Cold War vets still not recognized

Re: the July 19 letter from Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi titled: “Yes, we need actions that honor Vietnam vets”:

I am a veteran from the Cold War Era during which 382 died from hostile enemy actions and 126 are still on the rolls of the missing in action. Yet, there’s still no monument or a memorial in Washington, D.C., or at any veterans park to our service and their sacrifice your, and my freedom that has been taken for granted.

Since 2017, I have written Rep. Krishnamoorthi four times asking him why he had never signed on as a co-sponsor to the House resolutions that were put up for the Cold War Service Medal Act. (In fact, none of our representatives from Illinois have signed as co-sponsors to any of the bills that would recognize our service during the Cold War, regardless of political party.) However, in August of 2021 I saw where Rep. Krishnamoorthi found the time to be a co-sponsor to Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s bill to posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal for Mahatma Gandhi for his works at peace.

I guess this is Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s way of “honoring our commitment to our veterans.”

We who served during the Cold War are long overdue recognition. We took the same oath as all the others who served before and after us at a time when it wasn’t so popular to serve in the military.

So I’ll leave you this question: what we did Cold War Era Veterans do that was so wrong that all of you politicians have ignored and dismissed our service and casualties?

David Kumpula

Hoffman Estates