A Cold War Soldiers Story. In the 30s and 40s, and throughout the 80s, our country depended on news sources with no political spin. Without social media, people spoke face-to-face or by telephone. These were kinder times when the values of honesty and integrity were expected. WWII was soon followed by the Korean and Vietnam wars and, with Selective Service, all eligible males were subject to serving. Running concurrently with these hot wars was the long Cold War, which affected millions of Americans and our loyal allies. The world seemed to be teetering on the brink of a devastating nuclear war. Former enemies became our trusted