I was excited when I first arrived at Fischbach bei Dahn, the German town in which the 64th Ordnance Company was located. I just turned 18 years old, and I felt as if I was on an adventure to explore the unknown in foreign country. At first, I was gung-ho, and tried to walk that
Read on »Posts By: Jeff Woodward
Cold War Conversations Podcast and Keeping History Alive
I came across the Cold War Conversations website a few weeks ago while replying to posts on Twitter. After following the link to their website, I came across a wonderful site devoted to keeping the history of the Cold War alive. Ian Sanders, the host and producer of CWC has been instrumental in keeping the
Read on »Financial Compensation for Veterans in Illinois
The State of Illinois offers a one-time financial award of $100 for eligible veterans who served during wartime. The program applies to veterans who served during WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf War. It also applies to those who recieved the Global War on Terrorism Award (Operation Iraq Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation
Read on »Veteran Burial Benefits
I know this is a subject that we do want to think about. We were young once, full of life and perhaps a bit “wild”. Some of us started families, others went straight to college after the military, and still others made the military their career, and accomplished all of the above. The fact is,
Read on »How to Request a Copy of a DD214
A few years ago, I had to request a copy of my DD214. My original copies were so bad they were barely legible, and some information (awards) were left off the DD214 when I ETS’d (end term of service). Every veteran knows that having a legible copy of a DD214 is a lifesaver. We use
Read on »The Death of Qasem Soleimani should Unify Americans, not Drive them Apart.
After the recent killing of the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by American drones while he was driving in a motorcade outside of the Baghdad Airport has sent shock-waves throughout Iran, and tensions between the political parties within the United States. While most conservatives applaud the action, the democrats have locked stepped in their condemnation of
Read on »Pritzker Museum’s “Stories of Service”
I am happy to have been a part of the Pritzker Military Museum’s Oral History Program. Earlier in November 2018, the museum staff put together a short montage of veterans who participated in the program. A small scene from my interview can be seen towards the end of the video. You can view the video
Read on »Audio History Interview at the Pritzker Military Museum and Library
On May 18th, I had the privilege of taking part in the Pritzker Military Museum and Library‘s oral history project. The project seeks to record oral histories of Illinois veterans who served in all branches of the military. After filling out a small application, and emailing back to the museum, I was contacted a couple
Read on »Business Insider’s Misguided Article on Trump and Nuclear Weapons
I came across a fascinating op-ed piece written by Dave Mosher in Business Insider, Trump Wants to make Nuclear Weapons Easier to Use, and that Should Frighten Everyone. The piece posits that President Trump’s support of expanding nuclear capabilities may eventually lead to nuclear warfare, or at the very least make it easier for low
Read on »Cold War Recognition Certificate
The Cold War Recognition Certificate is available for any veteran and government employee who served honorably between Sept. 2nd, 1945 and Dec. 26th, 1991. From the Army HRC website: In accordance with section 1084 of the Fiscal Year 1998 National Defense Authorization Act, the Secretary of Defense approved awarding the Cold War Recognition Certificate (CWRC)
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