VFW Magazine articles from October 2000

VFW Magazine archives from October 2000

Working for your future: excerpts from the Chief's convention acceptance speech highlight his vision for VFW's future. (Stepping Stones To Success).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)
October 1, 2000... As the VFW moves into the 21st century, it is time for the organization to develop and implement a strategic plan. Nowhere is this more important than in the area of VFW's National Veterans Service (NVS). Serving vets and their families...

Coast Guard recognized at last. (mail call).
October 1, 2000... As a VFW life member and Coast Guard reservist currently on active duty, I want to thank you for the fine article, "In Peril Upon the Seas: `Surf Soldiers' Make the Ultimate Sacrifice," in the August issue. Our small service is seldom...

VFW National Home meeting Oct. 28. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The National Home's annual corporate meeting will be held in Eaton Rapids, Mich., on Oct. 28 at 9 a.m. Two trustees, one each from District 7 (Mich., Wis., Iowa) and District 11 (Kan., Colo., Wyo., Mont., Utah, Ariz., Alaska, Pacific Areas),...

Apathy rules the electorate. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(approximately half the eligible voters did not vote in the 1996 election)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... According to the Census Bureau, the half of eligible voters who did not vote in 1996 were indifferent to the presidential election's outcome. Breakdown: 21% no time/too busy; 17% not interested; 15% personal medical problems; 13% didn't like...

VFW and VetJobs team up. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(online employment service for veterans)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Marietta, Ga.-based Vet Jobs, the largest resume database and job posting Internet firm for veterans, is working together with the VFW to land meaningful employment for recently discharged vets. It serves veterans as well as their spouses and...

Make A Difference Day marks 10th. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Make A Difference Day--the premier day for performing community service in America--marks its 10th anniversary on Oct. 28. Sponsored by USA Weekend and the Points of Light Foundation, this special day is enthusiastically recognized by VFW...

Memorial proposed for disabled vets. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Disabled American Veterans Memorial planned)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Lois Pope, heir to the National Enquirer fortune, has launched a campaign "to honor those whose wounds and scars serve as daily reminders of the cost of war" Her Disabled American Veterans Memorial is targeted for completion by 2005. A...

First Cold War memorial dedicated. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Louisville, Kentucky, memorial honors CIA operative Norman Schwartz)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Louisville, Ky., dedicated what is perhaps the first public memorial exclusively honoring Cold War (1945-91) veterans. On July 20 in Camp Taylor Park, the city honored native son Norman Schwartz, a CIA operative killed in clandestine...

Unique tribute to ETO's last hostile fire to stand at Fort Benning. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(memorial for the last shot fired in Europe during World War II)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... On Oct. 12, a special monument will be dedicated in Fort Benning's Memorial Gardens next to the National Infantry Museum at Columbus, Ga. The Last Shot Memorial remembers the final shot fired in Europe by a GI during WWII. Pfc. Dominic...

CAR: send correct documentation. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Combat Action Ribbon: requirements)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... For a retroactive Combat Action Ribbon, be sure to send only copies of official documents verifying your entitlement. And Marines must send materials to MC Manpower & Reserve Affairs--not the Navy Awards Branch. See the May 2000 VFW...

U.S. Special Forces train West Africans. (Security).(United Nations peacekeeping force: Sierra Leone)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The first of several hundred GIs began arriving in Nigeria and Ghana in August. They are training and equipping West African troops who will eventually become part of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone. The White House said members...

Guard units may have expanded role. (Security).(Army plan would give certain combat roles to National Guard troops)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The Army has submitted a plan to the Joint Chiefs of Staff that assigns specific combat roles to National Guard units. The plan would mobilize nearly 100,000 Guard troops in the event of war. Six of the Guard's eight divisions--each with...

Serb troops cross into Kosovo. (Security).(apparent violation of the agreement with NATO)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... U.S. troops say a group of armed Serbian soldiers ventured into Kosovo, according to the European Stars and Stripes. If so, it would have been the first direct violation of the agreement that ended Operation Allied Force, NATO's air campaign...

Remains returned: Korea, Russia, China. (Security).(World War II, Korean War)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The remains of what are believed to be 14 U.S. Korean War GIs were repatriated on Aug. 20 at Yokota Air Base, Japan. They are now at the Army's Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii (CILHI) for examination. This brings the total to 26...

VFW gives $150,000 to Golden Age Games. (Service).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... VFW, currently in its sixth year as a sponsor of VA's Golden Age Games, will increase its commitment next year. As a "national co-sponsor" in 2001, VFW will contribute $150,000. Next year the Golden Age Games, a multi-event sports...

VA expands spinal cord care. (Service).(Department of Veterans Affairs)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... VA will devote more doctors, nurses and beds to treating spinal cord injuries, according to a directive issued by acting VA Secretary Hershel Gober in July. The directive designates 1,209 beds for patients at VAs 23 spinal cord injury...

House aims to improve VA claims, benefits and medical staffs. (Legislation).(pending legislation)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Four bills pending in Congress at press time focused on helping veterans file claims, increasing their veterans benefits and recruiting better-qualified health care workers at VA hospitals. H.R. 4864--Veterans Claims Assistance Act of...

Pepsi wants to hire new veterans. (Employment).(Partnership for Youth Success program)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The Pepsi Bottling Group will fill some 700 jobs over the next three years with soldiers leaving the Army, according to an agreement signed Aug. 15 between the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USARC) and Pepsi. Soldiers who have completed their...

Here's where the parties stand. (Veterans Issues).(2000 elections)
October 1, 2000... Here's Where the Parties Stand ISSUE REPUBLICAN PARTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM "As a traditional advocate "The Democratic Party PLANK of America's veterans, the honors America's veterans...

Gore & Bush on vet issues: where do the major presidential candidates stand on the issues? VFW magazine found out directly from Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Their responses to questions of vital interest to veterans are listed below. (Cover Story).(2000 presidential candidates)(Interview)
October 1, 2000... AL GORE, JR. Vice President 1993-present Senate 1985-93 House 1977-85 Military service Army reporter. Vietnam (Jan. 2-May 22, 1971). 20th Engineer Brigade VFW Post 5021 in Carthage, Tenn. VA...

VFW Political Action Committee endorsements for 2000.(2000 elections)(Illustration)
October 1, 2000... The following incumbents and non-incumbents have received the VFW-PAC endorsement for the Senate and House of Representatives as indicated. These individuals have a voting record supporting, or have demonstrated their support for, veterans...

Political spotlight shines on VFW: every four years, VFW's convention becomes a crucial campaign stop for presidential candidates. This year was no exception as George W. Bush and Al Gore took to the stump in Milwaukee and offered their views on defense and veterans issues. (VFW National Convention 2000).(VFW's 101st National Convention)
October 1, 2000... VFW's 101st National Convention in Milwaukee garnered much attention from the media when high-profile speakers and presidential hopefuls George W. Bush and Al Gore turned out to voice their support for veterans issues. Prominent Cabinet and...

Internal news: VFW second largest donor to WWII Memorial; membership change in the wings. (VFW National Convention 2000).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... * VFW, now the second largest contributor to the National WWII Memorial, donated $2.5 million to the project at the convention. * Post 864 in Brookline, Mass., donated $10,000 to the memorial during the gathering. * VFW and the...

Employment and health care awards.
October 1, 2000... Employment awardees were Bill Pate of the Goldsboro Employment Security Commission in Goldsboro, N.C.; Ace Burt of Physically Challenged Service Industries, Inc., in Copperas Cove, Texas; Shari Miller of Comcar Industries, Inc., in...

`VFW's uniqueness is our best selling point'.(new Commander-in-Chief of the VFW, John Gwizdak )
October 1, 2000... It's gone down in history as "post-Tet"--the Communist offensive in early 1969. The war in Vietnam--contrary to what many Americans believed--was hardly over by then. It was simply entering another phase. In the offensive's first three...

Leading the organization.(Veterans of Foreign Wars: officers)
October 1, 2000... AT EACH NATIONAL CONVENTION, chair officers are elected and other leaders appointed for the forthcoming year. The chair officers are selected from various conferences so each region has a turn at being represented in the ranks of the national...

Convention competition winners.
October 1, 2000... Posts, Districts and Departments gave their all during competitions and contests in Milwaukee. PATRIOTIC RALLY Best Appearing Senior Men's VFW Color Guard Department of New Jersey Best Appearing Senior Ladies VFW Auxiliary...

All-American Commanders.
October 1, 2000... The following All-American Commanders have distinguished themselves during the 1999-2000 year. DEPARTMENT Alaska Robert R. Klotz Arizona John I. Halstead Sr. California Richard L. Eubank Colorado Emil E. Pischel Delaware...

`Bats out of hell': the Rakkasans in action at Sukchon. (Korean War).(airborne operation during the Korean War)
October 1, 2000... By October 1950, U.S. forces had withstood the North Korean People's Army (NKPA) attacks and shifted to the offensive. To complete the destruction of the NKPA, a massive double envelopment of the enemy was achieved by attacking from the south...

Pioneer to the rescue: in November 1943, off the coast of North Africa in the Mediterranean Sea, the crew of the USS Pioneer saved the lives of hundreds of men from the bombed troopship Rohna.(rescue at sea, World War II)
October 1, 2000... Quartermaster 1st Class Ron Wright took the wheel on the USS Pioneer bridge on Nov. 26, 1943, expecting another humdrum day in the Mediterranean screening for transports. The minesweeper had joined the 27-ship, India-bound convoy KMF-26...

VFW drives for community service. (VFW in action: VFW members and Posts demonstrating community service.).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)
October 1, 2000... VFW members are helping others get moving through acts of service in their communities. These include gifts of time, money, effort and equipment. Posts are doing all they can to help promote safety, a clean environment and good health. ...

British at Korea's Pusan Perimeter. (mail call).
October 1, 2000... Congratulations on your excellent Korean War anniversary coverage, including Gary Turbak's "Pusan Perimeter Besieged" in August. My unit--the 27th British Infantry Brigade--was not mentioned in the battle narrative. Arriving in Pusan in...

Protesting policy yet supporting troops. (mail call).
October 1, 2000... Re: "Images of `Imperial Soldiers'" by Arthur Fox in the August issue. To the extent protests against an imperialistic war are aimed at members of the armed services, the protest is certainly misguided. Still, I personally will speak out...

MOHs as tokens of political correctness. (mail call).
October 1, 2000... Recent mass handouts of the Medal of Honor (see Now Hear This in August) have degraded the integrity of that prestigious award. The 442nd RCT suffered 650 KIA and received 20 MOHs. My smaller 382nd Inf. Regt. of the 96th Division sustained...

Ohio: no official Korean War memorial. (mail call).
October 1, 2000... Editor's Note: In the August Mail Call section, the magazine published a photo of a Korean War memorial in Dayton, Ohio, whose founders claimed it was that state's official monument. According to the Ohio Office of Veterans Affairs and...

In recognition. (membership).(increasing VFW membership)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Member recruitment is the lifeblood of the organization. And those who lead the membership drives in the Departments should be acknowledged. To accord them the recognition they deserve, VFW magazine is publishing the photos of Department...

Jest a minute.
October 1, 2000... * Practical prayer: Lead us not into temptation. Just let us know where temptation is, and we'll find it ourselves. Myron D. Varland, Watsonville, Calif. * A newspaper had the following wedding announcement: "This is the third...

Reunions & claims.
October 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 17 St., Suite 523, Kansas...