VFW Magazine articles from November 2000

VFW Magazine archives from November 2000

Veterans Day: remembering America's forgotten warriors is fast becoming a thing of the past. It's about time Nov. 11 is paid its proper respect. (A Day Of Remembrance).
November 1, 2000... Veterans Day, once a widely celebrated holiday, is increasingly forgotten by many Americans. One need only look at the poor turnouts at ceremonies on Nov. 11. With the percentage of citizens who wore a uniform rapidly declining, appreciation...

Much deserved attention for troops. (mail call).(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2000... The September 2000 issue was the best yet. I am very, interested in our troops' locations and duties overseas, which the "mainstream" news media does not often cover. It was a great job. Thanks. Edwin McKown Boothbay Harbor, Me.

More to the Sinai mission. (mail call).(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2000... Re: "Sentinels in the Sinai" (September). Your emphasis on the U.S. infantry battalion in the Sinai excluded other essential elements in the mission. They include the 1st U.S. Support Battalion, U.S. Army Element and the State Department's...

Israel in the eye of the storm. (mail call).(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2000... "Armageddon! The Holy Land as Battlefield" (September) presented a lot of material and was very, readable. It is material that is very politically charged, yet it was covered with considerable insight, perception and sensitivity. The piece was...

Inchon: missing elements. (mail call).(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2000... Please allow me to thank you for all the great articles on the Korean War. The issues containing these stories will be cherished for years to come. Thanks for a job well done. Looking forward to all the future issues over the next three years....

Voting varies by region. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... According to the Federal Election Commission, citizens in these five states had the highest turnout in 1996: Maine (71.9%), Minnesota (64.1%), Montana (62.1%), South Dakota (60.54%) and Vermont (58.1%). Overall, however, the U.S. voter...

Time for family volunteering. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... National Family Volunteer Day--Nov. 18--is a perfect opportunity to showcase the benefits of families working together. Be sure to get out that Saturday and complete a community service project. For more information, call 1-800-VOLUNTEER...

VA cemetery system expanding. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... New VA cemeteries are being developed or are planned in or near urban areas of California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. It can take up to seven years to complete a cemetery and costs as much as $24 million. Size ranges...

Former enemies still seen as unfriendly. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... Though presidential candidates Gore and Bush see Communist China as a "strategic partner" and a "strategic competitor," respectively, 63% of the American public views it as not friendly or as an outright enemy. That same Harris Poll...

Tap college grads for peacekeeping? (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... Northwestern University sociology professor Charles Moskos has a novel idea. He believes "college graduates are an untapped pool for peacekeeping and humanitarian missions." If offered a two-year or better yet, a 15-month, enlistment...

Media infatuated with military social issues. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... Though there has been a flurry of news reports lately because of the presidential campaign, military preparedness has not been a priority to the "mainstream" media. From 1995 to 1999, reported Alex S. Jones in Brill's Content (October...

Clinton to visit Vietnam. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... Bill Clinton will pay a state visit to Hanoi sometime this month. His aim is reportedly to establish a warmer relationship with the Communist regime. An Administration spokesman said Clinton does not see "this in an egocentric way of how it...

Historical marker honors VFW birthplace. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... On Sept. 29, Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) unveiled a marker adjacent to the Fisher Technology Center on Franklin University campus at 300 East Main Street in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The site was the location of the tailor shop where 13...

POWs featured in documentary. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... On Nov. 13, Public TV's American Experience presents Return With Honor, a film profiling more than 20 American airmen captured during the Vietnam War. The two-hour special provides an opportunity for the men to tell their stories in their own...

Magazine focuses on Korean War vets. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... Like VFW magazine, the Marine Corps Association's Leatherneck will be honoring veterans of Korea with a special series of articles over the next three years. To learn more, call 1-800-336-0291, ext. 341.

Planning a local memorial? (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... If your Post is involved in a memorial effort for Korea or Vietnam, you will want to know that state-level casualty lists sorted by name and home of record are available from the Center for Electronic Records at the National Archives and...

Hepatitis C test kits available via internet. (Service).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... Veterans who want to know if they have hepatitis C can now find out in the privacy of their own homes. VFW and the American Liver Foundation (ALF) are co-sponsoring a program to provide hepatitis C test kits to veterans for a nominal fee. ...

Tricare offered to military retirees. (Legislation).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... A provision in the 2001 Defense Authorization Act would extend Tricare coverage to Medicare-eligible military retirees. Currently, retirees are dropped from Tricare (the military's health care program) when they reach 65. The provision was...

Costs kill concurrent receipt. (Legislation).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... Another provision in the 2001 Defense Authorization Act did not make it through Senate and House negotiations. The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), was dropped from the bill mainly because of cost: some $3 billion a year...

House OKs better access to VA. (Legislation).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... The House approved a plan in September to improve access to VA healthcare for veterans, as well as increase pay for VA nurses. By a vote of 411-0, the House passed H.R. 5109--the VA Health Care Personnel Act of 2000, sponsored by Rep. Cliff...

Army opens new outpost in Bosnia. (Security).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... In order to bolster security before winter arrives, the Army opened a new base camp on Sept. 18 in Bosnia. Camp Morgan, located in Donja Slatina near Samac in northeastern Bosnia, will be the new home for Alpha Co., 1st Battalion, 217th...

3rd ID tapped for Kosovo duty. (Security).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... The U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, already engaged in Bosnian peacekeeping duty, has been ordered to Kosovo. The division's 1st Brigade is slated for Kosovo duty from May to November 2001 and will fall under the command of the 101st Airborne...

Chinese interviewed about Korean War MIAs. (Security).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... Pentagon officials in September may have tapped into a new source of clues to missing U.S. Korean War vets. For the first time ever, they were allowed to interview Chinese veterans who fought with North Koreans and helped manage North Korean...

Employers support Reservist-workers. (Employment).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... Most business owners support their employees' service in the National Guard or Reserve, according to results of a Pentagon study released in September. The 1999 Reserve Employer Survey, conducted between October 1999 and January 2000,...

Finding those elusive military records: the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis is charged with handling 6,000 requests per day, and it's at your service.
November 1, 2000... DO YOU KNOW where to turn when you need replacement medals, copies of separation papers or medical records? Since 1960, the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis has served as the repository for military service and medical...

Before they were Presidents: for 25 U.S. Presidents, leadership qualities were honed during war, sometimes in the heat of battle.
November 1, 2000... The military service backgrounds of the nation's commanders-in-chief often arouse curiosity. So in this presidential election year, VFW magazine offers a glimpse at that most interesting aspect of their lives. PRESIDENT WAR...

Communism, cocaine and Colombia: U.S. advisers are now at risk training anti-drug units in Colombia, and the stakes are high. As VFW Res. 464 points out, "cocaine and heroin production have skyrocketed in Colombia" and America must "apply increased resources toward winning the war on drugs.".
November 1, 2000... Congress is clearly concerned about Colombia. "There is a real live civil war going on there," said Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), "involving three armed factions with American troops being sent in the middle. [We are not going] to fight the war...

In Imminent Danger: behind the scenes but on the front lines: little known to most Americans, GIs serve around the world in dangerous and sometimes deadly areas. The only recognition they receive is $150 a month in Imminent Danger Pay (IDP).
November 1, 2000... Tangible recognition for a dangerous task to which only a small proportion of our servicemen are assigned" is what the Senate Armed Services Committee called Imminent Danger Pay (IDP) in 1992. Created by the Pentagon on Oct. 1, 1983, the pay...

A new generation of leaders emerge from the war of 1812: America's second war with Britain (1812-1815) saw the rise of a new and influential citizenry in an ever-expanding society. Prominent among them were war veterans. (Famous War Veterans).
November 1, 2000... ANDREW JACKSON (1767-1845) b. Waxhaw Settlement, S.C. Seventh President of the U.S. Andrew Jackson served two terms as President (1828-1837). He championed equality of opportunity for Americans from all walks of life, majority rule,...

Unsan unhinged: in their first battle with Chinese Communist forces in early November 1950, GIs of the 1st Cavalry Division suffered a tragic fate. (Korean War).
November 1, 2000... Col. Percy W. Thompson, I Corps G-2 officer, raced to the 1st Cavalry Division's 8th Cavalry Regiment headquarters to brief the commanding officer, Col. Hal Edson and his staff, who had just moved into the Unsan area. Unsan was just 50 air...

What about the crisis at VA? (mail call).(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2000... One issue that should be a banner topic among all veterans organizations is the crisis in VA health care. Only 4 million veterans use VA facilities annually--that means 84% of American veterans do not. So why isn't the VA budget fully funded?...

Gauntlet of death at Kunu-ri: it was imperative that the village of Kunu-ri be held so the U.S. 8th Army could escape the Chinese in November 1950. The 2nd Infantry Division was called upon to do the job, but at a terrible price. (Korean War).
November 1, 2000... On the bitter cold night of Nov. 25, 1950, the quiet Korean countryside, near the small village of Kunu-ri, was suddenly shattered by the unsettling sound of bugles blaring. The instruments signaled an attack on the defensive perimeter held by...

America's veterans go for the gold. (VFW in action: VFW members and Posts demonstrating community service.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2000... Before the 2000 Olympics began in Sydney, veterans age 55 and older from 63 VA medical centers rallied together to compete in the 14th annual Golden Age Games, held this year in Topeka, Kan. From Sept. 3-7, the games saw 426 veterans...

Jest a minute.
November 1, 2000... * A retiring office worker was given his old desk to take home with him. They figured it was cheaper than having him clean it out on company time. L.M. Workman, Wichita, Kan. * Homework: A grade-schooler was having a rough time with...

Reunions & claims.(Calendar)
November 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...