VFW Magazine articles from November 2001

VFW Magazine archives from November 2001

Waging war on terrorism: America is now in the midst of a war. More so than ever, those on the front lines deserve our enthusiastic and never-ending backing. (Unequivocal Troop Support).(War on Terrorism)
November 1, 2001... On Sept. 20, the President issued a functional P declaration of war against international terrorism. It was long overdue. Attacks against Americans have gone unavenged far too long: Remember Khobar Towers, the Embassy in Kenya, the USS Cole...

Job security extends to part-timers. (mail call).
November 1, 2001... Re: "Employer Committee Supports Citizen-Soldiers" (September) by Bob Haskell. Guard and Reservist re-employment rights include both part-time and probationary employees under the law. For more information on rights and responsibilities,...

Correcting the membership chart. (mail call).
November 1, 2001... "These Operations Make Veterans Eligible for VFW" (September) should have noted that Dec. 7, 1941, is the beginning date for the Combat Action Ribbon. Also, the Combat Medical Badge, like the CIB, is a qualifying badge. This chart (it is...

Warriors vs. humanitarians. (mail call).
November 1, 2001... Re: "Peace Corps or Armed Force?" (September) by Capt. Marshall Miles hit the nail on the head. The primary function of the military should be to fight and win wars--not to act as a world police force. All the do-gooders attempting to create...

More on the Balangiga Massacre. (mail call).
November 1, 2001... "Remember Balangiga" (September) was a timely piece about a much-misunderstood massacre in the Philippines. Adolph Gamlin, mentioned in the article, was a charter member and commander of the VFW Post in Nebraska City, Neb. Incidentally,...

Energy & Alaska: alternatives to oil. (mail call).
November 1, 2001... "Oil, National Security and an Arctic Refuge" (September) by Milton Copulos was extremely shortsighted and misleading. It's time to look seriously at alternative sources of energy, and to provide the incentives for further development of...

National Army Museum in the wings. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(museum planned for Fort Belvoir, Virginia)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Fort Belvoir, Va., will be home to the National Army Museum, according to a Sept. 11 Washington Post article. To be situated on a 30-acre site along Route 1 at the fort, the facility will cost about $100 million to build. The Arlington-based...

Disabled veterans memorial nearer. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(construction of memorial planned)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... The Commission on Fine Arts has approved a 3-acre memorial site for disabled veterans near the U.S, Botanic Gardens, Now the National Capital Planning Commission must do likewise. Philanthropist Lois Pope launched the drive for the...

War memorials: costs and visitors. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... America's most prominent war memorials are or soon will be prime attractions in the nation's capital: * World War II Memorial--$67.5 million to build (projected). It is expected to attract millions every year. * Korean War Veterans...

Arlington Cemetery in controversy. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(planned expansion of Arlington Cemetery, and those who were killed in the 9-11 attacks)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Plans to expand Arlington National Cemetery are being opposed by a coalition of environmental and civil rights groups. The land in question has special natural and historical attributes. However, the 612-acre cemetery is predicted to run...

Pacific Wing to open at National D-Day Museum. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(National D-Day Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Veterans of the Pacific War will now be recognized on par with their European Theater counterparts at the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans. From Dec. 6-9, 2001, special dedication events are scheduled at the museum featuring the grand...

Homeland Security Office to thwart domestic terrorism. (Security).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... One of the Bush Administration's first moves following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was to create the White House Office of Homeland Security. Bush named former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge as director on Sept. 20. Ridge's mandate,...

Purple hearts for Pentagon casualties; Defense of Freedom Medal for civilians. (Security).(2001 terrorist attacks)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... The Pentagon announced Sept. 27 that all U.S. military personnel killed or wounded in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will receive the Purple Heart. Civilian Department of Defense workers killed or wounded will receive the newly created...

Reservists have job protection. (Employment).(military reserve personnel, being called to action in Afghanistan, should be aware of their reemployment rights)
November 1, 2001... With a potential call up of some 50,000 National Guardsmen and Reservists, the nation's citizen-soldiers and their employers should be aware of re-employment rights. The laws protecting reserve troops are the Uniformed Services Employment and...

Survivors to get retirement benefits. (Legislation).(terrorist attacks extension)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... The Senate approved an amendment to the Defense authorization bill that would give retirement benefits to survivors of U.S. active-duty troops killed in the line of duty. The amendment (1664) was unanimously approved as part of the National...

VFW calls for more VA funding. (Legislation).(funding for medical care )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... In order for VA to fulfill its mission as the principal medical care backup for military health care, VFW and four other veterans groups have requested additional VA funding. The request came in the form of a letter sent to President Bush on...

VA establishes mental health help online. (Service).(Dept. of Veterans Affairs: online services for the 9-11 aftermath)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Offering its expertise in dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), VA announced Sept. 21 that it has a Web site for those trying to cope with the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Maintained by VA's National Center...

Is America ready for a war on terrorism? (Cover Story).(quotations about the war in Afghanistan and the War on Terrorism)
November 1, 2001... It's time to set aside the politically correct niceties about war, says a cadre of commentators. Eradicating terrorist cells demands dispensing with the unrealistic and sanitized notions of casualties characteristic of Kosovo and the Persian...

This is the enemy: America is waging war on a relatively unknown enemy. What kind of a threat does he pose? Here is a profile.(War on Terrorism)
November 1, 2001... To win the war on terrorism, America must know who the enemy is. There is no ambiguity on this point, as the President made clear. "The evidence we have gathered all points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations...

Marshalling military might: with the strategic air war complete, the second phase of America's war in Afghanistan is shifting toward a ground focus.(military units and operations in Afghanistan)
November 1, 2001... America launched its war on terrorism Oct. 7. The initial phase--intense days of strategic airstrikes--hit 44 targets in some nine Afghanistan cities. Most targets were air defenses, airfields, command-and-control facilities and...

Exposing the `Rambo wannabes': armed with the lightning speed of the Internet and the zeal of indignation, dedicated groups of veterans and supporters expose the lies of make-believe warriors. It's a mission, they say, to preserve the memories of GIs who have died for the nation.(those who falsely claim to have seen service in Vietnam)
November 1, 2001... What a coup for the exclusive, private women's college in South Hadley, Mass. One of its history professors, Joseph Ellis, had won a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, and garnered the school national publicity and credit for providing...

Vietnam vets: successful in every field. (Famous War Veterans).
November 1, 2001... Some 2.6 million Americans served in Vietnam. Many of them came home to make exceptional contributions in their chosen professions. Here are just a few. COLIN L. POWELL (1937- ) b. Harlem, N.Y. Secretary of State Secretary of...

VFW unveils Centennial Plaza: in a time of great uncertainty, VFW creates a visible legacy of the organization and a permanent reminder of its commitment to the country's future.(Centennial Plaza, VFW National Headquarters, Kansas City, Missouri )
November 1, 2001... In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, the dedication of VFW's Centennial Plaza at VFW National Headquarters in Kansas City couldn't have been more well-timed. On Oct. 5, some 150 spectators stood in cold rain to...

Veterans Day--its origins and meaning: for 83 years now, the nation has been officially honoring its former defenders on November 11. But this date was not always accepted, and unfortunately, many Americans fail to appreciate its significance. (`Our Way Of Keeping Faith').(the role of the VFW in establishing the day)
November 1, 2001... America's allies--England and France--began the tradition that has become so much a part of this nation's heritage. Two years after World War I ended on Nov. 11, 1918, those two countries began recognizing the sacrifices made in the war by...

Lone veteran recalls Russian expedition: Harold Gunnes, the last surviving veteran of America's only military intervention in the former Soviet Union, remembers those chaotic days in the fall of 1918. (102-Year-Old Fought Russians).(North Russian Expeditionary Force)(Biography)
November 1, 2001... Like thousands of other young men at the time, Harold Gunnes left high school early in 1917 to join the Navy and fight in World War I. Instead of sailing to France, Gunnes was sent on an obscure and hazardous mission to northern Russia....

Duty on a Balkan border: despite direct terrorist attacks on American soil, U.S. troops remain on duty in the volatile Balkans.(the danger to US military personnel in Macedonia and other areas of the Balkans)
November 1, 2001... On Aug. 27, 2001, British soldier Ian Collins of the 9th Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers, was driving an armored vehicle under an overpass on a main road outside Skopje, Macedonia's capital. Suddenly, a large block of concrete, thrown by...

Commando creates new defensive line: October 1951 proved to be an especially deadly time for troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division. For advancing to the Jamestown Line, they paid a dear price. (Korean War).(Korean War)
November 1, 2001... In the autumn of 1951, U.N. forces in Korea launched a major operation aimed at pushing the enemy north about six miles to a new defense line dubbed Jamestown. In addition to keeping continual pressure on the Communist Chinese, this...

Past Commander-in-Chief Ted Connell dies. (taps).(Veterans of Foreign Wars )(Obituary)(Biography)
November 1, 2001... VFW National Headquarters was saddened by the death of past Commander-in-Chief (1960-61) Ted C. Connell, 76, on Sept. 16, 2001, at a hospital in Killeen, Texas, from cancer. Services were held Sept. 19 at First Baptist Church in Killeen....

Veterans take leading role in classrooms: VFW members devote a good portion of time to classroom volunteering. November is an especially busy month as it has been designated "Veterans in the Classroom Month.". (VFW in action: VFW members and Posts demonstrating community service.).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Here's a look at what three Posts are doing to stay involved in their schools. Post 9148 in Whittier, Calif., developed a program in cooperation with the Ladies Auxiliary. Veterans representing all branches of service, and four wars...

Recruiter's MIP mission leads to national award: John Lewis of Colorado earns the inaugural MIP Recruiter of the Year Award with an amazing number of new members signed.. (membership).(Membership Initiative Program)
November 1, 2001... For anyone aiming to become VFW's MIP Recruiter of the Year, take notice: You've got big shoes to fill. At last August's national convention, John Lewis of Post 4061 in Canon City, Colo., received the first-ever-such award. He recruited...

Reunions & claims.
November 1, 2001... REUNION COORDINATORS: To publicize your unit's 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...

Jest a minute.
November 1, 2001... * My friend, Francine, has an hourglass figure. But most of the sand is on the p.m. side. Ormond P. Seitz, North Adams, Mich. * Tarzan swings into his tree hut on a vine. He says,"Jane, pour me a double shot of whiskey." He downs it...