Cold War Veterans Blog

Belleville veteran pursues Cold War Medal Act

By Diane D. Tilley

Veterans who fought from 1946 to 1991 in the Cold War are still waiting for the Cold War Medal Act of 2007 to become a pass through the legislation process and become a reality. It has a been a long time in the making and veterans of that era like retired US Army Warrant Officer 1st class William Steimel can be found spending spare time on the computer networking and researching the progress of the Bill S.1097.

IN FOR THE LONG HAUL – Retired US Army Warrant Officer 1st class William Steimel Cold War vets acknowledged.IN FOR THE LONG HAUL – Retired US Army Warrant Officer 1st class William Steimel Cold War vets acknowledged.

The bill seeks to create a special medal designed to recognize the sacrifices made by those who fought from 1946 to 1991 in the Cold War era.

Steimel found other American Cold War veterans through an Internet Web sites and joined in the fight for a Cold War medal in 2004. The Belleville resident served on Nike sites for 43 months. The missiles were named for the Greek Goddess of Victory and were the world’s first guided antiaircraft missile system. Their purpose was to act as a last ditch effort to shoot down long range enemy aircraft to defend the continental United States and other vital targets. He was a generator mechanic who was responsible for putting the site on tactical power and maintaining equipment.

“It was a hard duty,” he said. “These defense sites were always in a high state of readiness and security. Most people whether military or civilian had no knowledge of their existence. We were subject to German terrorist attacks and constantly on guard against intruders and the very real threat of spies.”

Nike sites were in obscure locations usually within dark fenced in compounds. Military Police lined the perimeters.

“The duty was nerve racking given the threat of Russian agents in Western Germany and being on constant alert. If an alert was called we never knew if it were real or not, guys would suit up in Nuclear Biological Chemical suits and physically maneuver the Nike’s into position. You were always on edge and it took its toll on many good men and their families. We alternated between absolute boredom and extreme adrenaline rush,” he said.

The long drive home

The bill was first introduced in 1997 and then reintroduced in 1999. In 2001, the bill faced severe opposition by the Pentagon and then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield vetoed it. Then in 2002 the act reached the Department of Defense again where it was recognized but President George Bush later vetoed it.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) reintroduced the bill in 2007 finding five co-sponsors in the Senate.

On April 12, 2007 the act was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services – the latest action on the meandering piece of legislation.

The Cold War was a 50-year struggle, global in nature, which confronted the spread of Communism in Western Europe. The war spanned the scope of the blockade of Berlin, Korean War, Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis up to Grenada and the war in Afghanistan and many other conflicts in-between.

It was a war veiled in secrecy with many of its battles and victories unknown to the general public.

Because of the nature of their missions, families were told their loved ones died in non-combat accidents or were simply listed as missing in action. It was a time when we lived under the very real threat of a nuclear strike and many of Americans over 50 remembering practicing in classrooms for air raid drills and civil defense being a standard part of the curriculum.

Steimel enlisted in the Army in 1972 during this time. He was sent to Dexheim, Germany holding a secret clearance at a Nike Hercules Nuclear Missile site.

“We knew if it came down to it we were merely a road bump for Russian advancement,” he said.

Steimel was career Army but was forced to take a disability retirement after 17 years.

Cold War veterans are banding together. Here in New Jersey Congressman William Pascrell (D-NJ) has been very supportive of the bill but Sen. Robert Menendez and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, also Democrats, have not.

For Steimel having the bill get on the books, as it were, is about getting the respect for the time and effort spent in defense of his country.

“I want my kids to know I was there. I want them to know I did my job,” he said.

For more information see the Web site http://www.americancoldwarvets.org/.