Legislative Victories The VFW played an instrumental role in virtually every significant piece of veterans’ legislation passed in the 20th century, as well as bills enacted in the 21st century. Note: In each case, this is the year an act was passed or an institution established. For more information, contact the VFW National Legislative Service at vfwac@vfw.org. 1917 War Risk Insurance Act Amendments 1918 Vocational Rehabilitation Act (P.L. 178) 1919 Census Act Rider on Veterans Preference Discharge Allowance 1920 Widows and Orphans Pension Act (Spanish-America War) 1921 Veterans Bureau Act 1923 Veterans Preference Point System 1924 House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs World War Adjusted Compensation Act 1925 Senate Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs 1926 Spanish-American War benefits New Johnson Act (WWI benefits) 1930 Veterans Administration (VA) World War Service Disability Pension Act (P.L. 522) 1931 Bacharach Amendment (P.L. 743) allows borrowing on WWI bonus certificates 1933 Wagner-Peyser Act: Veterans Employment Service 1934 Pension for widows of WWI vets 1936 VFW congressional charter signed by President Roosevelt Bonus bonds ($2.4 billion) to WWI vets redeemable 1938 Armistice Day (Nov. 11) legal holiday 1940 National Service Life Insurance Selective Service & Training Act 1943 Benefits to WWII veterans (P.L. 10) Disabled Veterans Rehabilitation Act 1944 GI Bill of Rights (P.L. 346) Veterans Preference Act 1946 Veteran Emergency Housing Act 1947 Bureau of Veterans Re-employment Rights (BVRR) 1950 Vocational Rehabilitation Act 1951 Servicemen’s Indemnity & Insurance 1952 Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (Korean War GI Bill) 1954 Veterans Compensation Act Nov. 11 declared as Veterans Day (P.L. 380) 1962 Veterans Benefits Act (Cold War GI Bill) 1966 Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act (P.L. 89-358) (Vietnam War GI Bill) 1970 Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 1972 Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act 1973 Federal court agrees veterans preference applies to state jobs 1974 Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (vocational rehabilitation) 1976 Veterans Education & Employment Assistance Act 1977 Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance Act 1978 Veterans preference preserved Veterans & Survivors Pension Improvement Act Veterans Day returned to Nov. 11 1979 Vietnam Veterans Outreach Program (creates Vet Centers) 1980 VFW calls for Agent Orange study Veterans Rehabilitation & Education Amendments 1981 Former POW Benefits Act Veterans Health Care, Training & Small Business Loan Act 1982 Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) Vietnam Veterans Memorial dedicated 1983 Emergency Veterans Job-Training Act 1984 Montgomery GI Bill Veterans Dioxin & Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act (P.L. 98-542): Agent Orange & Atomic Exposure 1987 New GI Bill Continuation Act 1988 Radiation-Exposed Veterans Compensation Act Department of Veterans Affairs Act Veterans Judicial Review Act 1989 VA becomes a Cabinet department Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims 1990 Agent Orange service-connection 1991 Agent Orange Act (P.L. 102-4) Persian Gulf War Veterans Assistance Act (P.L. 102-25) 1992 Veterans Health Care Act 1996 Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act 1999 Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act 2003 Concurrent receipt for military retirees rated 50% disabled or more 2004 Full concurrent receipt for military retirees rated 100% disabled Traumatic Injury Insurance supplemental created 2005 Protestors banned from military funerals Stolen Valor Act signed into law 2006 VFW calls for VA/military health care system review after Walter Reed outpatient debacle 2008 Record VA discretionary budget approved GI Bill for the 21st Century signed into law 2009 Advance Appropriations for VA becomes law 2010 Family Caregiver Legislation signed into law Ensured all VA and DOD health care programs met minimum health care coverage standards 2011 VOW to Hire Heroes Act VFW stopped TRICARE premiums from increasing annually 2012 Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act Extended USERRA protections to veterans working for TSA 2013 Reinstated military Tuition Assistance programs New Stolen Valor Act signed into law Stopped Creation of Distinguished Warfare Medal (Drone Medal) 2014 Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 In-State Tuition for Post-9/11 GI Bill eligible veterans Advance Appropriations for VA Benefits 2015 Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act Eliminated 1 percent COLA reduction penalty on future military retirees Created government match to military Thrift Savings Plan accounts Updated 1/2025 2016 Toxic Exposure Research Act to evaluate impact on descendants Enhanced fertility treatment and adoption services 2017 Forever GI Bill gives veterans a lifetime to use GI Bill benefits Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act Global War on Terrorism Memorial Improved VA hiring and retention authorities Veterans Choice Program improvements and expansion Declassifying toxic exposure documents Prevented significant copayment increases for TRICARE 2018 Expanded caregiver benefits to veterans of all eras Consolidated community care into one improved program Established a process to evaluate and improve VA facilities to better serve veterans Defeated proposed cuts to Individual Unemployability 2019 Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act Elimination of the Widow’s Tax 2020 Added bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and parkinsonism to VA’s list of presumptive conditions associated with exposure to Agent Orange Changed the statutory definition of Vietnam veterans to include individuals who served in the Republic of Vietnam from Nov. 1, 1955, to Feb. 27, 1961 Deborah Sampson Act Elimination of the 12-year limit on using Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits 2021 Expanded maternity care options from community providers PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act 2022 Honoring our PACT Act Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas SERVICE Act Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location Act UCMJ reform on sexual assault and harassment 2024 Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, which included the Not Just A Number Act

To qualify for membership in the VFW you MUST meet the following TWO requirements: 1: Honorable Service – must have served in the Armed Forces of the United States and either received a discharge of Honorable or General (Under Honorable Conditions) or be currently serving. 2: Service in a war, campaign, or expedition on foreign soil or in hostile waters*. This can be proven by any of the following: - An authorized campaign medal (see a full list of qualifying medals and badges) - Receipt of Hostile Fire Pay or Imminent Danger Pay (verified by a military pay statement) - Service in Korea for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days *This information is usually available through a veteran’s DD-214. If other information is needed or if a veteran’s DD-214 is not complete, they can contact the National Personnel Records Center online or at 314.801.0800 to request more information.

Military Times Early Bird Brief 21 March 24: North Korea drone tech may present challenge in Asia

via: The Giant Killer · Pictured are the eight U.S. Marines of the suicide mission "Doom Patrol" to recover the body of a dead Marine, Charlie Company, 7th Marine in Quảng Nam Province, 1968. In February 1968, eight Marines volunteered for a suicide mission. After 32 US casualties were incurred during the first 30 hours of Operation Pursuit. The operation was initiated in mid-February 1968 by the 1st Marine Division to search for enemy rocket caches in the mountains west of Da Nang. Operation Pursuit began at 11 a.m. on Feb. 14 as Charlie Company crossed the western end of Hill 10 while Delta Company departed from Hill 41, about 2 miles to the southeast. Accompanying them were 1st Division combat correspondent Sgt. Robert Bayer and photographer Cpl. R.J. Del Vecchio. The two companies linked up on the approach to Hills 270 and 310. The dense jungle growth at the base of Hill 270 channeled the Marines into a single-file column during the slow, exhausting climb that forced the men to hack out a trail with machetes. By 6:30 p.m., Delta Company had secured Objective 1, the saddle between Hills 270 and 310. Charlie Company had secured Objective 2, the top of Hill 270. Pfc. Michael J. Kelly, a member of the point squad who had been with the company for only two months, was hit by an enemy bullet that struck a grenade on his cartridge belt. The detonation killed Kelly, severing a leg in the process. Lt. Col. Bill Davis ordered Charlie and Delta companies of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, to get off Hills 270 and 310 and return to their base camps in the flatlands to the east. A little later the morning of Feb. 16, the acting commander of Charlie Company, 1st Lt. Dana F. MacCormack, whose men were descending from Hill 270, radioed Davis: “Here come the NVA, Colonel! I’ve got one more KIA that the last helo did not have room for. We are having a hell of a time carrying this body, and the bones are cutting up the body bag.” Davis, on Hill 310 with the battalion command group, told MacCormack to get Charlie Company off the mountain immediately to avoid any more casualties. And that meant leaving the body behind. Thousands of North Vietnamese Army troops had trekked down the Ho Chi Minh Trail in eastern Laos and moved through South Vietnam’s A Shau Valley before making their way to high ground, including Hills 270 and 310, overlooking an area known as Happy Valley and the Marine positions to the east. In early afternoon, out of food and water and low on ammunition, the weary, battle-shocked Marines of Charlie Company arrived at Hill 10 and were met by the actual company commander, Capt. Karl Ripplemeyer, who had been on leave and just returned. Delta Company, meanwhile, had reached its base camp on Hill 41. Davis radioed the regimental commander, Col. Ross R. Miner, and told him that the Marines were back at the command posts, but added that a dead Marine had to be left behind. A few hours later, Miner told Davis that a B-52 bombing mission was scheduled to strike Hills 270 and 310 and ordered him to send a team to recover Kelly’s body before the bombing started. Davis, however, did not want to risk any more lives in those mountains before the bombing runs were completed and argued against an immediate recovery mission, but Miner wouldn’t rescind his order. Davis discussed Miner’s order with Ripplemeyer, as well as the battalion operations officer and the officer who coordinated air support for the battalion. Davis decided to use Charlie Company volunteers for the recovery since they knew the location of Kelly’s body. “It was 100% a suicide mission,” Whittier, the 2nd Platoon lieutenant, would write to his wife on Feb. 17. “This is a point I can’t too heavily emphasize.” “Suicide mission” was an unintentionally appropriate term, given Charlie Company’s longstanding nickname: “Suicide Charley.” The unit had earned its nickname during the October 1942 Japanese assault on Guadalcanal, when 1st Battalion was led by Lt. Col. Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, who later became the Corps’ most decorated Marine and finished his career as a lieutenant general. During that battle, Charlie Company held its line against a far larger Japanese force despite suffering heavy losses. The day after the fight, a white flag of parachute cloth with a picture of a skull and crossbones rose over the company’s position. Emblazoned on the flag was “Suicide Charley.” The patrol to recover Kelly’s body had only a few hours to prepare for its departure. A runner was sent to Charlie Company seeking the volunteers, including an experienced squad leader. John D. McCreless, then a 20-year-old sergeant, recalled: “When the decision came down to use a squad of volunteers, I got crazy and raised my hand and said I’d lead it.” Lance Cpl. Stephen B. McCashin responded similarly: “When I heard they were asking for volunteers, I said anyone who would go back into those mountains again would have to be crazy. I thought it was a suicide mission, but since I’m on my second tour here, I must be crazy, so I decided to go.” Pfc. Joseph A. Hamrick signed up because, he said, “I was the only one of the volunteers who knew exactly where the body was, so even though I had only been in the ‘Nam’ for a month and had never walked point, I figured I could go right to it.” The other Marines on the eight-man patrol were Pfc. Thomas M. Adamson, Lance Cpl. Tyree Albert Chamberlain, Pfc. Alfred P. Granados, Cpl. Billy R. Ranes and Pfc. Pedro A. Rodriguez. Someone—no one can remember exactly who—dubbed the volunteers the “Doom Patrol.” Granados, the radio operator, remembers their preparations. “Our equipment was light for a short recon patrol—no helmets, flak jackets or cartridge belts, and all but one of the men of the Doom Patrol asked to trade their M16s for the more reliable M14, and permission was granted,” he said. “We were to make no enemy contact, travel by stealth in the dark, get the body and return. If we ran into a superior enemy force, we were to abort, split up and get back any way we could.” Before the men departed, a senior staff sergeant told McCreless: “None of you will probably return alive, but to increase your chances, if things get hairy you can just bring back the leg.” The eight Marines weren’t totally on their own for the mission. The battalion air officer had arranged for continuous air support for the patrol. At 2 a.m. on Feb. 17, McCreless’ squad left Hill 10. A little more than an hour later, near the abandoned village of Phuoc Ninh —military maps distinguished villages with the same name by numbering them—the Marines spotted NVA soldiers moving toward their position. Chamberlain opened fire and killed one of them, but the patrol was now compromised. McCreless faced a difficult decision: abort the mission or stay the course. He spoke to the battalion command center and was told to proceed. No one wanted an empty casket sent to Kelly’s family, and the men on the mission knew the odds when they volunteered. On the move again toward the base of Hill 270, the Marines observed another enemy patrol, and McCreless stopped for an hour near another abandoned village, Phuoc Ninh, a precautionary pause in the dark to make sure there was no other NVA activity in the area before continuing their journey. By sunrise, around 5 a.m., the patrol had cleared the open rice paddy areas and started into the dense jungle on the side of the mountain—with a long march still ahead, which meant they would have to conduct their “stealth” mission in broad daylight. Three hours later, the men were in a flat area above the bomb crater where Kelly’s body lay, covered with a poncho. There they waited while pilots in O1-Bird Dog propeller-driven planes called in airstrikes. One of the pilots radioed McCreless to tell him that napalm drops by F-4 Phantom II fighter-bombers would land just forward of the bomb crater. He instructed the patrol members to take cover, take three deep breaths, exhale and hold their next breath. The napalm struck about a 100 yards in front of the patrol. Granados still remembers the intense heat and dust being sucked past his face into the inferno. The shock waves from the blast seemed to raise him off the ground. After the napalm flames diminished, Granados saw NVA soldiers emerging from bunkers and spider holes. McCreless, worried that the enemy troops were about to move against his seriously outnumbered men, yelled: “Get the leg, and let’s get the hell out!” Moments later, Ranes and Adamson dashed to the crater. They grabbed the severed leg and quickly strapped it to a backpack that Chamberlain carried. The eight Marines then ran back down the trail, amid the still-smoldering napalm and the enemy fire tearing into trees and brush around them. A final strafing run by F-4 Phantoms silenced the firing. After reaching the flatlands, the patrol came upon Charlie Company’s 1st Platoon, sent to assist the squad if any of the men had been wounded or killed. The platoon escorted McCreless’ squad to base camp, and by 2 p.m. all the Marines were back on Hill 10. Amid great rejoicing, Davis summoned the men to his quarters and handed them cigars and cold beer to celebrate their incredible accomplishment. (He wasn’t aware at that time that the full body had not been recovered.) As recounted in his autobiography Tet Marine, Davis told the Doom Patrol that he had been a fan of Suicide Charley since the Chosin Reservoir battle during the Korean War. “I’ve been proud of them during all these years, because they did great things at the Reservoir,” he said. “But never did they do anything greater than YOU did, as volunteers, last night and today.” McCreless said: “The only reason I can think of why we were able to pull it off is that the NVA just couldn’t believe that we were stupid enough to go in there and do what we did. They must have thought we were bait for some kind of trap.” After the celebration, Davis typed a letter to the commander of the 7th Marine Regiment: “Dear Colonel Miner, I’ve never been prouder to be a Marine than at this moment! This magnificent squad [from Suicide Charley] went on what appeared to be a suicide mission. I wish you could have heard this young Marine [Pfc. Joseph Hamrick] describe why he volunteered. He just couldn’t imagine that an empty casket would go to a Marine’s parents. He knew they had to do the job, and while he was scared all the way out, and all the way back, he knew that they just had to succeed. I’ve just lived through an experience that I’ll always hold dear to me. Semper Fi.” Within 10 hours of the patrol’s return, the B-52s from Andersen Air Force Base on Guam devastated the high ground on Hills 270 and 310. But the NVA would return to Hill 310, and many more Marines were wounded or killed there the following month during Operation Worth and in August during Operation Mameluke Thrust. On March 8, Whittier and McCreless were wounded. Later that day, at the Navy hospital in Da Nang, Whittier died from his wounds. A few days later, McCreless was medevaced to Japan for additional surgery. During fighting on May 30, Doom Patrol volunteer Rodriguez was killed. Men from E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, found Kelly’s body on March 25 during Operation Worth. A medevac helicopter picked up the remains and took them to the mortuary in Da Nang. A funeral with a casket containing Kelly’s leg was held in his hometown of Findlay, Ohio, in March 1968. A second funeral, with the rest of his remains, was held in April 1968. Story by Jack Wells — Jack Wells served in Vietnam during 1968-69 as an artillery forward observer with Alpha and Bravo companies, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and later as executive officer of H Battery, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. SALUTE!

OTD via: SIERRA HOTEL AERONAUTICS · February 20th, 1962 11:03 UTC; John Glenn boarded the Friendship 7 spacecraft. The hatch was bolted in place at 12:10 UTC. The gantry was rolled back at 13:20 UTC. At 14:47 UTC, after two hours and 17 minutes of holds and three hours and 44 minutes after Glenn entered Friendship 7, engineer T.J. O'Malley pressed the button in the blockhouse launching the spacecraft. At liftoff Glenn's pulse rate climbed to 110 beats per minute. Thirty seconds after liftoff the General Electric-Burroughs designed guidance system locked onto a radio transponder in the booster to guide the vehicle to orbit. As the Atlas and Friendship 7 passed through Max Q Glenn reported, "It's a little bumpy about here." After Max Q the flight smoothed out. At two minutes and 14 seconds after launch, the booster engines cut off and dropped away. Then at two minutes and twenty-four seconds, the escape tower was jettisoned, right on schedule. After the tower was jettisoned, the Atlas and spacecraft pitched over still further, giving Glenn his first view of the horizon. He described the view as "a beautiful sight, looking eastward across the Atlantic." Glenn received word that the Atlas had boosted the MA-6 into a trajectory that would stay up for at least seven orbits. Meanwhile, computers at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland indicated that the MA-6 orbital parameters appeared good enough for almost 100 orbits. John Glenn and "Friendship 7" made three orbits of the Earth, making Glenn the first American to orbit the Earth. After four hours and 56 minutes in flight the spacecraft re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean and was safely taken aboard the USS Noa. On a side note, earlier in his flying career, Glenn was next assigned to VMF-311 flying the new F9F Panther jet interceptor. He flew his Panther for 63 combat missions during the Korean War, gaining the dubious nickname "magnet ass" from his apparent ability to attract enemy flak. Twice he returned to base with over 250 flak holes in his aircraft. www.Sierrahotel.net

via: Susan Kee - Honoring Korean War Veterans · "When you're young, you take more risks, and you are more brave. Maybe, this is why they send young men to war..." - Korean War veteran This photo of a young American Soldier serving in the Korean War, is a reminder to us of how young they were and also how brave they were. Most of them were about 18 years old and in many cases, they were only 16 or 17 years old. Many Korean War Veterans say, "when you're young, you take more risks, you are more brave. Maybe, this is why they send young men to war..." Many of these young men admit they did not even know where Korea was when they were sent there. Little did they know that the fate of a Nation and its People rested on their shoulders. It is because of their great courage and sacrifices that South Korea and its People were saved from the grips of North Korea's communist regime and South Korea prospers and flourishes in Freedom today. Over 70 years later, our Korean War Veterans are now nearing or over 90 years of age. Everyday, there are increasing number of Korean War Veterans passing away and leaving us. Over the last few years I have attended more funerals of Korean War Veterans than ever before. Sadly, I have lost count of how many funerals of Korean War Veterans I have attended in the past 10 years. My heart breaks with the passing of each Korean War hero. Time is running out and I feel there is a great urgency to capture and document their stories. Their experiences and stories are important pieces of our history that we all should know and pass on to future generations. The fact that South Korea is a thriving Free Nation today is only possible because of all who fought and saved her from communist tyranny during the Korean War. This incredible legacy of these young men who fought with great courage and gave their lives to save a nation from communist oppression, should never be forgotten. Over 36,000 Americans sacrificed their lives and over 8,000 became Missing in Action with thousands others from other United Nations countries who laid down their lives to save South Korea and its People. I am among the millions of Koreans who live in Freedom today because of their tremendous sacrifices. We, Koreans can never Thank them enough and we will never be able to repay all that was sacrificed for us. I believe the best way we can thank and honor them is to learn their stories and make them known. Many Korean War Veterans say to me, "the Korean War is forgotten, no one knows anything about it." So, I challenge every Korean War Veteran to do something to change that. The way that our Korean War Veterans can make sure that the Korean War is not forgotten, is to share their stories and teach the rest of us, of what happened. 70 years later, I thank God that I, a Korean American woman, can meet these very heroes who saved my family, and my birth country and learn their amazing stories. Since 2012, I have interviewed hundreds of Korean War Veterans and everything I share with you on this Facebook page is a result of what I have learned from them. Our Korean War Veterans have been my greatest teachers of Korean War history. Our Korean War Veterans will continue to be my inspiration and I will continue to share their incredible stories with you, as my way of Honoring and Thanking them. I encourage all of you who have a Korean War Veteran as a family member or friend, to please seek the Veteran and ask him if he would share anything of his Korean War experiences. Their stories are important history that should be remembered. This post is dedicated with utmost gratitude to all the young men from the US and United Nations countries, who risked their lives and gave their lives in the Korean War. May these Heroes, their stories and their legacies, never be forgotten. With everlasting Love, Gratitude and Respect to my greatest heroes, Susan Kee - Honoring Korean War Veterans PHOTO CAPTION: "American Soldier scans the area in front of his Observation Post on the front line somewhere in Korea. July 29th, 1950." (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) #koreanwar #koreanwarveterans #koreanwarheroes #freedom #freedomisnotfree #neverforgotten

via: Special Operations Association February 18, 2019 · Today we pause to remember SFC William “Buck” M. Fernandez, TF2A3 Covey Rider, and 1LT James L. Hull, Pilot. 1LT Hull was a Covey Forward Air Controller assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron at Da Nang. 1LT Hull and SFC Fernandez were flying an O-2A (#68-11001) searching for an Army helicopter shot down in southern Laos. They were shot down and crashed near Ban Pelou, 55 miles west of Da Nang. Neither survived the crash. An Army Special Forces team reached the crash site and recovered SFC Fernandez’s body, but 1LT Hull’s body was trapped in the wreckage and could not be recovered. William Fernandez was born into a military family. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, he was raised on various Army posts, both overseas and stateside. He had four brothers and four sisters. His father, CSM George Fernandez , and three of his brothers also served in Vietnam (all in Airborne units). He entered the Army 1956 in Richmond, Virginia and was on his third tour in Vietnam. A brief history of his assignments are Basic Training at Ft Jackson, SC, AIT at Fort Gordon, GA, Airborne School and assigned to 2d Battalion 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Div, Fort Campbell Ky. Around 1960, he joined the Special Forces at Fort Bragg. His first Special Forces assignment was in Panama. He was later assigned to Special Forces in Okinawa and Korea. Between Vietnam tours, he served at Bragg as a Special Forces instructor. He was survived by two children, his parents and siblings. He is buried in the Fort Bragg Main Post Cemetery, Fort Bragg, NC. In 2006, it was announced that 1LT Hull’s remains had been located and positively identified and would be returned to his family for burial. Between 1993 and 1997, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command led three investigations with U.S. and Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, and one trilateral investigation with a Lao People's Democratic Republic team. During the first investigation, the team interviewed a Vietnamese citizen who produced human remains and an identification tag for Hull that he claimed to have recovered from a crash site located just inside Laos. The joint team was not allowed to cross the border and the investigation was suspended. The Vietnamese turned over the bone fragment to U.S. officials, but the ID tag's whereabouts are still unknown. Additional investigations yielded some information concerning a crash site located just inside the Laotian border. The S.R.V. allowed a Vietnamese national to walk to the purported crash site and collect a fragment of the wreckage. Based on the location, type of aircraft and retrieved wreckage, analysts determined it was Hull's crash site. In May 2006, a joint U.S. and L.P.D.R. team excavated the site where they recovered additional evidence and human remains. He was awarded the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Purple Heart, and nine Air Medals.

via: Korean DMZ Vets 1998 - Up on the Z - Panmunjom, JSA soldiers preparing to receive remains from the Korean War that were recovered from the north. This was November 98. 69 years since the Armistice was signed, over 7000 Americans are stilling missing. #DMZ #korea #rok #JSA

U.S. Army Special Operations Command #DIDYOUKNOW The 2nd Ranger Infantry Company was the first, the last and only all-African American Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) in the United States Army. Affectionately known as “Buffalo Soldiers,” the company was activated in October 1950 and fought in the Korean War before being deactivated in August 1951. During its existence, the unit earned four campaign streamers and multiple combat ribbons for several battles. Their audacity and valor have inspired generations of U.S. Army Rangers ever since. #BlackHistoryMonth #ARSOFHistory #ARSOF #The75thRangerRegiment #UnitedStatesSpecialOperationsCommand(USSOCOM)

https://www.facebook.com/korean.dmz.vets/posts/pfbid02h8gHewEN3DUpoJSgQcBQoG12mW2GYEvYGgNBjn8F6CqW3rLFwxSs18aHKcXM1egnl

Medal of Honor Recipients: Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble (1917-1982) was a U.S. Army National Guard veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. He was a full-blooded member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, a Sioux Native American tribe.

OTD: - 45 B.C.: The Julian calendar takes effect, so people celebrate New Year's Eve for the first time. - 1863: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect, President Lincoln's Executive Order that slavery be abolished in all states where it is being practiced, allowing people in those regions to be Free. - 1892: Ellis Island opens its doors in New York Harbor, Welcoming millions of immigrants in the coming decades to America hoping for a better life. - 1919: A guy with a strange name steps into his father's shoes as Edsel Ford takes the reigns from Henry as President of Ford Motor Company. - 1959: Dictator Fulgencio Batista flees Cuba as rebels fighting under revolutionary Fidel Castro take control of the island, a bloody revolution which Castro promised would "free all the people" later imprisoning tens of thousands under his even more brutal dictatorship, a curiosity which has somehow managed to remain in effect in other brutal dictatorships around the world (North Korea, Iran, others) as their citizens have yet to figure out how to set their minds - and themselves Free.

A Throwback from the Korean War in 1952!!! Happy New Year!!!

via Stars & Stripes Museum: We invite you to visit our museum and explore the extraordinary experiences of Frank Praytor during the Korean Conflict. Frank Praytor, a U.S. Marine, gained fame for a photograph taken during the Korean War where he was captured nursing a kitten. This heartwarming moment not only showcased humanity amidst the brutality of war but also saved him from a potential court-martial. While serving as a combat correspondent with the 1st Marine Division in Korea in 1952, Praytor took two orphaned newborn kittens under his care. A widely distributed photograph of him gently feeding one of the kittens named "Mis Hap" touched the hearts of millions and appeared in 1,700 newspapers worldwide. The image of a compassionate Marine caring for a tiny animal resonated deeply with the public, resulting in an outpouring of letters and even marriage proposals. Praytor's fame grew, but he soon faced potential court-martial for violating regulations by publishing photos without military clearance. However, thanks to his newfound celebrity status and the commandant's decision to let him off the hook, Praytor was spared from charges. He attributed his fortunate outcome to the kitten that had become his companion in Korea. After narrowly escaping court-martial, Praytor returned to Korea as a writer for Stars and Stripes. He covered significant events like the truce-signing at Panmunjom and had a reunion with "Mis Hap," who had become the Division's mascot. His reporting continued in Tokyo for two years. Come to our museum and delve into Frank Praytor's captivating story. Witness his remarkable photos taken during Korea and learn how a small kitten played a significant role in shaping his fate. #FrankPraytor #KoreanConflict #WarPhotography #History #MuseumExhibit

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/from-wargames-in-europe-australia-and-south-korea-to-the-longest-single-spaceflight-in-us-history-the-us-army-releases-stunning-images-showcasing-military-life-in-2023/ar-AA1m9zAc?ocid=msedgntp&pc=NMTS&cvid=d8c5df158bd74aa59d3b13f687b07861&ei=79