VFW Magazine articles from September 2000

VFW Magazine archives from September 2000

Korean War commemoration in Las Vegas. (now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Though the public may have already forgotten the 50th anniversary of the Korean War's start, some organizations are keeping the commemoration alive. Soldier of Fortune magazine will host a discussion panel of distinguished Korean War vets...

Teddy Roosevelt rates Medal of Honor. (now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Once President Clinton affixes his signature, former President and "Rough Rider" Teddy Roosevelt will receive the Medal of Honor. The Army recommended the medal for T.R. in July after an exhaustive investigation. According to John Gable,...

Trade deal with Vietnam goes to congress next. (now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... In mid-July, the Clinton Administration concluded a normalized trade agreement with Hanoi. Based on corporate experiences since the lifting of the trade embargo in 1995, however, the deal holds little potential for U.S. companies. Foreign...

Win a ticket to the Army/Navy Game. (now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... To commemorate the continuing 50th anniversary of the Korean War, VFW will host 50 wounded vets of the war at the 2000 Army/Navy football game in Baltimore on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2000 To enter the drawing, you must have earned the Korean...

Who is that man on the cover? Calls and letters wanted to know who these men were. Well, we found out. (now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... People on magazine covers often spark reader interest. And the special commemorative issue on the Korean War was certainly no exception. Many readers thought the two men on the June/July cover were relatives or friends. Some insisted the...

Supreme Court upholds right of private organizations to set member eligibility. (now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... In a historic ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the legal concept of freedom of association. In a case involving the Boys Scouts of America versus a homosexual coalition, the 5-4 decision allowed BSA to exclude homosexuals as scout leaders....

Unique military museum opens. (now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The Airborne and Special Operations Museum, based in North Carolina, opened its doors Aug. 16. The $22.5 million museum tells the story of paratroopers and other elite Army units ranging from WWII through the Persian Gulf. For more...

National D-Day Museum Pacific Wing needs artifacts. (now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... If you served in the Pacific during WWII and would like to donate memorabilia, now is your opportunity. Contact: Paula Ussery, Curator of Collections, National D-Day Museum, at (504) 527-6012, ext. 4.

Montgomery GI Bill to be upgraded: but date for passage of $64 monthly increase remains unclear as House and Senate confer to hammer out differences.
September 1, 2000... In a flurry of election year legislation, both the House and Senate have voted their own upgrades of the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). Differences between the two proposals must now be reconciled in a House-Senate conference. According to one...

Public to get FREE U.S. coins: the first coins with the Mint year of 2000 are now being given away FREE to introduce the new U.S. Golden Dollar. (Special Advertising Feature).
September 1, 2000... When was the last time someone gave you FREE money? Well, it already happened once last year and now it's happening again, so hurry because we'll tell you how to get yours FREE. For the first time in history the U.S. Government is minting a...

Help for Vet-Entrepreneurs in the works. (Employment).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Veterans who own or want to own businesses are getting some help from the federal government. Officials from VA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced in June that they are working together to expand programs and services...

House approves $2.6 billion VA increase. (Legislation).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The House passed the 2001 funding bill for VA on June 21. House lawmakers approved H.R. 4635--the 2001 VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act--by a vote of 256-169. The bill provides $46.85 billion for VA, representing a $2.6...

Senate recognizes atomic vets. (Legislation).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The Senate unanimously approved a resolution in July that honors atomic veterans. S. Res. 336 recognizes the "contributions, sacrifices and distinguished service of Americans exposed to radiation or radioactive materials as a result of service...

West resigns as VA secretary. (Service).(Togo West, Jr.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Togo West, Jr., resigned as VA secretary on July 31. His deputy, Hershel W. Gober, will serve as acting secretary through the end of the Clinton Administration. West began his tenure in January 1998 after four years as Army secretary. The...

Balkans vets eligible for VA counseling. (Service).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... U.S. veterans who served in the former Yugoslavia are now eligible for VA readjustment counseling. Those who participated in the operations Joint Endeavor, Joint Guard or Joint Forge in Bosnia qualify. Kosovo vets also qualify, according to...

Korea GIs receive CIBs, Silver Stars. (Security).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... In recognition of their action during a firefight in Korea 16 years ago, the Pentagon approved Silver Stars for one current and three former soldiers in July. The soldiers and their ranks at the time of the incident are: Capt. Bert K. Mizusawa,...

Limits may be set on Kosovo mission. (Security).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... A provision in the 2001 Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 4205, deals with an issue of importance to the VFW. It requires the President to certify by April 2001 that European allies are paying a fair share of peacekeeping costs in Kosovo or GIs...

VFW runs out of Korean War medals. (Security).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... VFW is no longer distributing the Korea War Service Medal. Demand from eligible VFW members for the award far surpassed the original allotment of 2,000. VFW national headquarters staff members who handled disbursement of the award estimated...

Patrolling Southern skies: keeping Iraqi planes from straying across the 33rd parallel has become a full-time mission for thousands of U.S. aviators and the ground forces that support them. (Middle East Report)(Cover Story).
September 1, 2000... Inside a buffer zone near the Saudi Arabian capital city of Riyadh sits Eskan Village. Meaning "housing" in Arabic, this innocent sounding place is headquarters for the joint task force that enforces the no-fly zone over southern Iraq....

Sentinels in the Sinai: for 18 years, GIs have helped maintain the truce between Egypt and Israel on the strategic Sinai Peninsula. They do so virtually unnoticed by the U.S. public. (Middle East Report)(Cover Story).
September 1, 2000... They have been called soldiers without enemies. Indeed, GIs who man the ranks of the rather obscure Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) face only the natural elements. And contend with mind numbing desert duties conducive to "creeping...

Armageddon! The Holy Land as battlefield: from ancient to modern times, Israel has been at the strategic crossroads of warfare. Here is a glimpse at how this small nation preserves its military history and publicly remembers its war dead. (Middle East Report)(Cover Story).
September 1, 2000... On May 9, 2000, at 11 a.m. sirens sounded and every citizen stopped what he or she was doing--drivers got out of their cars--for two minutes and paid homage to the nation's war dead. That's how sacred Memorial Day is in Israel. Not surprising,...

Korean War MIA accounting back on track: after more than six months of inactivity, the quest to account for the more than 8,000 U.S. MIAs lost in the Korean War resumed in June. For this year at least, it signals more cooperation from North Korea.
September 1, 2000... Now that political negotiations are out of the way, U.S. field teams are back at work in North Korea, searching for the remains of U.S. troops killed in the Korean War. Two joint searches have been completed since June and a third is under way....

`Finest hour': Inchon: despite incredible tide changes, Marines landed in North Korea in September 1950 as part of Operation Chromite. (Korean War).
September 1, 2000... At high tide, its waters reached from 23 feet to 35 feet. While at low tide, the harbor is a gigantic mud flat that could beach invasion craft and leave them to the mercy of the enemy's guns ashore. "Half the problem," said Maj. Gen. Oliver P....

Liberating Seoul: fresh from their victory at Inchon, U.S. Army and Marine units met stiff resistance in the South Korean capital of Seoul in September 1950. (Korean War).
September 1, 2000... With the seizure of Inchon and Kimpo Airfield, the 1st Marine Division and the U.S. Army's 7th Division were poised to strike at the South Korean capital of Seoul. The major problem facing the troops was attempting to cross the Han River, which...

How safe are drugs? Don't just take your medicine--understand it.
September 1, 2000... It's a bitter pill to swallow, but adverse reactions to prescription drugs are the fourth-largest cause of death nationally after heart disease, cancer and stroke. Why are medicines killing so many patients? In one study, 85% of 1,000...

Massacre at Mabitac: U.S. soldiers suffered a major setback on southern Luzon on Sept. 17, 1900, during the guerrilla war in the Philippines. (Philippines War 1899-1902).
September 1, 2000... "It is deemed charitable as well as politic to drop a veil over the matter rather than to give it any publicity that can be avoided," recommended an officer regarding the American defeat at Mabitac, a battle completely lost in U.S. military...

Preserving history through education: VFW members share experiences with students in classrooms across the country. (in action: VFW members and posts demonstrating community service).(Brief Article)(Illustration)
September 1, 2000... As the school year gets under way, VFW continues its mission to get veterans in the classroom. Recent studies indicate the number of students proficient in civics and history is steadily declining. This is especially distressing news to the men...

New Medal makes Kosovo vets eligible: U.S. troops who meet specific requirements for duty in Kosovo can now wear the Kosovo Campaign Medal. The award qualifies recipients for VFW membership. (membership).
September 1, 2000... Kosovo veterans now have tangible recognition of their service in the Balkans. It comes in the form of the newly created Kosovo Campaign Medal (KCM), which also is the latest overseas service award to qualify recipients for VFW membership. ...

Thanks a million. (member benefits).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... We're 2 years old and $1 million strong. And we couldn't have done it without you--the membership of the VFW and Ladies Auxiliary. Thank you for your deposits, your loans, your checking accounts and your support. This is your credit...

Jest a minute.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... * Bulletin flash!! A vacation consists of 2 weeks that are 2 short, after which you are 2 tired 2 return 2 work and 2 broke not 2. Myron Varland, Watsonville, Calif. * Fact of life: When the young boy asked his father if he saw the...

Reunions & claims.
September 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...