Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Taxpayers bestow honor

GEE WHIZ, isn't it great that the United States is going to recognize the veterans of the Cold War. No, it has nothing to do with the cold of North Korea, Siberia or the Arctic Circle. This latest bit of puffery coming from the federal government is about that terrible deep freeze of diplomatic relations and military threats that took place between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. from Sept. 2, 1945, to Dec. 26, 1991.

Yep, it will come in the form of a document and be limited to "all members of armed forces and federal government civilian personnel who faithfully served the United States during the Cold War era." About 22 million people meet these eligibility requirements so they can obtain this piece of paper signed by our present Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen.

Some $600,000 has been set aside by Congress for this fiscal year to provide a Certificate of Recognition, which will read "in recognition of your service during the period of the Cold War (2 September 1945-26 December 1991) in promoting peace and stability for this nation, the people of this nation are forever grateful." Can't you hear 22 million Americans hollering, "Honey get a hammer and nail to put this important document of recognition on the wall." More taxpayer money can be made available for a future fiscal year if there's a big demand for the certificates.

Eligibility for this valuable bit of memorabilia doesn't require service on the Korean DMZ or in East Berlin. Fort McCoy, Wis., or Nellis Air Force Base will be just fine, thank you. And don't worry about being in uniform, just being on the federal payroll will suffice. It doesn't come with a pension or even a medal, the honor is what counts.

As long as our government believes being on the federal payroll makes us eligible for special recognition there is good reason to ask additional questions. Wasn't the domination of our capitalist system the reason the Cold War was resolved in our favor? Our farmers raised enough food to feed us and several poor countries needing additional groceries. Our factories produced the means of raising our standard of living as an example for the rest of the nations to see our advantage over communism. It could be argued that farmers and factory workers did almost as much as federal paper shufflers in the Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce to win the Cold War.

So how did this latest bit of trivia get into our pocketbooks? A guy by the name of Mark Vogl thought it up and wrote his congressman. Then Vogl, an Army veteran, promoted it with a resolution through his county chapter of AMVETS. It didn't take long for Vogl's idea to catch on with Rep. Rich Lazio, R-N.Y., and the next thing you know it was written into the 1997 defense budget. This is the same budget that shorted several needs of our active military personnel over the world.

About the Cold War, Vogl told the press, "This is probably the most significant human event since we've been alive." This remark makes me wonder when Vogl was born. He goes on to describe the Cold War for what didn't happen. "There was no nuclear war, Germany was reunited, the possibility of a European confederation all of a sudden becomes a real possibility. The whole world is different now because of what happened then."

For some reason or another, military people can recall this Cold War having some costly hot flashes called Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan Straits, Berlin Airlift, etc. There are appropriate military ribbons for these activities. Oh well, now's not the time to rain on Vogl's parade or attempt to direct the $600,000 to something worthwhile like an addition of a recreation room to a home for old soldiers.

There will probably be a big rush at the post office as 21,999,999 eligible people mail in their applications for this honor signed by Bill Cohen. I'm going to hold back for a while until my wife can find a hammer and nail.

Cold War Recognition

4035 Ridge Top Road, Suite 400

Fairfax, VA 22030

Hey, if the post office isn't fast enough, you can go via the Internet at

http://www.coldwar.army.mil or by e-mail at [email protected] or fax at (703) 275-6749.

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