The American Legion [Volume 126, No. 2 (February 1989)]

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The stylish, sleek design is In pocket, or, Ujbh expertise of modern your add The FOR GOD AND COUNTRY technology, craftsmanship of enhanced with their them to your collection — yesteryear and the talents attention to dependability. this is a Knife Set any Editorial Offices of wildlife artist Dave Corrosion-free stainless sportsman will cherish. 700 N. Pennsylvania St. Brandon, have been brought steel makes them perfect Perfectly displayed in their P.O. Box 1055 together to offer you a for outdoor use. Drop-point hinged, beveled edge oak Indianapolis, IN 46206 collection of three exclusive designed blade with lock- case (with set-ins for each 317-635-8411 knives. Each one depicts back construction ensures knife), this set comes ready H.F. "Sparky" Gierke the graceful beauty and user's safety. Quality, color- to show. The perfect gift for National Commander mystery of the outdoors. etched reproductions show your favorite sportsman. Not sold in stores, this is a each skillful stroke of the Daniel S. Wheeler Limited Collection. artist's brush. Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Michael D. LaBonne Editor Raymond H. Mahon Managing Editor Joe Stuteville Associate Editor Simon Smith Art Director

William L. Poff Production Manager

Advertising Director Donald B. Thomson The American Legion Magazine P.O. Box 7068 Indianapolis. IN 46207 317-635-8411

Publisher's Representatives Fox Associates, Inc. Chicago: 312-644-3888 New York: 212-725-2106 Los Angeles: 213-487-5630 Detroit, Ml: 313-543-0068 Atlanta: 404-252-0968 San Francisco: 415-989-5804

The American Legion Magazine Commission Milford A. Forrester, Chairman, Greenville, SC; Ralph L. Smith, Vice Chairman, Bartlesville, OK; James R. Kelley, National Commander's Rep- resentative, Wayne. PA; George F. Ballard, Belleville, IL; J. Leslie Brown Jr., Louisville, KY; Joseph Chase, Hatboro, PA; Richard J. Cherry, Toledo, OH; Donald Conn, South Bend, IN; James W. Conway, Charlestown, MA; Lincoln Cox, Kirby, WV; Orval E. Faubus, Conway, AR; Halbert G. Horton, Topeka, KS; W.B. (Brad) -800-553-5129 Jorgens, Beardsly, MN; Eugene J. Kelley, Savannah, GA; Russell H. Laird, Des Moines, IA; Larry G. Lewis, Bensenville, IL; Nathaniel J. McKee, Princeton, NJ; J. Fred Mitchell, 15-234-1202 Brewton, AL; J. H. Morris, Baton Rouge, LA; Inside Wisconsin George G. Sinopoli, Fresno, CA; Benjamin B. Truskoski, Bristol, CT; Paul T. Woodard, Lacey, :k 3 Money Order WA; Neal L. Thomas Jr., Consultant, Colorado MasterCard VISA Springs, CO.

Price: Annual subscription, $12; Post- sponsored gift subscriptions, $4; Single copy, $2. To subscribe, send $12 ($18 in foreign countries) to Membership Processing Dept., P.O. Box 1954, Indianapolis, IN 46206. State Zip

Please rush me sets of these original- Change of Address: Notify The American MEET THE ARTIST - design knives. E*ach set comes with one Legion's Circulation Dept., P.O. Box 1954, Indi- DAVE BRANDON anapolis, IN Attach old label, each of three designs in wood 46206. address Truly the love of nature provide old and new addresses and current display box @ $ 39.95 each. $ . in this artist gives him the membership card number. Allow 8 weeks for instinct to recreate the Wisconsin Residents change of address to take effect. Also notify your local post adjutant directly at local post's address. mystique and solitude of add 5% Sales Tax $ scenes around him. Fas- Shipping and handling To request microfilm copies, please write to: cination with detail and charge $3.50 per set $ University Microfilms, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann realism is his trademark, Arbor, Ml 48106 climaxed with the ability TOTAL AMOUNT DUE: $ to put his feelings onto his CHAD! MARK Member Audit Bureau of Circulations P.O. Box 136, Rice Lake, Wise. 54868 AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE "

TTHE ^GtfHKS^ffiD

The Magazine for a Strong America Vol. 126, No. 2 February 1989

A R T I C L KNOWYOUR AMERICA

The Fifth Amendment contains little more than 100 words, but itguarantees allAmericansfive preciousfreedoms. By Douglas Greene 16 SOLDIER, TEACHER, SAGE

Military retirees make ideal candidatesfor educators, counselors andprincipals. By WilliamJ. Bennett 20 VIOLENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS Lastyear, 1 76, 000 teachers were kicked punched, stabbed or murdered. By Lester David 22 H0WT0 SAVE OUR SCHOOLS Strong leadership, velvet-glove discipline, quality education and high expectations rank high among measures that work. 24 22 AMERICA'S LOVE AFFAIR WITH COUPONS American consumers redeemed 7 billion coupons lastyear to save millions ofdollars. By Phyllis Zauner 26 RED CHINA: LET SLEEPING DRAGONS LIE Regardless ofWestern economic assistance, communist China willforever remain communist China. 28 FOUR DRAVE MEN They died as they lived: placing theirfaith in God and loving theirfellow man. By Vernon Pizer 30 6ALTIM0RE: CONVENTION CITY '89 V 1 # • Birthplace ofthe national anthem and the Babe, Baltimore offers somethingfor all. 32 SIX WAYS TO COMPETE WITH THE USSR "Too often, the United States steps onto the battlefield ofideas unarmed. By Richard Nixon 34 THE GUN THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT " This "Edsel ofdefense couldn 't track enemy targets, keep up with the troops, or negotiate hills and ditches, yet each one cost $6. 7 million. By Steve Salerno 36 'WE MAKE THEIR DAY' "Aprosthetic device is an extension ofaperson's self It's more thanjustproviding an artificial limb to a veteran and sending him on his way. " 44

AMERASIAN CHILDREN: 'WE'LL ACCEPTTHEM ALL' More than 13, OOOAmerasians and theirfamilies have comefrom Vietnam to the United States to live. The influx continues. 46

D E P A T M E N T S

RIG ISSUES Should Congress ExactThe Death Penalty ForDrug-Related Killings? 12

LETTERS 4 MONEY SENSE 14 LEGION NEWS 48 COMMANDER'S MESSAGE 6 YOUR AMERICAN LEGION 18 VETERANS ALERT 52

DATELINE 8 VETERANS UPDATE 38 PARTING SHOTS 76

COVER Violence in our schools. An oil painting by Cliff Miller created exclusively for The American LegionMagazine.

The American Legion Magazine, a leader among national general-interest publications, is published

monthly by The American Legion for its 2.8 million members. These military-service veterans, working through 16,000 community-level posts, dedicate themselves to God and country and traditional Amer- ican values; strong national security; adequate and compassionate care for veterans, their widows and orphans; community service; and the wholesome development of our nation's youths.

FEBRUARY 1989 3 j LETTERS TRIMMER USERS!

The Human Costs part of PL 100-323, was never sent for appropriations. Thus, with no appropri- I was pleased to learn of your ation of money there is no extension research in "The Human Costs Of Viet- and the VJTA amendment died with no nam," (December). It is gratifying to further action. This is a real slap in the know that the Legion has taken such face for the numerous unemployed vet- steps to improve the life of our Vietnam erans. It takes away the only real pro- veterans. Your effort in this study gram available to veterans to find suit- proves to us that The American Legion able employment. is one of the leaders in its concern for Bruce E. Markert

the welfare of our Vietnam veterans. I Appleton, Wis. intend to make every effort to make the You'll LOVE Vietnam veterans aware of this Ancient History endeavor. this totally new kind of TRIMMER Thomas P. Chavez With one exception, the December ON WHEELS compared to the hassle Burbank, III. issue was excellent. The exception was of using a hand-held trimmer like the one above! The DR™TRIMMER/ the article on Jan Sejna. The informa- MOWER rolls "light as a feather" tion was history 10 years ago. None of on two BIG WHEELS! TRIMS We Dont Collect his predictions of 20 years ago have far easier, better, more precisely than come to pass. The title, "Soviet Missiles In your article on the blood program hand-held trimmers. Plus, MOWS Will Be In The Air," is an alarming title (December), you list the American everything from whole lawns (even and was appropriate 20 years ago. For Blood Commission as a blood-collec- wet!) to tough, waist-high growth 20 years Sejna has been proven to be tion agency This is not true. The ABC with incredible ease! Rocks, roots, wrong, so why dwell on it now? is an association of national organiza- stumps, etc. do it no harm, because It should be obvious that neither the tions dedicated to an adequate, safe, the DR has no steel blades to bend, Soviets nor ourselves will agree to any- and accessible blood supply. It does not break or dull! Perfect for all finish thing unless it is in each of our best collect, process or transfuse blood or up mowing AND trimming afte interests. The glasnost of Gorbachev riding or for blood products. mowers ALL should be helpful to us to evaluate if an mowing and trimming Nancy R. Holland action is in their best interest. It is around smaller properties, Alexandria, Va. blatantly obvious that nuclear missiles vacation homes, etc. in the air would be in the worst interest A delight for of everyone. anyone to use! Slap In The Face George D. Whitney During 1987 and into 1988 Congress Please mail Orange, Conn. worked on various amendments to the coupon below veterans' employment, training and TODAY for A Good Source counseling programs. One of the most FREE important amendments was the exten- Two years ago I retired from the U.S. DETAILS! sion of the Veterans' Job Training Act. Navy and began teaching naval science The VJTA program was designed to to high school students. At about the promote on-the-job training oppor- same time, I joined The American tunities for jobless Vietnam and Korean Legion and began receiving my War veterans. The program was estab- monthly issues of your magazine. lished to provide cash incentives to Almost without exception, I have taken employers to defray the costs of training at least one article out of each issue and veterans. The employer would receive brought it to school to either share with half of the starting wage for up to nine other teachers or use as a lecture topic. months of training, and 15 months for The foundation of my teaching is disabled veterans. patriotism, as I stress the principles of The VJTA program was originally citizenship, leadership and self-disci- established in 1983 and extended and pline through a variety of professional, YES! Please nish complete FREE DETAILS of the Revolutionary DR™TRIMMER/MOWER amended from 1984 through 1986. PL science and history subjects in the cur- including prices, models with and without Electric 100-323, passed in July 1988, once riculum approved and prepared by the | Starting, and Off-Season Savings now in effect. again amended the bill, authorizing Chief of Naval Education and Training I appropriations of $60 million for fiscal in Pensacola, Fla. I wish the values that I Name years 1988 and 1989. your articles propound could be spread Address I However, to the amazement of veter- to a much wider segment of our nation. ICity State ZIP ans' organizations and veterans alike, B.S. Birch ITo: COUNTRY HOME PRODUCTS, Dept. A4902 the VJTA amendment, which passed as N. Bergen, N.J. ^xJ9,_Cedar Bcach_Road, Qiarlpne,_yT_ 05445

AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE George Washington John F. Kennedy 1789-1797 1961-1963

An unprecedented collection is- portrayal of Washington to sued and authenticated by The G.P.A. Healy'scompelling study National Historical Society. of Lincoln. Also included, the as-yet-uncommissioned por- The official medallic portraits of trait of Ronald Reagan and our all forty Presidents assembled newly elected President. for the first time in a collection of solid sterling silver Proof- Every distinguished medallic quality medals minted to the portrait will be frosted to stand highest standards by The Frank- out in dramatic contrast to its lin Mint. brilliant background.

Each one is based directly on A handsomely crafted presenta- one of the original Presidential tion bindercomestoyouaspart portraits in the White House of the collection. Collection as of October 1988. The price of each medal, $34.50. From Gilbert Stuart's classic Thiscollectton is based directly on the original pres- Presidents Washington and Lincoln: Courtesy of idential portraits distinguished by their official the Library of Congress. President Kennedy: Cour- status. The official designation itself is subject to tesy of Bettmann Newsphotos. change from time to time. OFFICIAL PRESIDENTIAL PORTRAIT MEDALS

The Franklin Mint Please mail by February 28, 1989. Franklin Center, Pennsylvania 19091

Please enter my subscription for the medallic collection ALL APPLICATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO ACCEPTANCE of The Official Presidential Portraits, consisting of 40 Proof-quality medals minted in solid sterling silver and MR./MRS./MISS- PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY sent to me at the rate of one per month.

No payment is required at this time. Bill me $34.50* for each medal, with the first payment due in advance of shipment. A hard-bound collector's album will be pro- CITY, STATE.ZIP- vided at no additional charge. *P/us my state sales tax and 12335-10 Si. for shipping and handling. "

Commander's message

DEAR VETERAN: WE CAN'T AFFORD TO CARE FOR YOU

Veteran: told that under a VA policy called "dis- Due to budget limitations, cretionary workload," Category A vet- Hearthis VA Medical Center must erans would continue to receive med- limit its workload. In order ical care, but such care may be withheld to accomplish this, we will from Category B and C veterans. Also, no longer be able to serve according to a recent white paper to the patients who are in eligibility directors, the VA implemented nation- categories B and C. This wide the following patient workload regrettably may affect you. restrictions: Outpatient visits will be

Effective Dec. 1, 1988, we will begin a cut by 541 ,000 and inpatient visits will process to discontinue services to those be cut by 10,000. These cuts are to be veterans who liave been determined to be phased in over a three-year period, in eligibility categories B and C. If you which began this January. report to the Medical Center after Dec. I, Before we learned of these policy 1988 without an appointment you will changes, our VA&R Division in receive a medical evaluation to determine Washington had mailed a survey to 159 the urgency ofyour medical needs. Should medical facilities to gauge the health- you require elective admission, you will be care effects of the budget shortfall. The referred to community resources. Ifyou are 65 early returns show drastic cuts in or category B or C, and are seeking con- Nat' I Cmdr. H. F. "Sparky" Gierke elimination of health-care services to tinuing outpatient medical care, this veterans. According to the responses, cannot be provided. health-care services for veterans at VA 43 facilities have restricted access to If you have an outpatient appointment facilities across the country. over-the-counter drugs for B and C scheduled during the month of December These cutbacks stem from an esti- veterans; 37 lost staffs needed to 1988, we urge you to keep that appoint- mated $1 billion shortfall in the VA maintain essential services; 40 cut all ment. Outpatient appointments scheduled health-care system, created by years of services to B and C veterans and some for after Jan. 1 , 1989 will be cancelled. decremental funding. Faced with a bur- eliminated outpatient treatment to Cat- You should arrange continuation of your geoning system and fewer dollars to egory A non-service-connected veter- medical care in the community. Ifyour new support it, medical facilities attempted ans; three referred inpatient dialysis physician wishes a copy of your medical to keep pace by stretching existing care to local community treatment; 13 records, we will provide it upon written budgets. But the rubber band broke, cut the number of beds available; four request. You may contact our Health Bene- prompting severely curtailed services ordered fee-basis outpatients to return fits Advisor ifyou needfurther information. for veterans. to the facility for care, which may be We sincerely regret the need to take these That's precisely what's happening impossible for severely disabled vet- actions. We will make every effort to assist across the country today as evidenced erans unable to travel; 1 1 reduced con- you in assuring the smooth transfer ofyour by the San Diego letter, and recent gui- tract services in radiation therapy, CAT health care. dance from the VA to its seven regional scans and Ultra Sound treatments; one medical directors. The directors were nursing home reduced its capacity from The VA has been adamant in its 120 to 80; many VA-contract commu- claims that America's veterans are get- nity nursing homes reduced from six ting the care they need, but this letter months to three the maximum time from the VA Medical Center in San allowed for convalescence; one VA Diego, and the facts that follow, prove nursing home of 60 beds was closed to the contrary. They clearly document entirely; and one new geriatric day-care that staff shortages and resource center was eliminated. As we went to deficits not only are threatening the press in December, these cuts rep- quality of medical care, but also are resented only a small portion of what eliminating or drastically reducing Please turn to page 60

6 AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE THE WORLD AT WAR

The renowned World War II documentary is available for yoor home video

collection.Whirlwind is yonr introduction lorjust

uft Ji DEi ln tne winter °f Sfljll 1940, London ^^^P withstood Luftwaffe

plu ship i "8 fu J? bombing 76 nights HUU and handling ° ° in succession, while the public cried for revenge, British air-

crews trained to fly in daylight took brutal losses flying deep into Germany in the dark, hunting for targets that would knock out Nazi industrial production. Arthur Harris took charge of Bomber Command, determined to succeed with new tactics and new bombers: "They have sown the wind and now shall reap the whirlwind."

Whirlwind , the story of the long years

it took to establish Allied air superiority, is your introduction to THE WORLD AT WAR.

Preview it at home for 10 days. Return

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Women In The Military implemented. Much of the space litter is nuclear-powered, emitting charged particles and other types of radiation. The While America's women in uniform still cannot serve on emissions already are confusing research spaceships, such as the battlefields, they are gaining ground in non-combat roles. those testing for gamma rays. If any of the atom-energized Following a 10-month review, the Defense Department space vehicles should break up and fall to Earth, the result has opened up more jobs available to women in the armed could be disastrous, experts claim. forces. Break-up of a Soviet Cosmos satellite in 1978 underscored Women in the Army are now eligible for engineer combat- the threat of nuclear debris and forced Washington and support companies. The Navy will take women sailors Moscow to design safer satellites. Legislation has been aboard combat-logistics ships and in underwater-construc- introduced in Congress to ban nuclear reactors in space. tion teams. The Air Force has opened up civil engineering and mobile aerial post squadrons. Meanwhile, the Marine Corps is inviting its women into the security guard program. Voters' Lament The recent DoD decision also calls for plans to attract more women into military occupations previously closed to There they go again. On Nov. 8, when voters were still them. Other plans include changing ship berthing arrange- going to the polls, the TV networks declared George Bush ments to accommodate more women. victorious over Michael Dukakis. The prediction, based on exit polls and precinct samplings, came about two hours before the ballot boxes closed on the West Coast. The Crime Story How many voters were discouraged from voting because of the early declaration is anyone's guess, but estimates

Crime in 1987 rose 1.8 percent above the previous year, range in the tens of thousands. but the number of "victim crimes" remained the same. Dismayed by the early calls by the networks, some mem- A report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics said that about bers of Congress are calling for a law that would shut down 35.7 million Americans, age 12 and over, were killed, all polling places simultaneously. injured or lost property at the hands of criminals in 1987. Because the United States has four time zones, a satisfac- Bureau spokesmen attributed the increase to more home- and tory system would need the states' approval. The House family related incidents. twice has approved same-time closings of the polls, but the The survey said that the rate of victims who suffered rape, proposals failed to pass the Senate. robbery, assault and larceny remained unchanged from 1986. West Coast Americans are said to be more vulnerable to crime, while those in the Northeast are least affected. Gray Power

Faced by increasing constraints on U.S. funding of military training to friendly countries, Capitol Hill legislators are Democracy's Gains looking into the possibility of using volunteer help from a Political events during this decade offer optimism for new non-profit organization called the Gray Eagles. democracy around the world, according to the National The organization is composed of retired military and Endowment for Democracy, a W