VFW Magazine articles from September 2001

VFW Magazine archives from September 2001

Peace Corps or Armed Force? (mail call).
September 1, 2001... Where is the progress in Kosovo? The fact is progress is not being made there. Serbs of Kosovo are attacked and harassed daily. Organized Albanian criminal gangs have a stranglehold across the land. Indicators are that "peace support...

Scoring public popularity of services. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... A Gallup poll conducted around last Memorial Day was most revealing of public attitudes toward the services. In terms of most importance to national defense, this is how the public rated them: Air Force (42%), Army (18%), Navy (15%) and Marine...

Independence and patriotism. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... In a July 4 column, William Safire offered an astute observation on the state of patriotism in America. "The idea of national sovereignty--independence--has become controversial," he wrote. "We are now taught that pride in independence is...

Commemorating communism? (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Mexican artist Frida Kahlo featured on new postage stamp)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The U.S. Postal Service has chosen to honor a foreign adherent of totalitarianism on an American stamp. Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is the first avowed Communist to appear on a U.S. stamp. She wrote of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao: "I...

Provide photos for Vietnam Veterans Memorial. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The Virtual Wall (www.thevirtualwall.org), the online version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., would like to match a photo with every one of the 58,226 names on the memorial. Put a Face With a Name, a campaign sponsored...

Space at Retirement Homes. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Now under the unified management of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, the U.S. Naval Home in Gulf-port, Miss., and the Soldier's and Airmen's Home in Washington, D.C., have space available. Despite their names, veterans from any service are...

Completing Cold War history. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(desire for bomber crews to discuss their role in the Cold War)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... During the Cold War, Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber crews served around the world as part of the Strategic Air Command and within several air forces between 1951 and 1965. However, their contributions to winning the struggle against Soviet...

Distinguished Flying Cross information. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... If you would like to learn more about the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), there is an organized group out there that can help. Contact: Michael O'Neil, Director, Distinguished Flying Cross Society, 6920 Miramar Rd., Suite 207D, San Diego,...

British ban women in combat arms. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The joint British services' report--Combat Effectiveness Gender Study--released in June, concluded that women should continue to be barred from serving in "direct-fire, close-combat roles." Testing found that most could not meet the physical...

Records Center has new numbers. (Service).(National Personnel Records Center)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Mo.--the repository for nearly all U.S. military records starting with WWII--announced four new customer service telephone numbers. They are: (314) 538-4122 (314) 538-4142 ...

Beware of VA pension scam. (Service).(Veterans Administration )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... VA's inspector general wants all veterans to know about unscrupulous offers that could leave them with fractions of their VA pensions or disability payments. "Our review of this matter raises some very serious concerns whether unsuspecting...

Agent Orange/leukemia study flawed. (Service).(effects of exposure of soldiers to Agent Orange and acute myelogenous leukemia in their children)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The VA announced in July that an Australian study linking leukemia in children to their parents' exposure to Agent Orange in the Vietnam War (June/July "Washington Wire") was flawed. VA said the researchers noted errors in the study, and, after...

GI seriously wounded in Kosovo. (Security).(U.S. soldier)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... A U.S. soldier serving near the Macedonia border was wounded on June 25 when he stepped on a land mine. Sgt. Richard P. Casini, Recon Trp., 1st Cav Bde., 3rd Inf. Div., lost his right foot in the incident, which occurred about 3 1/2 miles north...

Code talkers awarded medal. (Security).(Navajo World War II veterans receive Congressional Gold Medal)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... A group of Navajo World War II veterans received the nation's highest civilian honor July 26 for a code they developed nearly 60 years ago to thwart the Japanese. President Bush presented the veterans, who served with the Marines in the Pacific...

First `no-fly' zone plane crashes. (Security).(flights over Iraq)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... After more than 10 years and 200,000 flights, the first U.S. plane enforcing the "no-fly" zones in Iraq crashed July 18. The pilot, Lt. Michael A. Nelson, Jr., parachuted to safety and was in "good health" after the incident, according to a...

Army will use India's Jungle school. (Security).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... India granted the U.S. Army access to its Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare School in July. It is the first formal military cooperation between the two countries since 1998 when Washington cut links in the wake of India's nuclear tests. The...

House approves flag amendment. (Legislation).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Once again, the House passed a proposed constitutional amendment to protect the U.S. flag. The vote, 298-125 on July 17, sent the bill to the Senate. It is the fourth time in six years the House has approved the legislation, which states:...

House OKs disabled, Gulf War benefits. (Legislation).(Veterans Benefits Act of 2001)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The House approved a VFW-supported bill July 31 that would expand several benefits for veterans. H.R. 2540--the Veterans Benefits Act of 2001--would: * increase the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for disabled veterans to 2.7% (an...

Bill would compensate WWII POWs. (Legislation).(prisoners of war; Justice for U.S. POWs Act of 2001)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Legislation introduced in March would compensate U.S. POWs who were used as slave laborers by Japan during World War II. H.R. 1198--the Justice for U.S. POWs Act of 2001--seeks compensation from Japanese corporations "for mistreatment or...

`The least I can do for them': accounting for America's MIAs. (Cover Story).(missing in action)
September 1, 2001... Throughout the world, active duty troops and civilians scour the last-known locations of missing GIs. Their efforts have yielded steady progress and have brought home remains of hundreds of heroes. Dripping sweat while digging in oozing mud...

Changing of the Guard? National Guard units and reservists alike are carrying a heavy load into the 21st century. Is this the proper course? Or is it time to re-evaluate the entire policy of overseas deployments?
September 1, 2001... Last year, National Guardsmen and reservists were dispatched to 64 countries. Some 38,000 of them participated in overseas missions. And their defense- related activations are up 50% in 2001. In any given week, 6,700 of these citizen-soldiers...

Employer committee supports citizen--soldiers: for National Guard and Reserve members who are deployed overseas or mobilized stateside, a special support coalition exists to ensure their re-employment rights.
September 1, 2001... Bound for Bosnia? Or Kosovo? Or Saudi Arabia or Kuwait? Will peacekeeping be your primary concern for a few months within the next year or so? Then talk to your civilian bosses as soon as possible so you can reclaim your jobs after you come...

Oil, national security and an Arctic Refuge: national security concerns--virtually ignored--are at the heart of the debate over opening a slice of Alaska's Arctic coastal plain to oil exploration and development. Here the author makes the case for a prudent approach to this vital issue.
September 1, 2001... In the debate over opening Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas exploration, one important topic has garnered scant attention: the national security implications of gaining access to the region's immense petroleum...

Veterans turn skills into business: three federal resources exist to help you jumpstart your company.
September 1, 2001... When Doug Schofield spent two years as a draftsman for he Army during the Vietnam era, he had no idea where his service would eventually lead. The founder and owner of Aomega, Inc., Schofield is proud, yet humble about his time in the...

A ridge of heartbreak: waged between Sept. 13 and Oct. 15, 1951, the brutal Battle of Heartbreak Ridge was the last major U.S. attempt to "tidy up" the 8th Army's flanks. (Korean War).
September 1, 2001... Late in the summer of 1951, truce talks in Korea broke down, and U.N. forces again took major military action. After taking Bloody Ridge, American leaders turned their attention to another region of rugged hilltops and steep slopes--geographic...

Vets of Cold War spanned three generations. (Famous War Veterans).
September 1, 2001... The longest-running generation of veterans (1945-1991), those Americans who served during the twilight struggle against communism had a tremendous impact on society for half a century. JIMMY CARTER (1924- ) b. Plains, Ga. 39th President of...

Remember Balangiga! On Sept 28, 1901, at a small village on the coast of Samar in the war-torn Philippines, a company of the 9th Infantry Regiment suffered the single worst U.S. combat casualties of the war. This 100th anniversary special tells C Company's story. (Philippines War 1899-1902).
September 1, 2001... "This almost forgotten fight in the far away Philippines really deserves a place in history," concluded 9th Infantry Regiment commander Col. E.G. Peyton in 1928, "alongside Thermopylae, Balaklava, The Alamo and Little Big Horn." Peyton may...

Honoring America's POW/MIAs. (VFW in action: VFW members and Posts demonstrating community service.).(Prisoners of War/Missing in Action honored by Veterans of Foreign Wars)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... One of the basic principles of VFW is to remember the sacrifices of all veterans, especially those held prisoners of war and those still missing in action. Sept. 17 marks a day to nationally recognize them. In keeping with this tradition,...

These operations make veterans eligible for VFW: comprehending the chart below is essential to effectively recruiting younger members. (membership).(Veterans of Foreign War)
September 1, 2001... Since the 1980s alone, 25 military operations have been conducted that make overseas veterans eligible for VFW. It is important to become familiar with these missions--some of them rather obscure--so you don't miss recruiting opportunities. ...

Understanding auto policies. (member benefits).(automobile insurance )
September 1, 2001... Auto insurance is a necessity that too many people have minimal knowledge about. As a result, they often end up spending more money than they really need to spend. Don't let that happen to you. The following explanations of the types of...

Reunions & claims.
September 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: htrp://www.vfw.org/magazine/51.shtml. Send to VFW magazine, 406 W. 34th St., Suite...