by Gerry J. Gilmore

WASHINGTON - (Army News Service, Jan. 14, 1999) - The Army is managing a Department of Defense program that recognizes service members and government civilian employees for their service during the Cold War.

Qualified military and civilian personnel can now access the Internet address to obtain information on how to receive a Cold War Recognition Certificate signed by Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, according to Army Maj. Dan Gibson, chief of military awards branch, The Adjutant General Directorate.

"The Internet address will provide applicants with information on how to apply for the Cold War Certificate. Applications will appear on the website April 5," Gibson said. "The applications will collect individual/personal data and instruct applicants on which documentation will be needed."

Gibson cautions applicants not to send original required documents, such as DD Forms 214, (Certificate of Release/Discharge from Military Service). Photocopies only should be forwarded, he added, as any documents sent will not be returned.

The Department of the Army is designated as the executive agent for implementation and award of the CWRC. The Personnel Service Support Division, The Adjutant General Directorate, U.S. Total Army Personnel Command, Alexandria, Va., is responsible for the program.

The certificate will be provided to all members of the armed forces and qualified federal government employees who faithfully served the United States during the Cold War era, from Sept. 2, 1945 to Dec. 26, 1991, according to officials. Cohen approved issuance of the certificate in accordance with section 1084 of the 1998 National Defense Authorization Act.

Above Cohen's signature, the certificate bears the inscription: "In recognition of your service during the period of the Cold War (2 September 1945 - 26 December 1991) in promoting peace and stability for this Nation, the people of this Nation are forever grateful."

At the end of World War II in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union, formerly allies, became rivals for political and military influence throughout the world. This struggle erupted in several flash points over the years, to include the Korean War (1950-53), the Hungarian Revolution (1956), the Berlin Crisis (1961), the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), and the Vietnam Conflict (1964-1975).

The Soviet Union attempted to keep up with a massive American arms build-up during the 1980s. Soviet efforts to match the Americans, combined with a draining war in Afghanistan, would prove to "break the bank." Cracks appeared in Soviet hegemony or influence, what former President Ronald Reagan called "the Evil Empire." The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, effectively lifting the "Iron Curtain" that the Soviets erected 28 years earlier to separate Eastern and Western Europe.

In 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, ending the Cold War and Communist political control of the Russian people, which began in 1918.

The mailing address for requests for the certificate is:

Additional Information:
http://www.airweaassn.org/coldwar.htm
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr1999/b04051999_bt146-99.html

The mailing address for requests for the certificate is:

CDR, PERSCOM
COLD WAR RECOGNITION, HOFFMAN II
ATTN: TAPC-CWRS, 3N45
200 STOVALL STREET
ALEXANDRIA, VA 22332-0473

FAX: 1-800-723-9262