Why there should be a Cold War Medal

The multitude of military members who served between the period of September 2, 1946 through December 26, 1991, may or may not have served in direct combat actions, but one thing is for certain: their service prevented further combat actions, precipitated by the nations hiding behind the "Iron Curtain". Their service was instrumental, in helping to prevent a World War III, from occurring. While it still may occur sometime in the future, it did not happen during that era.

It is our nation’s duty to honor those millions of men and women who served their country, during those many decades of potential world war and possible nuclear annihilation. That period of service was a part of what is probably one of the most important eras, in the history of the world. We are here today with our country intact; all 302 million + of us, thanks to all of those who wore the uniforms of all those years. We have four and a half decades worth of military servicemembers, to honor.

The period of the Cold War includes not only the "hot" wars of Korea and Viet Nam, but also the actions of so many other operations and duties. We’ve stood at the brink of world war and nuclear disaster on many occasions.

The Cuban Missile Crisis is probably the most widely known one of that period. One bad decision, or one poorly thought out order given by a military commander, or even an accidental or wrong move by any of our troops in the field, would have plunged our planet into the nuclear abyss. It never happened. It thankfully remained a cold war. This is just one of many reasons why the honor of a Cold War medal is so important and necessary.

Another related, and much more recent event, was when Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s finger was near that red button; awaiting the outcome of a trajectory and destination confirmation, of a missile over Norway. Now, what about the Berlin Airlift, and the invasion of Grenada? They too, big and small, are all a part of it.

Of course there are the service and campaign medals, along with the expeditionary medals which exist to cover certain portions and operations of the Cold War; but what about the sailors of the USS Thresher and USS Scorpion? What about all of those who perished and were injured, in the testing of all of the equipment and inventory during the massive military buildup, which may not have existed, if not for the Cold War? What about all of those unacknowledged firefights and other incidents on the 38^th Parallel, injuring and killing those who were ultimately labeled as "victims of accidents"?

What about those G.I.’s who died in non-combat air crashes, while patrolling borders, gathering intelligence on the communist nations, or transporting troops and supplies in support of all of the countless Cold War era missions? What about all of those who were exposed to ionizing Gamma radiation, as a result of participating in Nuclear Weapons tests? What about those who tirelessly patrolled along the Czech and East German borders, or who fearlessly guarded nuclear weapons storage facilities, as I did? What about all of those tensions and conflicts in the Middle East, which were fueled by the Cold War adversaries?

Think of all of those people who ended up serving in a much larger military, than would have been necessary, if it weren’t for the Cold War. Don’t all of them deserve recognition for their special service? Don’t they deserve a medal to honor their sacrifices and service?

Now, Korea and Viet Nam, didn’t exactly turn out they way we would have liked them to, but they were extremely important, and deadly parts of the Cold War. They effectively put the brakes on communist expansion. Because of Viet Nam, military and political strategists never had the opportunity to see if the "Falling Domino" theory would ever pan out. Afghanistan stands out as the only real example of attempted communist expansion since the Viet Nam War era.

With the arguable exception of Tibet, communist expansion in the Orient was effectively shut down, due to the Korean and Viet Nam wars. There’s something that many people would never connect or attribute to those two wars. In all probability, there may never have been a Korean or Viet Nam War, without the existence of the Cold War itself. Myself, my two brothers, and about 2.5 million others, may’ve never had to go to Viet Nam. This is why a Cold War Medal would recognize and honor those who served in those wars, in that special way, which the other medals of those conflicts, cannot cover.

A certificate by itself, does not do the Veterans justice. Only an official medal, would serve to properly thank them and to appropriately honor them. An authorization for the issuance of a Cold War Medal, is the only respectful and honorable lane to travel, on the road to proper recognition of their service. A certificate hanging on one’s wall is nice, but a medal which can be worn on the various military uniforms, of both the past and present, and as a pin on one’s civilian wear, publicly and proudly shows to our country and to the world, by both active duty personnel and Veterans alike, their immensely important service during a very trying and extremely dangerous time in world history.

Please allow our nation to publicly recognize the immense importance of their service, by acknowledging just how dangerous and potentially apocalyptic the Cold War really was, by authorizing the issuance of the Cold War Medal. It is truly the only way to honor their contribution of deterrence. Nuclear weapons have been used twice, in time of conflict. Both times were in the space of one week, back in August of 1945. They have not been used since. Political maneuvering, Administrative decisions, Ambassadorial negotiations, and legislative actions kept the lines of communication open over the years; but it was the active duty personnel who provided the muscle, should those lines have broken down. Who, back in those times, would have thought that Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), would actually work?

Finally, European conflicts like Bosnia and Kosovo, and our involvement in them, would never had happened (or at least not in the manner and/or time that they did), if it weren’t for the Cold War. Now, that is loss of life, at the end of, in the aftermath of, and directly attributable to fall of the communist expansion of the Cold War.

Don’t allow the talk of expense, to interfere with the passing of this legislation. Honoring our Veterans, make it worth every penny. The government need not spend as much though, as many think. The medal itself, has already been designed and approved, is already being manufactured, and is offered for sale by most, if not all of the retailers and wholesalers of military and Veterans merchandise. Only enough need be made for the government, to issue to active duty personnel who served during those years, and to issue to those Veterans who want it, but cannot afford it, and to the families of those Veterans who are no longer with us, should they desire the medal. The government will not have to track everyone down, who served during that era, to issue the medal to. Most Cold War era Veterans, and probably many of the families of those Veterans who have passed on, have already purchased the currently available medal. Many others will purchase it upon its becoming official.

I believe that the NATO and (former) SEATO countries should also authorize the issuance of the very same Cold War Medal, for their active duty troops and for their Veterans, who were a part of that era.

The Cold War, to include its hot conflicts, has claimed well over 100,000 American lives, and hundreds of thousands of injuries, both combat and non-combat related. Call it the Cold War Victory Medal, or the Cold War Service Medal; but please pass the legislation needed, to make the medal a reality. Let us not allow any more Veterans to leave the confines of our Earth, without knowing of that special official acknowledgement of their courageous deeds, by way of the Cold War Medal.

Charlie Erickson
Sgt., U.S. Army
1968 - 1971