|
VFW POST 4931
My name is tom Meek, Hilliard VFW post #4931. At that time I asked you to mention the House Resolution regarding the retroactive award of army combat action badge. I feel that Rep. Pryce should do what she can to see that this bill passes for the thousands of combat vets who deserve the recognition for their combat experience.
The navy has had the combat action ribbon since WWII. The Army's CIB has only been awarded to infantry as it should be prior to 9/11
Combat Engineers, Tankers, Artillery, and radio operators with infantry that did not have an 11BMOS were not eligible. The truth is that many of us that were in combat but lucky enough to not receive wounds that were serious enough to report or actions witnessed to be recommended for citations have nothing else to reflect our service. In my case, I was a combat engineer in Vietnam 1967 - 1968. I personally survived hostile fire numerous
You only need to watch the history channel a few times to be aware of the thousands that ware deserving of this award. The tankers of WWII, The engineers at Bastogne and Remaggen, the truck drivers of the famous Red Ball Express all of the best generation that saw action in WWII. Then there are the rest from Korea, Vietnam, Panama and the first Gulf war. This would of course include the MP's that saw action at the embassy in 1968 and the MP's that were so instrumental in Panama. As one vet to another I would appreciate it if you would bring this matter to the attention of Rep. Pryce.
Thank you again for your time
Respectfully,
Tommy G. Meek
The American Legion Post 20
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today on the merits of American Legion Resolution No. 34. To refresh your memory, it calls on the Department of the Army to consider extending the eligibility dates of the Combat Action Badge to include all deserving soldiers retroactive to December 07, 1941.
Briefly, there has been no badge of recognition for soldiers serving in Artillery, Armor, Combat Engineers or other units, who have confronted and exchanged hostile fire with enemies of the United States. These soldiers, by virtue of their unit assignment, are ineligible for the Combat Infantryman Badge awarded to infantry personnel only, or Combat Medic Badge, awarded to the Medical Corp personnel only. Therefore, I consider it urgent to find a way to recognize these deserving soldiers for their participation in combat related activities requiring the exchange of hostile fire with the enemy.
As you well know, time is the enemy for some of these men. We are losing about 1800 veterans a day from the WW II and Korean War era. We need to move quickly to see Resolution 34 come to fruition. Life is fleeting and for thousands, time has already run out on receiving proper recognition. We need to see that those who remain have a chance at the Combat Action Badge.
Let me tell you how you can help. There are two avenues of approaching the issue. Resolution 34 works on applying pressure on the Army to change its policy. The other option would be introducing a bill into the legislature requiring the Army to change. Thanks to the hard work of Ken Seymour and a Florida congressional delegation, a legislative bill was introduced into the final session of the 109th Congress. It was an unfounded bill identified as H. R. 2267. Unfortunately, it was not passed by the 109th. Therefore, we must get it reintroduced into the 110th Congress. Again, we are not asking for it to be funded due, in part, to the recently passed "pay as you go" resolution adopted by the 110th Congress. Basically, it would mean, if passed, that everyone would be responsible for paying for their own badge. The Democrats now hold the majority in the House and they tend to stick together, so preferably we get a Democrat to reintroduce it. I have contacted Representative Artur Davis' office asking for help reintroducing H.R. 2267. I'm asking all of you who reside in Congressional District 7 to contact Representative Artur Davis office asking for help in this regard.
Furthermore, I'm asking all of you, whatever Congressional District you may live in, to contact your duly elected Representative asking for their help and support for the Combat Action Badge bill. I need volunteers from each Congressional District to make telephone calls, write letters, or send e-mails to your representative to ask support for extending the eligibility dates of the Combat Action Badge to include all deserving soldiers retroactive to December 07, 1941. If you don't know your representatives name, address or other contact information, I can help. Please see me following this presentation. Also, I have several copies of the American Legion Resolution 34, H.R. 2267, and contact information for your Congressman. I'm also asking you to contact Senators Sessions and Shelby making them aware of your expectations for them when the Combat Action Badge bill arrives at the Senate for their consideration. They have in their possession a copy of American Legion Resolution 34 and House bill H.R. 2267. I have asked Senators Shelby and Sessions to co-sponsor a companion bill to H.R. 2267 in the Senate. I'm asking you to help me to help you, by committing to contact your representative and senators as soon as possible. For those of you serving at the national level, I ask you to carry the message to the other departments asking for their support. Help me get the message out that we are here to stay and anything less than an extension of the eligibility date to include all soldiers retroactive to December 07, 1941, will be unacceptable. My only dog in this fight is to see that you are recognized for engaging and exchanging hostile fire with enemies of the United States of America. Personally, I'm not eligible.
District Commanders, Division Commanders, Department Commander, National Executive Committeemen, and National Vice Commander and those of you who have contacts outside our department, please lobby those you encounter for support. Some of those in position to help at the National level are Mike Duggan, Deputy Director National Security, (202) 263-2988, Steve Robertson, Legislative Director, (202) 861-2700, and National Commander Paul Morin (317) 630-1200. Remember, help me to help you. I thank you for your time, attentiveness and for responding. See me afterwards for a information packet or whatever you might need to help. Let's get this accomplished for all who are deserving of the recognition.
Presented: January 26, 2007
James G. Smith, Public Relations Officer
The American Legion Post 20