2006 VFW Magazine - Veterans of Foreign Wars

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mailcall Young Vets in the Limelight Congratulations on the special “Back Home” April issue about returning war veterans. Thank you for eloquently showing what they have done and will continue to do for our country. Most citizens in our nation are oblivious to their sacrifices. As a parent of two soldiers, I am proud of my children’s service and also will not forget their comrades-in-arms. Steve Hull, E-Mail It is especially encouraging reading about how the young vets wounded in battle are being cared for. I enjoy reading VFW magazine from cover to cover. Let me compliment you on a very fine publication. Bill Harden, Newton, Iowa Re: Command Post (April): I can’t recall reading a more well-rounded recognition of today’s troops—those destined to be our successors. This column presented a cogent description of our organization’s efforts to provide for the young veterans merging back into society. Thanks for a job well done. Bob Swick, E-Mail I wish to commend you on the April issue. As a professor of military science and director of an Army ROTC Department on a university campus, I feel the impact of the conditions described in “Society & the Soldier” and “Portraying Contemporary War Vets in Popular Culture.” I plan to share these articles with some of my faculty advisers so they can better understand our society’s challenges. Lt. Col. Perry D. Rearick, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Thank you for “Society and the Soldier.” I am a Persian Gulf War [1991] veteran and had no idea years later I would be sending my only son and baby daughter off to war in Iraq. My daughter is presently serving her second tour in Iraq. Ira D. Jinkins, Sr., E-Mail As a U.S. Army veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, I agree that many people in this country honestly believe that we are not at war. The real question is: How do we wake up the rest of the country to the incredible sacrifices that our fellow soldiers are making, and that the mainstream media refuses to cover Kenneth R. Barber, E-Mail The April articles addressed very serious problems that our country needs to face today. America will continue to benefit from the return of these veterans. They bring leadership, honesty, integrity and the drive for success. As Joe Galloway asked, “What are we doing as a people and a nation to deserve the service and sacrifice of such men and women” Chuck Sawyer, E-Mail Memorials on the Rise Re: “Recognizing and Remembering Today’s Warriors” (April). Many units have erected memorials to their casualties. Members of the 25th Infantry Division Association took on the task of building a monument at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Dedicated in June 2005, it honors soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Dave Garrod, Ohio Combat Chronologies on the Mark “Remembering Those in Combat” and the accompanying chronologies on Afghanistan and Iraq (March) was outstanding. It is a precise, succinct, masterfully done piece that can serve as an excellent talking or starting point with young vets at VFW Posts. Thanks for a job well done. Bud Moore, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The March issue with its Afghanistan and Iraq War chronologies is invaluable. They are especially interesting and useful. Likewise, your Final Salute each month is a fitting tribute to those who sacrificed themselves for all of us. Francis X. Callahan, Chico, Calif. March’s special on “A Chronicle of Combat” was right on the mark. This tribute will help us all never forget their sacrifices and welcome vets of Iraq and Afghanistan into the VFW as they return. Cory Kilvert III, Goshen, N.Y. Each war has its signature photo, and the young soldier shown on the March cover will be one of the distinguishing pictures of the Iraq War. Richard T. Altman, E-Mail Please accept my compliments on the re-cap of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It is complete with timeline and casualties. Thanks for keeping veterans of both wars in the minds of readers. Ned Harrison, E-Mail The Iraq chronology overlooked one of the most pivotal periods during the summer of 2003 through January 2004. I served with the 4th Infantry Division in the Sunni Triangle until being wounded on Christmas 2003 in Baqubah. During that period the 4th Division lost 88 KIA. Overall, I am pleased with VFW magazine. Your Final Salute section is an outstanding tribute to the sacrifices of our fallen comrades. Joseph A. Tormala, E-Mail 4 • WWW.VFW.ORG • © 2006 VFW Magazine
nowhearthis Brief news items of interest to veterans and their families. Saga of Iraq GI Sgt. Matt Maupin Only one GI is unaccounted for in the Iraq War. Because of the peculiar military situation in Iraq, Army Sgt. Keith “Matt” Maupin is not officially regarded as missing in action or as a prisoner of war. But he is listed as missing and captured. In April 2005, an Army board of inquiry reviewed his case and declared him still in the captured status. At that time, an Army spokesman said, “They continue to search for him, and he is not forgotten.” Maupin has been unaccounted for since April 9, 2004, when his fuel truck was ambushed in a Baghdad suburb. A member of the Army Reserve’s 724th Transportation Company based in Bartonville, Ill., Maupin hails from Batavia, Ohio. Terrorists later released videotape purportedly Sgt. Keith “Matt” Maupin showing his execution. But because of its poor quality and the fact that Maupin’s body was never recovered, his status remains in limbo. However, he could have been reclassified as “deceased, body not recovered” as was commonly done during the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, his parents maintain a Yellow Ribbon Support Center in Batavia. Besides sending care packages to GIs in Iraq, the storefront serves as a nerve center for keeping the memory of Maupin’s capture alive. Maupin’s plight will not be forgotten. As Darrel Whitcomb, retired Air Force colonel and a combat search and rescue historian, pointed out: “No other nation in the world dedicates as much force structure, time, training and thought to rescue as does the United States. It’s part of the way we fight, part of the way we are. We will never stop looking for him.” Iraq Vets Entering Politics “Veterans seem destined to play a more visible role in American politics than they have for a half century, and mostly under the Democratic banner,” proclaimed a New York Times article. Unlike veterans of Vietnam who were relatively late in throwing their hats into the political arena, Iraq vets have been quick to enter the domestic fray. Although the most high profile among them—Paul Hackett, a Marine reservist and Cincinnati attorney—ended his political career in February, many others promise to appear on the party slates in 2006 congressional elections. Overall, nearly 100 candidates will be veterans—40 Republicans and 53 Democrats, according to the Boston Globe. Of the 12 or so who are Iraq or Afghanistan vets, only two are Republicans. Forty of these self-proclaimed “Fighting Dems” held a rally in early February in Washington, D.C., to publicly declare their policy objectives embodied in a seven-point pledge. They were supported by 2004 presidential candidates Mass. Sen. John F. Kerry and Wesley Clark. The National Republican Campaign Committee countered that at least 38 Republican congressional challengers are veterans. According to a Military Times poll of active-duty troops, 56% identify themselves as Republicans and 13% as Democrats. Several political action committees have been created to back the Democratic vets: Veterans for a Secure America, VET- PAC and Band of Brothers 2006. Also, the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America PHOTO COURTESY 88TH REGIONAL READINESS COMMAND (IAVA), formerly Operation Truth, formed a PAC. Clark is on its board of advisers and Jon Soltz, Kerry’s vet outreach coordinator in Pennsylvania in 2004, is the executive director. IAVA says it represents 600 veterans. Paul Rieckhoff, its executive director and still a member of the New York National Guard, founded it. The organization’s board of advisers includes three Vietnam veterans—former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation founder Bobby Muller and Medal of Honor recipient Paul Bucha. Regardless of the media hype, political analyst Stuart Rothenberg questioned whether “veterans of Iraq will begin with more authority to speak about U.S. foreign policy, national security or even the war itself.” This is especially so because only 12% of American adults are veterans. One thing most agree on is what Vietnam vet Max Cleland said about Iraq vets: “These guys are the best and brightest of their generation.” Military Mirrors Society Despite all the facts to the contrary, there are still thinly veiled media references to alleged disproportionate minority casualties in Iraq. This myth, like the one perpetuated to this day regarding Vietnam, must be laid to rest. So let’s set the record straight one more time. Of the 2,247 Americans who had died in Iraq as of early February 2006, 74% were white, 11% Hispanic, 10% black and 5% other races. These percentages are fairly in line with the proportions of these groups in the general population. If anything, the latter groups are underrepresented in the casualty figures. A Government Accountability Office report last year concluded that socioeconomic factors, not race, determine who serves and who does not in America’s armed forces. This is particularly true of rural America. © 2006 VFW Magazine • WWW.VFW.ORG • 5
Page 2 and 3: contents SPECIAL ISSUE All the majo
Page 6 and 7: issuesupfront Succeeding in the Civ
Page 8 and 9: washingtonwire News from VFW’s Wa
Page 10 and 11: ‘Just Don’t Forget Me’ Societ
Page 12 and 13: New generation subjected to ‘Wack
Page 14 and 15: Student Veterans Battle Financial H
Page 16 and 17: Caring for the Wounded in the Long
Page 18 and 19: funded by the Intrepid Fallen Heroe
Page 20 and 21: Society’s Obligation to War Veter
Page 22 and 23: State Benefits for National Guard a
Page 24 and 25: Recognizing and Remembering Today
Page 26 and 27: youngvetsinfocus Inspiring Others:
Page 28 and 29: soundoff Views of VFW readers on to
Page 30 and 31: VFW Magazine’s Coverage of the Wa

2006 VFW Magazine - Veterans of Foreign Wars

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