diabetes Vietnam Veteran?

[deltaj]

Here's the situation folks. Last week my husband, who has a protected 100% rating for a service connected mental condition, was diagnosed with diabetes. He is not insulin dependent yet. Unfortunately, his DD214 doesn't show service in Vietnam. Furthermore, his list of medals from the National Personnel Records Center doesn't show anything about it. I believe he is telling the truth because he has nightmares about combat. He was in First Experimental Regiment which later shipped out as First Cavalry during the Vietnam War. He rarely discusses his Vietnam service because his records don't show he was there and he is embarrassed by this. He tells me that in about 1962 he was sent to Vietnam with a Special Operations Group where he did one combat mission there. He got stabbed in combat and woke up in a hospital. He doesn't know what hospital he was in. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could prove he is a Vietnam veteran? Furthermore, there was a letter sent to VARO in 1982 by a special investigator for a county in California concerning the fact that neighbors of this veteran [who has a mental disability] had stated this veteran was "healthy as a horse and our taxes pay for his leisure." The letter inquired whether there was an annual evaluation for this veteran since he was disabled for welfare purposes but was receiving periodic unemployment benefits. Anyway the letter had the notation NAM veteran in a circle and the word NAM was lined through. This 1982 notation leads me to believe that V.A. used to have evidence that he was a Vietnam veteran but shredded the evidence. The scratched out notation NAM reminds me of a recent court case Cushman v. Shinseki where V.A. altered a medical record.

Any suggestions? I know that when my husband dies I will be entitled to DIC under 38 U.S.C. 1318 but service connecting his death could be useful.

Edited October 28, 2009 by deltaj

[LarryJ]

I've got a suggestion, delta.

Why don't you let sleeping dogs lie?

First off, you're going to a lot of trouble unnecessarily.

Secondly, it might be best, for your memory of him, in times to come, to NOT know. And, just mark it off as an aspect of his mental illness.

Leave it alone.

[Testvet]

I've got a suggestion, delta.

Why don't you let sleeping dogs lie?

First off, you're going to a lot of trouble unnecessarily.

Secondly, it might be best, for your memory of him, in times to come, to NOT know. And, just mark it off as an aspect of his mental illness.

Leave it alone.

I have to agree since he is 100% they are going to have to medically care for him anyway and why start a new fight after nearly 30 years what is there to gain? Except a lot of stress

[Stretch]

There is no harm in requesting an updated DD-215, with all medals and corrections.

[Philip Rogers]

I'm suspect of this claim. Nothing I can see is to be gained. I shipped out w/the 1st Cav in August of 1965. We arrived in September 1965. Some advance units may have arrived in August 1965. The SOG, w/stabbing and no record, makes me suspect. Send for a DD215. It can't hurt.

pr

[MikeR]

Mental illness is a strange thing. If I was stabbed and woke up in a Hospital and did not get a PH I would have been a tad PO'd. Of course there are events where the military does not issue many medals for as the mission is so secret that the awards are either not authorized, or just something that might compromise the mission and embarrass the nation if knowledge came to light. In these cases it's better to let sleeping dogs lie.

[john999]

To be honest I think his Vietnam combat service is a figment of his mental illness. The only benefit to getting his DMII SC'ed because of Vietnam service would be that if he dies of secondary condition to DMII the VA would pay a small amount towards his funeral expenses. If there is nothing at all in his records about service in Vietnam chance are he was not there except in his mind. If all the guys who claim to have been on secret missions in Vietnam were actually there we would have won that war.