Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
OGDEN — Decades after their military service, a handful of Ogden veterans were commended for their sacrifice.
On Wednesday, 10 veterans were awarded their Utah Cold War Victory Medals during a ceremony at the Golden Hours Senior Center in Ogden. The medal is a recognition for those who served in the armed forces amid the Cold War, according to a news release from Ogden.
Those honored Wednesday served between 1945 and 1991, spending time at Minuteman ballistic missile sites or in other countries like Vietnam, Germany and Korea. Larry Kerr, an Air Force veteran who served for 20 years during the Vietnam War and in Korea, presented the medals.
"We feel privileged to be able to host this amazing pinning ceremony for our honorable veterans," Ginger Meyers, Ogden recreation supervisor, said in a news release.
Prior to a legislative bill in 2017, Cold War veterans did not have a service medal available, as the ordeal was an undeclared confrontation. Since then, funding for medals has relied on donations to the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation, which has since funded the service medals.
In 2018, 100 Utah Cold War veterans received the service medal during a ceremony at the George E. Wahlen Ogden Veterans Home. Roughly 100,000 Utahns served in the armed forces during the Cold War, according to previous KSL.com reporting.
