Commander change ceremony held at AL Post 4 in Mount Pleasant
The oath of office is administered to the new Mt. Pleasant American Legion Post 4 leadership. Shown are (left to right): David Simmons, adjutant; Joseph Fuchsel, second vice commander; Gary Arnoldson, first vice commander; and Courtney Syme, commander. (Photo by Ray LaFollette, The Pyramid)
Several veterans of the Cold War were awarded the Utah Cold War Victory Medal during ceremonies held Jan. 21 at the Utah National Guard Armory in Mt. Pleasant. Shown are (front row left to right): Joseph Fuchsel, Jim Bean, Laurie Rowley, Gary Arnoldson, Robert Bob Arzich, Buckner Trevillian and Roger Clegg. (back row l-r): Carl Wright, Boyd Mickel, Ward Ragner, Guy Gee, Dennis Matthews, Rodney Culley, Commander Courtney Syme and David Simmons. Not pictured are: Thurman Ashburn, Nicholas Atwood, Chad Badham, James Bench, Stephen Brandt, Louis Espinoza, Andrew Peterson and Erwin Smith. (Photo by Ray LaFollette, The Pyramid)
The Utah Cold War Victory Medal was created to honor those who served honorably in the United States military, including Reservists and members of the National Guard, between Sept. 2, 1945 and Dec. 26, 1991. The medal is plated in a two-tone finish of 18K and antique gold. The nuclear triad is featured with representations of the minuteman (ICBM) missle, a Trident submarine and a B-52 bomber. The countries of Germany, Korea and Vietnam are also featured. (Photo by Ray LaFollette, The Pyramid)
MT. PLEASANT–American Legion (AL) Post 4 received a new commander during ceremonies held Jan. 21 at the Utah National Guard Armory in Mt. Pleasant. In addition, a number of veterans received awards.
Commander Dennis Matthews, who has been serving as commander for the past year, welcomed attendees to the event and expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to serve and help the American Legion in honoring the U.S. Constitution.
Matthews then stepped aside for David Simmons, adjutant, to swear in the new commander and vice commanders. The new commander is Courtney Syme with Gary Arnoldson as first vice-commander and Joseph Fuchsel as second vice-commander.
Several members were then awarded continuing membership certificates along with the Utah Cold War Victory medal.
Those receiving the Cold War medal are as follows:
Gary Arnoldson, Robert Bob Arzich, Thurman Ashburn, Nicholas Atwood, Chad Badham, Jimmy Bean, James Bench, Stephen Brandt, Roger Clegg, Rodney Culley, Louis Espinoza, Joseph Fuchsel, Guy Gee, Dennis Matthews, James Boyd Mickel, Andrew Peterson, Ward Ragner, David F. Simmons, Erwin Smith, Courtney Syme, Trevillian Buchner and Carl Wright.
The Utah Cold War Victory medal was created to honor those who served during the cold war. In the past, veterans of World War II, Korean War and the Vietnam War were recognized with medals for their service, but not the men and women who served during the Cold War.
Yet during the Cold War millions of American soldiers manned submarines, drove tanks, conducted surveillance and performed many other important services, but have rarely been formally recognized, either with monuments or service medals.
Congress first approved a Cold War service medal in 2001, but then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld declined to authorize it. Since then, several bills have called for the award in congress, but none have passed.
In 2013, Texas became the first state to authorize its own medal and Louisiana and Alaska soon followed suit. In 2016, 100 veterans were honored at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, but when the initial funds were exhausted, the state dropped their involvement.
Then in 2017, Utah House Bill 220 authorized the medal and Utah became the fourth state to offer the award, to be known in Utah as the Utah Cold War Victory Medal.
It’s to be given for honorable service in the United States military (including Reservists and National Guard) between Sept. 2, 1945 and Dec. 26, 1991.
According to Kraig Thorne, senior vice-commander of VFW Post 4918, approximately 100,000 Utahns served in the military during the Cold War in various places, from Alaska to Germany to the Korean Demilitarized Zone. “Many of my friends and family have had their service basically ignored,” Thorne said.
All of the medals are now paid for by donations from individuals and charitable organizations. Larry Kerr, of the Utah Cold War Veterans Alliance, Inc., has been working hard to keep the fundraising for medals in gear.
“We did lose ships and submarines to the Cold War,” Kerr says. “We lost aircraft and pilots due to the Cold War, and they never really got any recognition at all.”
The Utah Cold War Victory Medals are all purchased from BrightPoint Creative, LLC for a cost of $15. But it is hoped that no veteran will have to buy their own.
David F. Simmons, adjutant for the American Legion District 6 and Mt. Pleasant Post 4 would like to raise enough funds to present the medal to all those in Sanpete that served during the Cold War.
Simmons can be reached at PO Box 233, Moroni, UT 84646, via phone (435) 851-0679, or email to davidsimmons1631@yahoo.com.
For more information on the statewide effort, to nominate a veteran(s) for the medal, or to donate for a medal(s), visit www.victorymedals.org or call (801) 485-4438. For information on future award pinning ceremony dates, call Larry Kerr (801) 776-4230.
