Vietnam Service Verified

[rthomass]

I have a document initiated by the Veterans Administration Medical Center to the Veterans Administation Regional Office. VA form 10-7131. In the remarks section it states (top of form block 6) " Vet claiming agent orange exposure. States he was stationed in Nakhon Phanom Thailand. States they sprayed Agent Orange around the perimeter of the basse, which is located 4 miles from the Ho Chi Mihn Trail".

The VARO replied back to the VAMC " Birls shows VADS verified." (BIRLS and VADS are data bases) "Records also show Veteran has Vietnam Service".

I also have via a Freedom of Information Act request have Birls Veteran Information data screen report showing Vietnam Service "Y" (for yes). This was from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration, Washington DC.

I have to the best of my knowledge never stepped foot in Vietnam; but I do have a Vietman Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal. I am one confused Veteran.

Berta...Vike17 any help?

Edited July 30, 2007 by rthomass

[Josephine]

Is your name and service number on those records?

Could they belong to someone else?

Are you sure that you have never stepped foot in Vietnam?

Josephine

[rthomass]

Josephine, Name, serial number, branch of service, dates served, and rank are mine. I guess the Government is never wrong. The question is does this confirm boots on the grond in Vietnam? I did take a med-evac flight from Nakhon Phanom Thailand to Utapao AFB Thailand. Maybe on our circle around Thailand picking up patients I landed in Vietnam....I dont remember this.

Again I still need to know if this means VA acknowleges srvice in Vietnam ?

Edited July 30, 2007 by rthomass

[Berta]

It is always possible the plane made a pit stop on Vietnam soil---to refuel-

Do you have a copy of your SRB- at least that is what the Marines/Navy calls it-

It is a record of arrivals and destinations-regarding overseas service- then again there were many many flights that have no ducmentation behind them.

If the boots on ground factor is important to your claim- VA is saying you were there-

then again it would be great to establish that as fact so somewhere down the road it cannot come back to bite you in the rear-like if VA CUEs themselves on this-

I have an idea- I was student pilot -we always had to have flight plans-

the unit records might have some way to access that flight plan- then again this was wartime- maybe no record-

I have another idea-

I have a complete history with specifications of just about everything they put in the air during the Vietnam war.

If you can give me any details at all as to the type of plane you were on- I could measure the distance between where you said you took off from -and where the plane landed (and how long the flight was picking up patients ) because this could reveal the plane had to either stop for gas in

Vietnam or did pick up patients there-

I am saying plane but Medivac was usually choppers- was this a chopper?

Then - again this would just be a guess-I would practically have to have the tail number to see how much gas the tank of the plane or chopper held-

maybe that would all be a waste of time-

The VA seems to obviously seen something in your records that showed boots on ground-

[Berta]

rthomass -I got out my maps and now I think my scenario is all wrong-

The VA has conceded you had Vietnam Service-

that is great! but now I dont think it involved the Medivac stuff- there might well be something else-

Uta pao (Pattaya) is a good 400-450 miles from Nakhon Phamon-

It would have involved a very big circle and long flight plan for pick ups in Vietnam- not impossible- but still the logistics seem off-

Also this is a long round about way to reach wounded below the line of demarcation with Danang air base so much closer- still not impossible at all-

Reason I rethought my post-

Leaving Uta pao -90 miles SE of Bangkok would put the flight over Cambodia possibly and definitely over Laos- leaving from Nakhon Phamon would be closer to Vietnam- and Vietnam border after crossing over Laos would be about 100 miles from Nakhom-then still one has to add the milage to Ashau or whereever the wounded were picked up from--

So the flights could have involved extraction of wounded from Laos or even Cambodia and not gone into Vietnam at all-

I think the VA might have found proof in a different way then this that you were in Vietnam.If you were ever on the ground in Laos-you were not far from Vietnam.

The Laotian border touched I Corps ops from the DMZ (and of course the north above the DMZ ) from the 17th parrallel to the 15th north of Kontum.

Cambodia borders on Thailand's south east border to near Dak to Vietnam down to Giang Thahn.

The signs of towns etc probably all looked alike-and the actual border was not consistently marked by road signs-I bet vets in Laos or Cambodia could have found themselves on Vietnam soil at times but did not realise it.

Also the war maps contain names of vills and towns that were often hard to understand-

The Marines called Ashau AAAA shaw-

Army vets I know pronounce it as a (small 'a' sound) shaw.Another factor when trying to determine a place in SE Asia where a vet was actually at.

Even Thailand cities like Korat appear on war maps as Nakhon Ratshasima.

Also my daughter -Vietnamese Linguist-Mil-learned two separate dialects in Vietnamese so it is often hard for a vet to know where they were when- with so many linquistic factors and many unmarked borders.

Has the VARO acknowledged this information as to your being incountry- in regards to your claim?

I am so glad VA conceded your Vietnam incountry service but I dont know how it was due to the flight on Medivac-important thing is -the VA knows-

it is probably due to some other maneuver or duty you had. ???

Still it would be nice to know what is was !

Edited July 30, 2007 by Berta

[john999]

If the VA says you were in Vietnam and you have AO problems I would let that sleeping dog lie right where it is and ask no further questions. File your AO claims while you can.

[Josephine]

Again I still need to know if this means VA acknowleges srvice in Vietnam ?

You were in Vietnam and didn't even know it. I agree with John, if you have Agent Orange Illnesses. Ask no more questions, as you are one of the lucky ones with the proof provided to you by the VA.

Here is your proof.

The VA does not make mistakes. Your name and service number are on those papers and they are most definitely yours.

Remember in the early days, Agent Orange was a Huge NO, No.

They probably didn't want you to know that you were exposed to it.

File the claim and use the papers.

Always,

Josephine

Edited July 30, 2007 by Josephine