DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — Michael Cosgrove served in the Navy as a mine sweep after the Vietnam War but he and others were never formally recognized for their service.
Now, after years of pushing, Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representative Tony Weid have introduced a bill to finally award the Vietnam Service Medal to those who took part in Operation End Sweep.
We spoke with Michael about his service and when he first reached out about this bill, watch below:
Michael Cosgrove, a Navy veteran who served for 25 years, has been leading that fight since the 1980s.
"We didn’t get any credit for End Sweep. I thought, 'Why don’t I write to a senator in Texas." Michael Cosgrove said "In the early '80s, I basically got a condescending note back saying, 'Thank you, but forget it."
Michael volunteers at the Door County Maritime Museum, where he gives tours to visitors. He says that for about six months in 1973, he and thousands of others were part of the operation in Haiphong Harbor to clear mines left behind after the Vietnam War.
"There were some that actually exploded, yes," Cosgrove said.
About a year ago, he reached out to the Armed Forces Subcommittee but says it wasn’t until recently that someone from Senator Baldwin’s office got back to him.
"Then last week I got a phone call from him saying that Tammy had proposed this bill and she was working with Tony. And I said, ‘Oh golly something’s actually happening," Cosgrove said.
Kevin Osgood, president of the Door County Maritime Museum and a fellow Navy veteran, says it’s no surprise Commander Cosgrove kept pushing.
"This change at the federal level will help all those veterans who were with Michael, who were part of Operation End Sweep," Kevin Osgood said.
Though the bill is still in its early stages, Cosgrove says he wants to reach other veterans who haven’t been recognized because they deserve to be honored.
