POW/MIA

The House of Representatives is actually trying to do something about the POW/MIA issue.
There is a bill H.Res 111 to set up a select committee to oversee all POW/MIA activity
A part of the bill
Sec. 2. The select committee shall conduct a full investigation of all unresolved matters relating to any United States personnel unaccounted for from the Vietnam era, the Korean conflict, World War II, Cold War Missions, Persian Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation Enduring Freedom, including MIA's and POW's missing and captured.

You can read the entire bill here
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.RES.111:

As of today the bill has 206 cosponsors read the list here
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HE00111:@@@P

Contact your representatives, ask them to cosponsor this important legislation if they are not
already show on the list.

Ask them to push to get the bill out of committee and to vote for passage when it reaches the
House Floor.

Our country must do everything possible to determine where and demand return of all
POW/MIA's or their remains from ALL conflicts.

Give closure to the families and loved ones who still do not know the final story of these brave men and women.

If the links do not work properly go to Thomas(Library of Congress) and do a search for
H. Res 111 for the 111th congress.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Vice Chairman
American Cold War Veterans, Inc.
"We Remember"

PTSD/Agent Orange from wife of a Vietnam Vet

Here is a portion of an article posted on Veterans Today by the wife of a Vietnam Veteran.
It is quite an eye opener.

You can read the full article here
http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7007

This will just get you started.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] became a household name in the early 1980’s. As the wife of a former military man and a veteran, I was compelled to learn all I could about it. On one occasion I told my husband I suspected he had PTSD. He denied it, telling me our problems were all because of me and my independence. Yes, I was a feminist, and the longer I lived with him, the more defiant I became to make my own way. Nevertheless, I did not have the courage to end our marriage and I stayed with him because I loved him and I was afraid he would not survive without me. In early 2000, he met a Vietnam Veteran on the golf course.

Together, they bonded as brothers. With the acceptance of their friendship, my husband has recognized the behaviors he battles daily are a reflection of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He met with a representative of Veterans Affairs in 2001 or 2002, and is still battling to get the benefits he was promised. PTSD is his daily battle and there are times he actually wants to run away from himself. If only the VA could live with him for one week they would understand how painful his emotional wounds are. If only the VA could hold him during the flashbacks.

In many ways, my soldier husband is still in Vietnam, never to return. On one occasion my husband met with a VA rep only to be told, and I quote, “It doesn’t help your case that you are still with your first wife.” When my husband expressed his comment to me, I was outraged, wanting the name, phone number, and contact information. My husband did not share it with me, but I can certainly educate others into the scenarios I discover.

Recently, I became involved with Veterans-for-Change (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VETERANS-FOR-CHANGE/), a non-profit group that desires to wake up Congress and fulfill the promises made to Veterans. As a member of Veterans-For-Change, an expanding vocal group for Veterans rights, benefits, and treatment, I as well as my co-members and veterans nationwide, are extremely upset that the VA appears to ignore the veterans.

In March 2008, my husband traveled to Columbia, SC to appeal a decision from the VA. Now, he is told his file is in Washington, still awaiting a decision. My concern is not just for my husband, but for all veterans. Just how long does it take for a veteran to get the physical, emotional, mental, and monetary care he or she needs so life can return to normalcy? Now that I am an active participant with Veterans-for-Change I recognize there is a multitude of complaints that must be addressed by Congress or the Veterans Affairs.

My mission is to write about these scenarios and to share with my readers. When called to duty, to service America and its freedom, our Veterans stood tall, fought the battles, and now when needing our service the most, the VA ignores, or procrastinates to service their needs. This is a disgrace to all serving in the military.

Veterans-for-Change repeatedly hears stories from military veterans about the lack of care with the VA, along with the intense emotional battle, just to get benefits. Repeatedly, veterans are either denied, or their files are placed on hold, sometimes for years. Many of these claims are for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD]; lack of properly sanitized and sterilized medical equipment used for testing and physicals; and Blue Water Navy Dioxin Exposure and Agent Orange.

PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

VA Physicians are being instructed to deny or misdiagnose PTSD, or they are simply ignoring the signs, over medicating or improperly medicating, and simply not even looking into alternative ways of dealing with PTSD. Many Veterans are left to feel as if no one cares, or no one listens to their symptoms. Instead of listening, or asking probing questions, the medical practitioner prescribes a drug and it appears that the VA has a drug for every ailment.

We as Americans must take a stand to service and understand our soldiers and Veterans, not simply remove their weapons, dust them off, and refer them to another source of treatment, or someone else at the VA. We must learn to listen and stop the habit of prescribing drugs for every ailment. Veterans are not pin cushions or guinea pigs. We promised our Veterans benefits, freedom, and a better life, not simply prescribed drugs by doctors who react by overwriting prescriptions, instead of listening to their emotional ailments. Is this the way the VA strives to help our Veterans?

Just simply prescribing a drug in hopes the Veteran will feel better in the morning? Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] is described as an ‘emotional illness’ and it was not recognized as PTSD until the 1980’s when the American Psychiatric Association recognized it as such, according to the website, www.psychiatric-disorders.com.

PTSD leaves no visible scars, only the emotional scars that will remain forever inside the mind of the war veteran. PTSD leaves a stigma attached to it. To those who do not understand this ailment, the looks, discriminations, and lack of compassion leaves the Veteran with a lack of understanding of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the wounds of it. While it is true, the wounds are embedded within the mind, the wounds are so obvious to those of us who love the Veteran suffering with PTSD; and we strive to do all we can to make their life more productive and pleasant. We need the VA to do the same.

Medical Equipment

Veterans-for-Change has discovered there are far too many reports of improperly cleaned or sterilized equipment at numerous VA hospitals, resulting in thousands of complaints that have not been addressed or resolved.

Reportedly, there could be as many as 11,224 Veterans at risk, due to this lack of care, and many VA hospitals are involved. The number of Veterans affected could result in health and physical epidemics that could result in deadly diseases that should have been prevented provided the proper sanitation, and sterilization techniques were used. Instead, questions remain unanswered, and the VA’s continuous denial brought to the public attention of these problems, resulted in denying any possibility, or accepting responsibility, of cross contamination to many veterans. This is unforgivable and a government investigation should be underway – ASAP.

Blue Water Navy Dioxin Exposure

Reportedly 21 million gallons of Agent Orange were scattered over the fields in Vietnam between 1962 and 1970. Many of the Veterans of the Vietnam conflict served the United States Navy during 1962 and 1975. Many of these war veterans suffer with medical disabilities from the effects of Blue Water Navy Dioxin Exposure, found in Agent Orange.

However, these naval personnel are constantly denied service-connected health care and disability compensation by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Those who served in the Navy during war time have been excluded for presumption of illness directly related to Agent Orange. This chemical was sprayed, tossed around, and of course when it rained went into the ocean, or was carried in the air during strong winds.

Agent Orange was also carried on board ships for delivery, yet Veterans are still denied benefits due to the “boots on the ground” ruling. The ‘boots on the ground’ ruling must be changed to benefit the Veterans and their illnesses. They were in Vietnam. They experienced Agent Orange in everything around, especially in the air and waters.

President Obama has said: “We have a sacred trust with those who wear the uniform of the United States of America, a commitment that begins with enlistment and must never end.

”You, as Americans, and politicians of a free society, do have a moral, ethical, and Patriotic obligation to provide benefits and care, regardless of the costs involved! Our government has a moral, ethical, and Patriotic obligation to care for those who did the job others failed to do, or the many millions of Americans who chose to escape the effects, physical ailments, illnesses, and emotional wounds of war. Freedom is not free; it comes with a price tag. Veterans paid a gigantic price, emotionally, physically, and mentally.

Only a war veteran can comprehend how that price was paid for in full by our military and war veterans, along with their spouses and children! The price they paid for their devotion to their freedom does not have a monetary amount and it could be considered priceless since the effects of war leave so many emotional and physical scars that cannot be repaired. The price our war veterans paid was distributed in full with blood, sweat and many tears! Veterans-for-Change finds this unforgivable. Isn’t it about time Congress, the President, and the Veterans Affairs actually stood tall and paid that bill?

Isn’t it time to help our wounded warriors, including those who suffer with PTSD, lack of medical care and improperly cleaned or sterilized equipment, and Blue Water Navy Dioxin Exposure, along with the emotional scars, to be compensated? The actions of Congress and the actions and policies of the VA seem to express so loud and clear that it would have been far better had our men and women not served or died at war than to suffer the denials, the schemes, shenanigans, and the maltreatment provided by the government of the United States.

Let us all make a bit of noise with our Congress and all lawmakers. Send a copy of this article to those in your community, along with those who represent your home front. Isn’t it time our Veterans were treated with respect and dignity? Isn’t it time we welcomed them home and gave them the benefits promised, without the emotional war they must battle now, just to get those benefits? The choice is yours. You must decide.

Military Food Stamp Use Increases

The Defense Commissary Agency says that military members are using Food Stamps in
increasing numbers. This is a change from the decline of usage in the past, a 5 percent decrease
from 2006 to 2007.

More than thirty-one million in Food Stamps were used in 2008 a 25 percent increase in 2008. This compares to a 13 percent increase for the civilian population. The agency includes retirees and reservists and National Guardsmen in their report.

http://www.military.com/news/article/more-troops-relying-on-food-stamps.html?col=1186032325324

What a shame this is, that so many members must rely on Food Stamps. And the figures appear
to show that members living on base in government quarters use more stamps than those
living off base.

It should not matter where a member lives, for our military to be so low on the pay scale compared to civilians in equal (or almost equal) jobs; means that as always the military is
falling behind in every category.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Vice Chairman
American Cold War Veterans, Inc
"We Remember"

Outrage At Arlington National Cemetery

Horrible record keeping, carlessness, inedptitude at Arlington National Cemetery has
been uncovered.

It seems none of the computer systems and updates work properly. So the cemetery is run
with pen and paper. Index cards are used.

It has been found that graves sites do not match the maps. Some headstones are in the wrong
place. Workers admit that there are some places they do not know who is buried or where.

This is an outrage, these bave men and women gave their lives for our country and deserve
to be treated with honor and respect.

To allow something like this to go on for years is inexcuseable this has to be corrected immediately.

Not only that, but in the new section for the fallen warriors of Iraq and Afghanstan mementoes
left on the graves by family and loved ones are left to rot in the rain or gathered up and
thrown in the garbage.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/07/16/arlington_national_cemetery/

I can only feel sorrow and pain for those affected by this injustice.

Call, write, fax, email your elected officials and demand an immediate Congressional Probe into the wrong doing. This is criminal and those responsible should be punished to the full extent
of the law.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Vice Chairman
American Cold War Veterans, Inc.
"We Remember"

Did We Win The Cold War?

It seems President Obama does not think we did win the Cold War. In his speech and a later
interview he made no mention of the U.S. and our allies defeating the Soviet Union. So the lives lost, the men and women who served in the military during that time was all for nothing.

Not the first time we the Cold War Veterans have been slapped down, trod on and ignored.
Now our president kicks us when we are down.

A very good article
http://www.dakotavoice.com/2009/07/obama-cant-even-acknowledge-us-won-cold-war/

I guess he was laughing at us when he sent that letter saying he thought all the veterans should
be given a Cold War Medal.

So what is the next step? Where do we turn now? Is it over for the medal? We will not give up
the fight, and will continue to pester everyone we can.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Vice Chairman
American Cold War Veterans, Inc.
"We Remember"

More List of military losses in Cold War

This list contains many terrorist attacks that were not included in previous lists. This is US Navy and Marines.So a little more to disprove the old and untrue utterance issued by many "Not A Shot Was Fired/No Lives Were Lost.
US Navy US Marines KIA WIA KIA W
IA1st Marines reconnaissancepatrol fired on by 40-50Chinese communist guerillas northwest of Tientsin, China,
6 Oct. 1945 0 0 0

37th Marines jeep patrol firedon by Chinese communist snipersnear Tangshan, China19 Oct 1945 0 0 0 2

Ambush of 5th Marines jeep patrol by Chinese communist snipersoutside of Peiping, China
26 Oct 1945 0 0 0 1

Two marines hunting near 7thMarines railroad outpost shot bytwo Chinese west of Anshan, China,4 Dec 1945 0 0 1 1

One marine attacked while onliberty in Tientsin, China,9 Dec 1945
0 0 0 1

Two 7th Marines supply trucksambushed by Chinese communistguerillas near Tangshan, China,15 Jan 1946 0 0 0 2

Marine hunting party attacked byirregular forces in the vicinityof Lutai, China,
7 Apr 1946 0 0 1 0

5th Marines bridge guards attackedby Chinese communists firingmortars, near Tangku, China,
5 May 1946 0 0 0 1

7th Marines sentry attacked byguerillas in Lutai, China,
7 May 1946 0 0 0 1

1st Marines reconnaissance patrolambushed by 50-75 armed Chinesein village 10 miles south ofTientsin, China,
21 May 1946 0 0 1 1

Marine sentry attacked in Tangku,China,
2 Jul 1946 0 0 0 1

Supply convoy, protected by 11thMarines detachment, ambushed byChinese communist forces at Anping,China,
29 July 1946 0 0 4 11

Chinese communist raid on 1st Marine Division ammunition supply point at Hsin Ho, northwest ofTangku, China
3 Oct 1946 0 0 0 1

Two Chinese communist companiesabout 350 men, attack 1st Marine Division ammunition supply pointat Hsin Ho, northwest of Tangku,China,
4-5 Apr 1947 0 0 5 17

Marine hunting party ambushedby Chinese communists outsideof Tientsin, China,
25 Dec. 1947 0 0 1 0

PB4Y2 from VP-26, Det A, shot down by Sovietaircraft, over Baltic Seaoff coast of Latvia,
8 Apr. 1950 10 0 0 0

Korean War, 25
Jun. 1950 - 31 Jan. 1955 505 1,576 4,267 23,744

P2V-3W from VP-6 shot down by Soviet aircraft, over Seaof Japan off Vladivostok,Siberia,
6 Nov. 1951 10 0 0 0

PBM-5S2 from VP-731 attacked byChinese fighters over theYellow Sea,
31 Jul. 1952 2 2 0 0

P2V-5 from VP-22 shot down byanti-aircraft fire near Swatow,China,
18 Jan. 1953 9 0 0 0

P2V from VP-19 shot down by Soviet aircraft, over Seaof Japan near Siberian coast,
4 Sep. 1954 1 0 0 0

P2V from VP-9 shot down by Soviet aircraft, St. LawrenceIsland in the Bering Sea,
22 Jun. 1955 0 10 0 0

P4M-1Q from VQ-1 shot downby hostile aircraft nearWenchow, China,
22 Aug. 1956 16 0 0 0

P4M-1Q from VQ-1 attacked byNorth Korean fighters near theKorean Demilitarized Zone,over Sea of Japan,
16 Jun. 1959 0 1 0 0

Vietnam War,
4 Aug. 1964 - 27 Jan. 1973 1,631 4,178 13,091 51,392

Intervention in the Dominican Republic,28
Apr. 1965 - 21 Sep. 1966 1 0 9 25

USS Liberty, attacked byIsraeli forces in theEastern Mediterranean,
8 Jun. 1967 31 168 2 1

LCDR Ernest A. Munro killed andRMCS Harry L. Greene wounded bycommunist terrorists, Guatemala,
16 Jan 1968 1 1 0 0

USS Pueblo, captured by North Korean forces in theSea of Japan,
23 Jan. 1968
1 8 0 1[All crew members, 79 Navy and 2Marines, subsequently awarded thepurple heart for the period oftheir captivity]

A-1H from VA-25 on a ferry flightfrom the Philippines to an aircraftcarrier in the Tonkin Gulf shotdown by MIG interceptor afteraccidently violating airspace ofHainan Island, China
14 Feb. 1968 1 0 0 0

P3B from VP-26 on a coastal surveillance photo-reconnaissancemission, shot down, possibly bya Cambodian naval vessel, crashingin the Gulf of Thailand,
1 Apr. 1968 12 0 0 0

Sailors from USS Independence and accompanying destroyers injured by students during anti-Americanriots in Istanbul, Turkey,
16-23 Jul. 1968 0 19 0 0

Sailors from USS Columbus and accompanying destroyers injured bystudents during anti-American riots in Izmir, Turkey,
19-22 Dec. 1968 0 14 0 0

EC-121M from VQ-1 shot down by North Korean aircraft overthe Sea of Japan,
14 Apr. 1969 30 0 1 0

Two UH-1Bs from HAL-3 Detachment3 shot down in Svay RiengProvince, Cambodia, by Cambodiananti-aircraft fire,
28 Apr. 1969 4 4 0 0

Seabee wounded and Marine Security Guards killed and wounded during Terrorist attack on US Embassy softballgame,Phnom Penh, Cambodia,
26 Sep. 1971 0 1 1 3

Marine Security Guard Sidney T.James wounded during an attackby a radical communist group,U.S. Embassy, Manila, Philippines,
1972 0 0 0 1

LCDR Franklin G. West wounded byNorth Korean forces, Panmunjun,Korea,
3 Mar 1974 0 1 0 0

CDR Robert M. Ballinger killed by dynamite explosion during investigation of tunnel built byNorth Koreans in the southern portion of the demilitarizedzone, Korea,
20 Nov 1974 1 0 0 0

Seabees killed by gunfire duringterrorist ambush of jeep onnortheast edge of US Naval Baseat Subic Bay, Philippines,
3 Feb. 1975 3 0 0 0

Two Marines from Marine SecurityDetachment, Saigon, killed during artillery attack while providing security for Defense AttacheOffice, at Tan Son Nhut Airport,Saigon, Republic of Vietnam,
29 April 1975 0 0 2 0

"Mayaguez Incident," battle with Khmer Rouge forces, Koh TangIsland, Cambodia,
14 May 1975 2 3 14 41

Sailor wounded during attack byunidentified gunman against U.S.Air Force Bus, 14 miles north ofClark Air Bus, Philippines,
11 Dec. 1976 0 1 0 0

LT Robert E. Nelson serving with UN observers in the Lebanese village of Maroun Al Ras wounded during attack by Israeli DefenseForces, night of
14-15 Mar 1978 0 1 0 0

U.S. Embassy Marine securityguard wounded, Kabul, Afghanistan,
7 Aug 1978 0 0 0 1

U.S. Embassy Marine securityguard wounded, Beirut, Lebanon,
6 Oct 1978 0 0 0 1

SGT Garry Downey and SGT Krauswounded by Iranian guerillas duringattacks on U.S. Embassy, Tehran,Iran,
11 and 14 Feb. 1979 0 0 0 2

Marine security guards injured when leftist protesters attemptedto storm U.S. Embassy, San Salvador,El Salvador,
30 Oct. 1979 0 0 0 2

Marine Security Guard CPL Steven Crowley killed by sniper fire during attack by mob on US Embassy, Islamabad,Pakistan,
21 Nov. 1979 0 0 1 0

Puerto Rican nationalists armed with automatic weapons ambushed a Navy bus driving to Sabana Seca Naval Communication Center near San Juan,
3 Dec 1979 2 10 0 0

BMCM Sam Novello killed by Turkish leftists at his home inIstanbul, Turkey,
16 April 1980 1 0 0 0

Marines wounded in terrorist attack, Costa Rica,
17 Mar 1981 0 0 0 3

Crewmen from USS Pensacola (LSD-38) attacked by terroristsin San Juan, Puerto Rico,
16 May 1982. 1 3 0 0

U.S. Embassy Marine securityguard wounded, BeirutLebanon,
7 Jun 1982 0 0 0 1

Lebanon Peacekeeping,
25 Aug. 1982 - 26 Feb. 1984 19 8 234 151

Terrorist bombing of US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.Casualties included IS1 DanielJ. Pellegrino and eight MarineSecurity Guards,
18 Apr. 1983 0 1 1 7

Lieutenant Commander Albert A. Schaufelberger killed byterrorists, San Salvador,El Salvador, 25 May 1983 1 0 0 0

CPL Guillermo Sanpedro killed in terrorist attack, Cyprus,
23 Oct. 1983 0 0 1 0
Operation Urgent Fury,invasion of Grenada, West Indies
23 Oct.1983 - 21 Nov. 1983 4 1 3 15

Marine Barracks Bombing by terrorists
18 220 US Army 3 Killed 60 others injured
23 Oct. 1983

Beirut, LebanonCapt. George Tsantes shot by terrorists near Athens, Greece
15 Nov. 1983 1 0 0 0

Lt. Mark A. Lang killed and LTRobert O. Goodman wounded when A-6 Intruder from VA-85 shot downwhile attacking Syrian antiaircraft batteries at Hammana, east of Beirut, Lebanon,
4 Dec. 1983 1 1 0 0

Commander, Carrier Air Wing Six(CVW-6) CDR Edward K. Andrewsflying an A-7 Corsair II, shot down by aircraft fire, nearBeirut, Lebanon,
4 Dec 1983 0 1 0 0

LCPL Rudolfo Hernandez killed in terrorist attack, Germany,
7 Feb. 1984 0 0 1 0

HN Carl P. Englund wounded,Beruit, Lebanon,
29 Feb 1984 0 1 0 0

PO1 Michael R. Wagner assigned to Defense Attache Office, killed; CEC Harvey L.Whitaker and BU1 Stephen E. Haycock and four Marine securityguards wounded in terrorist bombingof US Embassy Annex, East Beirut, Lebanon,
20 Sep. 1984 1 2 0 4

Seabee Steelworker 2nd ClassRobert Dean Stethem of UnderwaterConstruction Team ONE was killedby terrorists in Athens, Greece,on TWA Flight 847,
14 Jun. 1985 1 0 0 0
Off-duty Marines assigned toMarine Security Guard Detachment,San Salvador, El Salvador, killed by terrorists armed with automatic weapons at a cafe in the Zona Rosa district of San Salvador,
19 June 1985 0 0 4 0

USS Stark struck by Iraqi missiles, Persian Gulf,
17 May 1987 37 5 0 0

Terrorist grenade attack on USO club in Barcelona, Spain,
27 Dec. 1987 1 5 0 0

Col. Rich Higgins, killed by pro-Iranian terrorists. Captured on 17 Feb. 1988 in Lebanon and declared dead on 6 Jul. 1990. 0 0 1 0

USS Samuel B. Roberts struckIranian mine, Persian Gulf,
14 Apr. 1988 0 10 0 0

Japanese Red Army terroristbombing of USO club in Naples,Italy,
14 Apr. 1988 1 4 0 0

Loss of AH-1T helicopter during operations against Iranian naval forces, possibly to hostileaction, Persian Gulf,
18 Apr. 1988 0 0 2 0

Capt. William E. Nordeen, Defense and Naval Attache,killed by terrorist car bombin Kifissia, the suburb of Athens, Greece,
28 Jun. 1988 1 0 0 0

Loss of CH53D helicopter duringOperation Team Spirit
1989 South Korea 0 0 19 0

Lt. Robert Paz,USMC shot and witnesses, Navy LT and his wife, beaten by Panamanian forces at a road block in Panama City,
16 Dec. 1989 0 1 1 0
Operation Just Cause, Panama,
20 - 24 Dec. 1989 4 9 1 3
Persian Gulf War,
2 Aug. 1990 - 3 Mar. 1991 5 12 24 92