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Utah Cold War veterans recognized for their service with victory medals

By Deborah Wilber - | Dec 30, 2021

Deborah Wilber, Standard-Examiner

Cold War veterans and members of the Golden Vets group salute during a pinning ceremony by the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation at the Golden Hours Senior Recreation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021. Ten veterans were awarded the Utah Cold War Victory Medal during the ceremony.

OGDEN — Ten veterans with the Golden Vets group received recognition for their time in service during the Cold War on Wednesday at the Golden Hours Senior Center.

Any veteran who served during the period of geographical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, 1945-1991, is eligible to receive the Utah Cold War Victory Medal.

The city-run recreation center helped throw together an impromptu ceremony after the original event, scheduled for Dec. 3, was canceled. According to Golden Vets moderator Gene Earickson, veterans expressed concerns with driving to Syracuse City Hall in the dark.

The Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation held drive-thru ceremonies during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, presenting roughly 500 medals amid the pandemic.

“We hope this variant won’t slow us down too bad,” said Larry Kerr, vice chair of the foundation.

Deborah Wilber, Standard-Examiner

WWII veteran John Cole stands next to the POW-MIA table during a pinning ceremony by the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation at the Golden Hours Senior Recreation Center on Dec. 29, 2021. Ten veterans were awarded the Utah Cold War Victory Medal during the ceremony.

Medal recipients, friends and family, senior center staff and foundation reps ended the honorary ceremony with a moment of silence for the fallen while Marine Corps veteran John Cole and Army veteran Sgt. 1st Class Steven Ross stood beside a table commemorating prisoners of war and those missing in action, also known as a missing man table.

Cole did not serve during the Cold War, but he was present in his dress blues with all of his medals and ribbons received while serving in World War II and Korea.

The Golden Vets started their group with five WWII veterans in 2010, but it has since expanded. Cole is the last surviving original member.

Navy veteran Petty Officer 2nd Class James Hicks was also in his dress blues for the ceremony. He spoke of his time as a radioman in the Navy and how he used to be able to transcribe 80 words a minute, almost unheard of he said.

“No one knows how to do this anymore,” he said of transmitting and receiving radio signals while making tapping motions to mimic communicating in Morse code.

Deborah Wilber, Standard-Examiner

A piece of the Berlin Wall is displayed during a pinning ceremony by the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation at the Golden Hours Senior Recreation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021. Ten veterans were awarded the Utah Cold War Victory Medal during the ceremony.

All of the Utah Cold War Victory Medals were provided by Brightpoint Creative in Salt Lake City and paid for through donations at $15 per medal.

The medal pinning ceremony was a first for the senior center. “We feel privileged to be able to host this amazing pinning ceremony for our honorable veterans,” Ogden City’s Recreation Supervisor Ginger Meyers said in a news release.

Marine Corps veteran Craig Rollins and Navy veteran Mark Schultz recalled what it was like being in a military uniform from 1955 to 1975.

“It’s (better) to be recognized than to get spit on,” Schultz said of the Vietnam era, which occurred partly during the same period as the Cold War, although they were different conflicts with different causes in separate parts of the world.

Utah Cold War Victory Medal recipient Charles Rostkowski holds his certificate during a pinning ceremony by the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation at the Golden Hours Senior Recreation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021.

Marine Corp veteran Craig Rollins receives his Utah Cold War Victory Medal by Gene Earickson during a pinning ceremony by the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation at the Golden Hours Senior Recreation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021.

Wire fence from the Korean demilitarized zone is displayed during a pinning ceremony by the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation at the Golden Hours Senior Recreation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021. Ten veterans were awarded the Utah Cold War Victory Medal during the ceremony.

Cold War veterans and members of the Golden Vets group are pictured during a pinning ceremony by the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation at the Golden Hours Senior Recreation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021. Ten veterans were awarded the Utah Cold War Victory Medal during the ceremony.

A POW-MIA table is pictured during a pinning ceremony by the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation at the Golden Hours Senior Recreation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021. Ten veterans were awarded the Utah Cold War Victory Medal during the ceremony.

Cold War veterans and members of the Golden Vets group are pictured during a pinning ceremony by the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation at the Golden Hours Senior Recreation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021. Ten veterans were awarded the Utah Cold War Victory Medal during the ceremony.