H.R. No. 1591
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Between the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945,
and the dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 25-26, 1991, the
world witnessed a period of military, economic, and ideological
confrontation known as the Cold War; and
WHEREAS, Although the Cold War never erupted into a
full-scale armed conflict between the world's superpowers, it gave
impetus to a number of localized hot wars, as well as to a massive
military buildup on the part of both the United States and the
Soviet Union; the consequent demands on U.S. military personnel
were often arduous and dangerous; and
WHEREAS, In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2002, Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Defense to
issue a Cold War Service Medal, to be given to each member of the
U.S. military who served satisfactorily on active duty during the
Cold War era; the DOD has refused, however, to create such an award;
instead, since 1999, the department has made available a Cold War
Recognition Certificate, to be given to those who served during the
Cold War either as a member of the armed forces or as a federal
employee; and
WHEREAS, Cold War veterans believe that this certificate
scarcely suffices to recognize the sacrifices they bore or the
service they rendered; since the certificate was first offered, the
American Legion, VFW, Reserve Officers Association, Combat
Infantrymen's Association, Cold War Veterans Association, and
AMVETS have all expressed the desire that service in the Cold War be
honored with an official medal; and
WHEREAS, A medal that honors service similar to that of Cold
War veterans already exists and, if made available to those
veterans, would both pay them the tribute they are owed and resolve
the Pentagon's concern about the cost of issuing a new award; the
American Defense Service Medal, created by Executive Order 8808, is
given to service personnel who served between September 8, 1939,
following the outbreak of war in Europe, and December 7, 1941, when
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor; as during the Cold War, the U.S. military
spent this period bracing for armed hostilities; and
WHEREAS, A precedent for expanding the dates of eligibility
for the American Defense Service Medal exists with the National
Defense Service Medal; initially awarded for service during the
period of the Korean War, the NDSM was subsequently awarded for
service during the period of the Vietnam War, Desert Shield/Desert
Storm, and the Global War on Terror; and
WHEREAS, The heraldry, order of precedence, and related
issues pertaining to the American Defense Service Medal have
already been settled; the only change in the medal that would be
required would be the removal of the original dates of eligibility,
which are presently engraved on the reverse; removing these dates
will also facilitate the reopening of this award for service during
a similar period of emergency in the future; and
WHEREAS, There is little doubt that Cold War veterans will
prefer to purchase the American Defense Service Medal as opposed to
unofficial commemorative medals, which are not authorized to be
worn on uniforms, thus significantly reducing the cost to the
defense department for providing this award; and
WHEREAS, Those who served in the United States Army, Navy,
Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard during the years of the Cold War
made an immeasurable contribution to the safety of this country and
its allies, and they are indeed deserving of appropriate
recognition; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby respectfully urge the president of the United
States to modify Executive Order 8808 so as to award the American
Defense Service Medal to United States armed forces personnel who
served on active duty in the period after September 1, 1945, and
before December 27, 1991; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the chief clerk of the house forward an
official copy of this resolution to the president of the United
States.
Vaught
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1591 was adopted by the House on May
30, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 136, Nays 0, 2 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House