Cold War Veterans Blog

Andrews Introduced the Cold War Victory Medal Legislation in 2006

ANDREWS AMENDMENT CREATES COLD WAR VICTORY MEDAL FOR VETERANS

In this year’s Defense Authorization bill, I introduced an amendment that would create the Cold War Victory Medal, which would be awarded to those brave veterans that served during the period of 1945-1991. This bill passed the House and now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Some incorrectly characterize the period from 1945-1991 as “peacetime,” save the Korean and Vietnam Wars. This, however, fails to take into account that the Cold War was a global, ongoing military operation that was in fact very dangerous and sometimes fatal for the soldiers engaged in this campaign.

The Cold War was not just an ideological struggle. Rather, it was a large-scale military campaign that used deterrence and military deployments in order to prevent a third world war. It was a unique period in our country’s history, and I believe it deserves a unique medal. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to include this amendment in the final bill.