VA Recognizes Military Sacrifices on Memorial Day WASHINGTON (May 22, 2009) - From parades to somber ceremonies and a moment of silence, Americans will recall the sacrifices of military members who paid the ultimate price for freedom on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. "From May 23 to May 30, commemorative events at VA national cemeteries will present a sacred responsibility for employees and volunteers to honor these greatest of American heroes," said Steve Muro, VA's acting under secretary for memorial affairs. "Since the birth of Memorial Day in 1866, national cemeteries have been the most visible expression of our country's gratitude for their service." The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will continue its annual tradition of hosting services at most of its national cemeteries and many other facilities nationwide. The programs, which are the focus of Memorial Day events in many communities, honor the service of deceased Veterans and people who die on active duty. For the dates and times of Memorial Day programs at VA national cemeteries, visit www.cem.va.gov . More than 100,000 people are expected to attend activities at VA's national cemeteries, with color guards, readings, bands and choir performances. The events will honor about one million men and women who died in wartime periods, including about 655,000 battle deaths. Some national cemetery observances are unique. At VA's most active cemetery, in Riverside, Calif., volunteers have been reading aloud -- since Armed Forces Day, May 17 -- the names of more than 150,000 Veterans buried there, and are expected to continue at least until the Memorial Day program. In one-hour shifts around the clock, 500 volunteers - two to four at a time -- alternate reading the names. The Dayton, Ohio, National Cemetery will host members of Veterans organizations on the weekend before Memorial Day who will display 400 donated burial flags along the main road. The cemetery also expects 2,000 children and youths, many from Scout troops, to decorate more than 40,000 graves on the weekend in two hours. VA's 128 national cemeteries include 13 that opened in the last 10 years. Another 3 cemeteries are under development. VA currently maintains 18,000 acres where 2.9 million gravesites are located. By 2010, Veterans' burial space is expected to be available to 90 percent of Veterans within 75 miles of where they live. Information about Memorial Day, including its history, can be found at www.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/. VA is a cosponsor with the White House Commission on Remembrance of an annual Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m., Eastern time, nationwide on Memorial Day, a time to pause and reflect on the sacrifice of America's fallen warriors and the freedoms that unite Americans. Many institutions will announce a pause in their activities -- from sporting events to public facilities -- to call the nation together in a common bond of silence. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day when the tradition of decorating Civil War graves began. It still brings loved ones to the graves of the deceased, often with flowers as grave decorations. Decorations honoring Veterans buried in national cemeteries are American flags -- either individual small ones on each grave, usually placed by volunteers, or "avenues of flags" flanking both sides of the cemetery main entrance road. Often these flags are the burial flags donated by next of kin of Veterans buried in the cemetery

Assistant Secretary Duckworth Honored at Women to Watch Awards

WASHINGTON (May 6, 2009) - Yesterday, the Department of Veterans AffairsAssistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, L. TammyDuckworth, was honored by Running Start at their annual Women to WatchAwards in Washington, DC. She spoke to a crowd of 300 young women at aceremony at the National Press Club.

"We make our Nation stronger by supporting the 200,000 women currentlyserving in the armed forces and the approximately 1.7 million womenVeterans in our country that need our help," Assistant Secretary L.Tammy Duckworth said. "It's time to stop being surprised that America'sdaughters are fully capable of doing their jobs and fighting for ourfreedoms. I recognize that I am here today because I stand on theshoulders of the men and women who opened the doors for women to serve."

Running Start is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring youngwomen to run for political office. It offers high school and collegewomen the unique opportunity to hear from today's leaders. By educatingyoung women about the importance of politics and giving them the skillsthey need to become leaders, they give them the running start they needto reach their aspirations.

Assistant Secretary Duckworth was introduced by State RepresentativeLinda Chapa LaVia from the state of Illinois. She was recognized as a"Woman to Watch" by Running Start along with Erin Issabelle Burnett,CNBC Television Anchor; Betsy Fischer, Executive Producer of Meet thePress; Julie Gilbert, Founder and CEO of Wolf Means Business; and MonaSutphen, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Obama Administration.

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The 125th anniversary of Harry S. Truman's birth

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Harry Truman (left), and General Douglas MacArthur. truman125

Friday, May 01, 2009

British Nuclear Test Vets

Please take a minute or two to read this. It is not a chain or spam but a
genuine call for your help.



Were you or was your Father, Grandfather a participant in the British
Nuclear Testing Programme between 1952 and 1967? Or do you know someone
falling in to this category?



If this does not apply could you please help us by forwarding this email to
everyone you know. This is a genuine initiative more details are
available on our website http://bntvg2.fh50.com/ .



If the answer is yes then you need to know that the British Government has
just announced:

Children and grandchildren of servicemen involved in Britain's nuclear bomb
tests are to get medical help for the first time.

The families - who have 10 times the normal rate of birth defects - are to
take part in a landmark £500,000 study, it was announced last week.

On 20th April 2009 Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said there will be a
wide-ranging medical assessment of the families - which is expected to
lead to new research and therapies to help them.

He told Parliament money had already been put aside and that the work would
begin within weeks.

More than 20,000 servicemen were ordered to stand and watch as Britain
exploded hundreds of nuclear devices in Australia and the South Pacific
between 1952 and 1967.

Many of their children were born with twisted limbs, deformed bones, eye,
heart and teeth defects or blood and brain disorders.

Work has already begun to contact the families. The results of the study
are expected to be announced next year.

The British Nuclear Test Veterans Association has been the driving force in
getting this study launched and will continue to play a major role.

If you are a veteran or descendant please let us know – simply send an
email to bntva.g2@googlemail.com giving your contact details* (if you are
an existing member of the BNTVA please quote your membership number). If
you wish to join the BNTVA please put ‘JOIN’ in the subject line of your
email.

As a conservative estimate there should be at least 30,000 descendants out
there and we need to find them.

More information is available on http://bntvg2.fh50.com/ Please visit this
site.

The BNTVA website can be viewed on http://www.bntva.com/

Thank you for your time, please pass this email on.



*All information given in strictest confidence and will not be passed to
any other organisation or used for any marketing purpose, we will not send
unsolicited emails to any address you supply, Full Data Protection
Statement available at http://bntvg2.fh50.com/- please see the two web
links to find more about this Contact Initiative and the wider work of the
British Nuclear Test Veterans Association.

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Thursday, April 30, 2009

Some Words for May 1st

Ladies and Gentlemen, the great Roman orator Cicero once said, “Poor is the nation that has no heroes, but poorer still is the nation that having heroes, fails to remember and honor them.”

In our society some men are lionized for their great wealth, or their political power, or their social position. Some are renowned for their athletic ability. Others are accorded celebrity status as film stars or rock icons. But of all the titles in the world I believe the proudest is that of veteran because it refers to an individual who was willing to give up everything for America.

In William Shakespeare’s play “Henry the 5th,” the king of England on the eve of the last great battle of the One Hundred Years War, stood before his beleaguered and out numbered soldiers and said to them,

”We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, for he who sheds his blood with me this day until the ending of the world is my brother.”

The veterans who wore the uniform of this country are a brotherhood. They represent less than 7% of the population making them members of the most exclusive fraternity in America, forever connected by a shared sense of duty, commitment and willingness to sacrifice their lives that set them apart and make them different from everyone else in our society.

Let us remain friends and stay united as veterans, and extend one to the other, the mutual respect earned by men who stood together in defense of America.

“Let us, we few, we happy few, until the ending of the world, remain a band of brothers.”


We gather here on May 1st to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the 5 Decade long struggle known as "The Cold War". Many may ask why commemorate these men on May 1st. The fall of the Berlin Wall or the dissolving of the Soviet Union are anniversaries that might just as well be the one marked on the calender for this occasion.

Allow me to tell you why.


May 1st Communist Party Workers day, a day In the Communist Block mandatory upon the proletarian organizations of all countries to stop work on [[May 1]], This was a day to celebrate the accomplishments of the State and maybe most importantly to show case the power of the Red military machine. I do not think there is anyone of us old enough who cannot remember those ominous news reel images of troops, tanks, and missiles rolling down the parade route endlessly in Moscow and repeated all over Eastern Europe and Asia and even in our own hemisphere.

These images were a annual reminder to us that we were locked in a ideological struggle that was a very real threat to our freedoms and our very way of life.

How would we respond to this menace? The only way we could respond was to check communist aggression wherever and whenever it reared its ugly head and for three generations young Americans answered that call from the Fulda Gap to Korean DMZ . From Jungles of Southeast Asia to the radar stations in the Arctic. The Air, the land, on and under all the 7 Seas. Proxy wars and a doctrine called MAD these men and women answered the call and went all over the globe to contain the spread of communism and some never returned.

So on May 1st a day that celebrated the Communist worker and military might, We too Shall honor the worker: the Airmen, Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers who lie in rest here will not be forgotten for the work they have done to keep this country free . "Lest We Forget" a grateful nation remembers and thanks you for your service.

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Call Senators Kennedy and Collins Today

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Greetings everyone,

Tomorrow Wed. Apr. 29 several members of the ACWV are scheduled to meet with Senator Kennedy to discuss the Cold War Victory Medal.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Sean Eagan of americancoldwarvets.org will be on POW-MIA Radio Hosted by Rod Utech Sunday April 26th to discuss the May 1st Day of Remembrance for Forgotten Heroes of the Cold War.

Listen Live on line Sunday April 26th at 4 P.M. MST 6 P.M. EST

Here

POW/MIA Radio is broadcast by the American Freedom Network

Sean and Rod will discuss Cold War veteran issues and the May 1st Day of Remembrance for Forgotten Heroes of the Cold War.

(http://www.americanewsnet.com). Its flagship station is KHNC 1360AM out of Johnstown, CO. You can also catch their broadcast on Satellite: G-9 Channel 2, Sub-Audio 7.76, Horizontal Polarit

Sean Eagan Chairman American Cold War Veterans, Inc.

http://americancoldwarvets.org/

Sean.Eagan@gmail.com

Order this book


Elite 166
Author: Alejandro de Quesada
Illustrator: Stephen Walsh

About this bookThe landings by the Cuban exile Assault Brigade 2506 at the Bay of Pigs on April 17, 1961 led to three days of savage but unequal combat. Before they even sailed for Cuba, a White House decision had condemned them to constant attacks by Castro’s air force, which sank two of their ships loaded with vital supplies and equipment. Despite stubborn resistance to Castro’s troops and tanks, and heroic sorties by Cuban and American B-26 pilots, the Brigade was strangled for lack of firepower and ammunition. Their story is illustrated with rare photos from Brigade veterans, and detailed color plates of the uniforms and insignia of both sides.

VFW Reaffirms Support for CWVM

Membership Director Scott L'Ecuyer recieved the VFW's Current positon from VFW National Legislative Director Eric A. Hilleman . This is the VFW's current position and they have been working on this with several offices in Washington.
Resolution No. 428

COLD WAR VICTORY MEDAL

WHEREAS, in 1998, the United States (U.S.) government recognized the contributions of over 20 million U.S. service members during the Cold War with a certificate of recognition; and

WHEREAS, no medal exists to recognize the dedication and participation of these service members in hundreds of military exercises and operations that occurred between 2 September 1945 to 26 December 1991 to promote world peace and stability; and

WHEREAS, during this period service members were killed, wounded, and missing in Cold War operations overseas, which were separate from other recognized wars such as the Korean War and Vietnam War; and

WHEREAS, eligibility for a veteran’s pension, in part, requires honorable service during time of war, Cold War veterans are not eligible for a pension because there is no medal indicating a Cold War existed; and

WHEREAS, there is a significant population of homeless veterans in the United States many of whom are not eligible for a veteran’s pension; and

WHEREAS, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States recognizes that the Cold War veterans prevented world domination of communism and nuclear war; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting and right that these service members receive proper recognition from their government in the form of the award of a Cold War Victory Medal that will entitle eligibility for a veteran’s pension; and

WHEREAS, the United States government has not properly recognized the service of these veterans who sacrificed so much; now, therefore
 
BE IT RESOLVED, by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, that we support the creation and awarding of a Cold War Victory Medal to all eligible U.S. service personnel who served in the military during the Cold War era, 2 September 1945 to 26 December 1991, and whose service has not already been recognized by a campaign or service medal.
 

Adopted by the 108th National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States held in Kansas City, Missouri, August 18-23, 2007

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