 1, 2002... "USS Walke" (March) by Gary Turbak reminded me of when 23 shipmates from the LSMR 525 donated blood to survivors of the Walke at Sasebo, Japan. While I was giving a transfusion to a sailor who had a leg sheared at the hip, he died of loss of...

Expanding membership eligibility. (mail call).
May 1, 2002... Recent comments in the magazine made me ponder the barriers to expanding VFW eligibility. Is it the notion of "my war was deadlier or more important than yours"? If the VFW is not to die on the vine, two things must change: current members'...

Civilian valor in Vietnam. (mail call).
May 1, 2002... War correspondent Joe Galloway (see February story on the movie about the Ia Drang Valley battle) was not the only civilian to be recognized for heroism in Vietnam. Gerald L. Dunn, a former Marine who served there in 1967-68, earned the Bronze...

Oldest American veteran named. (mail call).(oldest recipients of Veterans Administration benefits)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Editor's Note: In the March Now Hear This, Jesse Edminsten of Nebraska was mentioned as the oldest vet. He is not. The oldest current recipient of VA benefits (so honored on March 8) is Robert Hodges of Stonewall, N.C. Born June 18, 1891,...

Are public double standards at work? (mail call).
May 1, 2002... Re: Item in Now Hear This (March). I was appalled to read that a California school district had made teaching of Islam mandatory. There should be the same mandatory teaching of all religious faiths. We live in a society with double standards....

VFW pictured in postal service book. (Now hear this: brief news of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The 2001 Commemorative' Stamp Year, book, published by the U.S, Postal Service/ Harper Resource, features a VFW Post on page 35 under the heading Honoring Veterans. A commemorative postage stamp imprinted with the U.S. flag and the words...

Viet vet nominated for surgeon general. (Now hear this: brief news of interest to veterans and their families).(Richard H. Carmona)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Richard H. Carmona has been nominated by the President for one of the nation's most prestigious public service positions. Currently a Tucson emergency trauma surgeon trained for police SWAT duty, Carmona must be confirmed by the Senate to...

Islamic world sees U.S. negatively. (Now hear this: brief news of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... A Gallup poll reported in February revealed that most Arabs (77%) believe the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan is "morally unjustified and express a breathtaking depth of anti-U.S, sentiment," according to USA Today. In fact, 61% of those...

Liberty Memorial rededication. (Events to Look For).(World War I monument and museum, Kansas City, Missouri)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... America's national World War l monument and museum in Kansas City, Mo., will be rededicated May 25 in a day-long ceremony. Events include a jump by the Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team, free tours of the memorial and a fireworks finale. The...

National Memorial Day Concert. (Events to Look For).
May 1, 2002... May 26 (Sunday) on PBS, 8-9:30 p.m. EDT (check local listings). Includes a special segment on Sept. 11 heroes and is dedicated to Americans fighting the terrorism war.

Rolling Thunder ride to the wall. (Events to Look For).
May 1, 2002... To highlight the POW/MIA issue, Rolling Thunder will have its annual motorcycle ride to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., May 24-26. A candlelight vigil will be held at 9 p.m. at the memorial. The group's host hotel is the...

Pro Football Hall of Fame Veterans Exhibit. (Things to Know and Remember).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Football and America honors the 1,200 known National Football League players who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. The exhibit, which opened March 27, will remain at the museum in Canton, Ohio, through 2002. Further details can be obtained by...

Prostate cancer awareness campaign. (Things to Know and Remember).
May 1, 2002... In honor of Father's Day, the Drive Against Prostate Cancer vehicle will be traveling the country offering free screenings. To learn how to participate, contact: National Prostate Cancer Coalition in Washington, D.C. at (888) 245-9455. Web...

National D-day Foundation. (Things to Know and Remember).
May 1, 2002... It is seeking personal mementos related to the Normandy invasion. If you would like to contribute historical items, contact: National D-Day Foundation, 202 E. Main Street, P.O. Box 77, Bedford, VA 24523. 1-800-351-3329. Web site: www.dday.org.

Navy memorial log. (Things to Know and Remember).
May 1, 2002... If you would like to have your name and/or photo listed at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., it is easily done. The enrollment fee for a name is $25 and $25 for a photograph. Contact: U.S. Navy Memorial Log, P.O. Box 96570, Washington, DC...

Angel Flight America. (Things to Know and Remember).(free medical air transportation service)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... This unique organization provides free air transportation to those in critical need of travel to a distant medical facility. Treatment must be unaffordabte and not available locally. To learn more, contact Angel Flight America at its 24-hour...

Afghanistan combat patches Ok'd. (Security).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Soldiers serving in Afghanistan are now eligible for combat patches. Most are troops from the 10th Mountain Division, 101st Airborne Division and Army special ops. In mid-March, Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki approved combat patches and...

Guardsmen want guns on U.S. borders. (Security).(National guard)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The more than 1,700 National Guardsmen who deployed to the nation's borders in March are not armed. Guard leaders say the decision is a mistake. "The bottom line is that in order to best protect themselves, and if necessary, the citizenry,...

Gulf War pilot still alive? (Security).(Missing in Action pilot Michael Scott Speicher)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Recent evidence is bolstering the case that the only MIA of the Persian Gulf War may in fact be a POW in Iraq. A U.S. senator who for years has been investigating the status of Navy pilot Lt. Cmdr. Michael Scott Speicher refuses to give up. ...

Women in combat arms de-emphasized. (Security).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... A Pentagon panel that studies the role of women in the military has changed its mission. Improving readiness rather than promoting alleged "social engineering" is now the priority. During the Clinton Administration, the 51-year-old Defense...

Marines, special ops work together. (Security).(Marine Corps to work more closely with the Special Operations Command unit of the Army)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Though not announced until Feb. 26, the Marine Corps and the Army's Special Operations Command signed an agreement Nov. 9 calling for closer training and a new integrated command structure. Undoubtedly, the announcement was delayed for...

$1,500 VA deductible rejected. (Service).(Veteran's Administration health care)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... On March 11, the House Veterans Affairs Committee rejected a plan by the Bush Administration to charge some veterans a $1,500 annual deductible for VA health care. The committee--as well as VFW--strongly opposes the measure, which was intended...

Agent Orange/leukemia link discounted. (Service).(National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine retracts Agent Orange health claim)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... A scientific panel said last year that a Vietnam veteran's exposure to Agent Orange and the chance his children might develop leukemia were linked. It has now backed off that claim. The National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine...

WWII memorial construction `on schedule'. (Service).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Nine months into a projected 30-month operation, construction of the national World War II Memorial is progressing on schedule. Workers began building the foundation in February. In March, Michael G. Conley, associate executive director of...

Memorializing America's `domestic soldiers'.(National Peace Officers Memorial Day)
May 1, 2002... National Peace Officers Memorial Day is commemorated May 15. This year, 478 officers' names will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. Some 226 were killed in the line of duty in 2001. Some of the...

Battle of Shahi Kot Valley: in the largest U.S. light infantry battle in years. GIs took the terrorists head on. But eight Americans were killed in action. (War On Terrorism).(Afghanistan Conflict, Operation Anaconda)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Waged from March 1-16, Operation Anaconda pitted three U.S. infantry battalions against an undetermined number of al Qaeda terrorists in the notorious Shahi Kot Valley near Gardez, Afghanistan. In the fiercest fighting yet in the war on...

Monumental decisions: memorials under way to honor victims of Sept. 11: from flowers at fence lines to towering beams of light, Americans remember those who died in the terrorist attacks until permanent memorials are built.
May 1, 2002... Americans have a long history of memorializing the dead. Presidents (Washington, Lincoln), wars (Korea, Vietnam) and violent events (Oklahoma City and USS Cole bombings) are commemorated with symbolic structures where the living can go to...

`Shoulder-to-shoulder': combatting terrorists in the Philippines: more than 600 U.S. troops are training Filipinos to eradicate Muslim extremists on Basilan Island. (War On Terrorism)(Cover Story).
May 1, 2002... Officially, it's known as a "military training exercise." But make no mistake, the joint U.S.-Filipino military operation now under way in the southern Philippines is another front in the U.S. war on terrorism. "There is no question that...

Battling at Bayan: on May 2, 1902, the U.S. Army fought its last major engagement of the Philippines War, and launched a new war against the Islamic Moros of Mindanao. (Philippines War 1899-1902).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Precisely two months prior to the official end of the hard-fought Philippines War, America found itself embroiled in a far lengthier conflict, lasting a dozen years. The islands of the southern Philippines harbored harsh followers of Islam...

`Like a mad tiger': fighting Islamic warriors in the Philippines 100 years ago: exactly a century ago, America began a war against one of its fiercest foes--the Moros of the southern Philippines.(United States troops battle against Islamic Moros from 1902 to 1913)
May 1, 2002... `Like a mad tiger': fighting Islamic warriors in the Philippines 100 years ago: exactly a century ago, America began a war against one of its fiercest foes--the Moros of the southern Philippines. Bearing an uncanny historical resemblance to the...

Afghan War, VA care top conference agenda: with the nation on a war footing, VFW's annual `march on the hill' was even more urgent this year. In addition to the main objective of taking veterans concerns directly to lawmakers, the VFW Legislative Conference, Feb. 25-27, focused heavily on supporting relief efforts and the war on terrorism. (VFW's Legislative Conference).
May 1, 2002... As VFW members convened at this year's Legislative Conference, Commander-in-Chief Jim Goldsmith reminded them of their clout in Washington, D.C., and their duty to use it constructively. "Our staff is thoroughly respected by the President...

`White Tigers' prowled North Korea: during the Korean War, U.S. Army advisers helped North Korean guerrillas strike the Communists behind enemy lines. Until the 1990s, these missions remained largely unknown. Their members' sacrifices deserve to be widely publicized. (Korean War).
May 1, 2002... Perhaps the least-known aspect of the Korean War were the top-secret guerrilla operations conducted in North Korea. For more than 40 years, these missions involving North Korean guerrillas and American advisers deep inside enemy territory...

Thanking vets, Kansas style: students from Kansas City give four days of their summer, running to raise $6,000 for homeless and hospitalized Kansas veterans in 2001. (Kids `Run Across Kansas' For Veterans).(children from the Kansas City Christian Schoo participate in Run Across Kansas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... For the last four years on Memorial Day weekend, kids from Kansas City, Kan., have been raising money for veterans. A group of 20-30 students from Kansas City Christian School take part in Run Across Kansas each year. Starting at the...

VFW to take Nashville by storm; the `country music capital of the world' will be the site of VFW's 103rd National Convention--one you don't want to miss.
May 1, 2002... When VFW and Ladies Auxiliary members head to Nashville Aug. 24-30 for the organization s 103rd National Convention, they'll find more than a sleepy country music city. Though it's best known as the "country music capital of the world,"...

Memorial Day: fulfilling, a sacred obligation: VFW and Ladies Auxiliary members come out in full force on Memorial Day to pay tribute to Americans who died serving their country in wartime. (VFW in action: VFW members and Posts demonstrating community service).(Veterans of Foreign Wars posts honor Memorial Day)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Posts choose many ways to memorialize the nation's war dead. In 2001 in Corapolis, Pa., for instance, members of Post 402 placed 2,000 flags on veterans graves, planted flowers at four different sites and sponsored a Memorial Day parade. ...

Afghan War producing veterans eligible for VFW: army badges and Marine ribbons being earned in Afghanistan are now qualifying combat vets for VFW membership. A campaign medal, no doubt, will be forthcoming in the near future. (membership).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Though not official yet, someday soon the Pentagon will issue a campaign medal for duty in Afghanistan. It will become the latest award to qualify for VFW membership. In the meantime, U.S. troops are gaining VFW eligibility in the war zone...

Reunions & claims.
May 1, 2002... REUNION COORDINATORS: To publicize your unit's reunion, fill out the form on page 40 of the February 2002 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...