Find Unit Records?

[Buck52]

How would a veteran go about finding his in-service records from Vietnam that showed what he did, for instance he did not do his MOS but was assign to another type job, how would he prove this?

And was still with this same unit, Would those records show what he did ? or keep him at his MOS Although that's not what he was assign to.

Would he contact St Louis NRSP and see what the records show/? were trying to find out how to prove what he did in Vietnam.

He has old record of in-country travel orders that had to be renewed every 60 days & Sign off by his CO

This was his new assignment Recovery of US Disable Vehicle's from the field/ mechanical failure or demolished from acts of war.

Thanks in Advance

....................Buck

Edited June 27, 2015 by Buck52

[Buck52]

What should I do if he don't have any records of the event he saw? convoy of 15 Buses running over a Vietnames civilian and nerver stop from Saigon to Long Binh....I'm sure it killed him? if it was not reported what then?

he has flash backs and can't get it out of his mind.

....................Buck

[Buck52]

vern 2,

just always remember Vietnam map is shape in an S.

...........Buck

[Berta]

"if it was not reported what then?"



He should seek Buddy statements.Perhaps he even wrote home about this event and maybe whoever he wrote to still has a letter with a date and postmark,showing it cam from him in Vietnam. Parents and siblings often saved letters from their incountry family members for decades.

Does he have other stressors? He might be holding back something more provable that would be in the Morning reports.

Things like that happened in Vietnam. I know of a very similar circumstance.

The convoy slowed down to pass through a vill and was almost over run by the people in the vill ..They had been standing too close to the convoy vehicles , shouting and very angry that the convoy,
USMC out of Danang late 1965, , had disrupted many of their newly planted crop fields, and a small child in the crowd got caught in tank treads.My husband was in the Duece and 1/2 behind that tank, packed with live personnel..
What happened next is something he could hardly believe he did, something that haunted him always.
It was what he had to do but nevertheless this was a major stressor for all of them, fearing that crowd would overtake and kill some of them.
Fortunately only the child had died.

This type of incident would definitely had been in a morning report but he had other stressors they could confirm as well. .He didnt even list it on the PTSD intake questionaire because he had already filled the spaces in with other stressors...no room for it.

If this vet can prove the convoy took place,then there is always a chance he can find someone else who was in that convoy and remembered this.

Some stressors do not raise to the level of 'stressor;' for VA purposes.

And in some cases a stressor that may not even appear to be as bad as other ones a vet has experienced, might be the easiest to prove.

Even the 2010 PTSD regs involve "fear of hostile activity" which, if the vet was in close proximity to that hostile activity, that along ,for many OEF vets,was enough to garner them a PTSD award.I have seen the BVA consider that facet even in none OEF claims, of vets in units in either close or direct proximity to enemy fire..

One proven stressor and a Diagnosis of PTSD directly due to that stressor is all most veterans need, to attain VA compensation.



I suggest you read my posts here on Buddy Statements and also how VA defines a Stressor







I worked in a vet center with the combat PTSD group.
One of the vets called a special meeting there to get something off his chest.

he was already 100% for SC PTSD. He had never told the VA something that kept him up at night and flashbacked to him often daily.

It was a horrific event.He had nothing to gain compensation wise , as his other stressors had been proven.He just had to get it off his chest hoping that would make it go away. But stressors never really go away.

My point is Vietnam vets often hold back a lot and I found ,over the years , that this was not unusual at all, so your friend might well be minimizing something to you that happened to him in Vietnam (particularly with the Spec Ops situation) that that he might reveal at a C & P exam, something that could be proven.

BTW Vietnam has been completely declassified so that isn't a problem.

.Has he ever received any PTSD or other type of MH help since the war?

Edited June 30, 2015 by Berta

[Buck52]

This is a very similar case to what you mention. BUT Ms berta I don't think he was in special forces group like Rangers or Green Beret or other special force combat groups this was special operations Branch USRVN as in transportation.

I had thought that too but its meaning is not that as we had thought. ( SORRY)

I don't think he is lying about what happen he tears up when he talks about what he remembers, I guess because that was a child that was killed, if the event went untold and the veterans driving the buses are afraid to speak up & I think this is the case? maybe?

This was a selective type mission called operations phase out or something like that I don't know exactly?

,According to this veteran , The higher up's sent out memos to most all the units stations within the area of Saigon and there were selected group to go to Saigon Port where the US Naval ships imported the brand new buses and they had to have drivers to take the buses back to Long Binh, it was for the troops leaving because at that time they were like about 300 or so troops leaving and more coming up so this was the fastest way to transport the troops to the air base to fly home.

I ask him if he had any kinds of orders showing that he was pulled from his unit to go do this operation he said no...so Idk?

As for as buddy statements he don't remember there real names and where they lived ect,,ect,, I think he mention one buddy that was from his home state, but without a name?just nicknames

if his records don't have this event in them I will just tell him he has to go on the presumption of this event, he is paranoid and thinks the army will come after him after all these years for not reporting this. all I have to go on is what he said and this supposable happen in 71

How would I check about the new Buses being shipped in to Saigon Port? if we can prove that I think he has a good chance.for his claim...and no he has no claim but is diagnose with MDD this is his first claim and he has been out of the service since 1972.

We got to talking one day and I ask him if he was getting comp he said no just never filed for it although VA diagnosed him.

He uses the VA for his healthcare and that's all he has.

so hence me trying to help him get his claim in and hopefully win.

We Are waiting on his records at present.

...................Buck

Edited June 30, 2015 by Buck52

[Buck52]

We are waiting on his records from St Louis and his C-File.

[Berta]

"and this supposable happen in 71"

Yes his records from NARA will tell more.

When you has posted this,
"And he was US Army Special Operations /Operation Branch."

I ran with it and found more today that I thought could help him but..it wont....

Long Bien and the 2 other Army camps there were assumed by the ARVN in 1970.

The other possible camp,( Nui Ba Den Tay Ninh) III CORPS near Long Bihn,

if he had been in supports of Spec Ops, was closed in Nov 1970 as well.

The 1971 date does not jive but best to file a claim and then await those records.