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

[john999]

If he was in SOG there is a way to find out about his service. Believe it or not SOG has a association. From what I understand most of those in SOG were SF guys. However, if you contact the SOG association and you have a good story they will pass you around to various guys in the SOG or SF good old boy network, and you can probably find out if your husband was with them. I did it regarding a guy who I knew who claimed to be in SF and to have done three tours in Vietnam. I started checking with the SF association first. They referred me to someone else who referred me to a gatekeeper of the SOG retired files. These guys know who they are and they know who is a wannabee. I even asked if the person I was looking for could have been using an assumed name. The SOG association gatekeeper said they had their ways of checking out people. In the case I was working on the SF/SOG people said they never heard of the guy I was asking about. Maybe they were protecting for all I know, but it is an option. I think they don't want people claiming credit for what they did.

What was your husband's MOS? A lot of SOG people worked at radar sites in remote places like Laos and Cambodia. As far as I know they did not go out on combat missions like grunts. They worked at remote sites doing "spy" work. The SF and SOG people are very sensitive to others claiming to be SF or SOG, so if you ask in a humble way you may get some good information. You need to know the answers to questions like where was your husband in Vietnam? What was the name of his unit. Where did he get his training. The more details you can come up with the more it might be possible to find someone who knew him or his unit history. What does his DD214 say? Why don't you post it without identifying information so we can look at it. It should have some kind of information that might help.

[MikeR]

The SF and SOG people are very sensitive to others claiming to be SF or SOG, so if you ask in a humble way you may get some good information.

This is very true. I used to take college classes with "Doc" Donovan when he was at 1/75th Rangers and he had 5 tours in country as a SF Medic. Guys at the bar used to say they were SF in Nam and he would skewer them. Typically they were 173rd but he would aways soften his tone and say just be proud of the service you had.

[carlie]

carlie,

I wish I knew how to copy and paste.

Deltaj said that in 1962 he was sent to Vietnem where he did one combat mission. He got stabbed in combat and woke up in a hospital.

If he was in hand to hand combat and got wounded he should have received a Purple Heart. I'm just quoting Deltaj.

Bill

billy,

I was just in hopes you would post the reg or a link to it.

carlie

[billy2]

billy,

I was just in hopes you would post the reg or a link to it.

carlie

sorry carlie,

I would have thought that if someone was wounded in action there would be a record of his treatment somewhere.

Bill

[Berta]

What Testvet saw jumped out at me too Delta-the date -

Vietnam Era is described as Aug 5, 1964 through May 7 1975 except for in-country veterans- it is beginning Feb 28,1961 to May 7 , 1975.

There is a General Counsel Pres op on this definition too- # 27-97.

I think this means that a vet who served in 1962 would not be Vietnam Era unless they also were in Vietnam anytime from Feb 1961 to May 1975.

It might be worth his while to file a DD 149 to have his DD 214 corrected and/or have any additional awards or medals added to it.

I would sure think maybe the DD 214 could be corrected to show service in Southeast Asia too. The Mil paid him so they had to know where he was and when.

First Cav , I believe , could not get in country Vietnam -until the helopad at An Khe was built- in or after late 1965.

It was the largest helopad in the world at that time.

If he gets SSA ,the SSA office might have far more info on his service than the VA does in his C file.They check all service records to deterem9ne how much to add to the SSA check for military service.

Edited October 5, 2009 by Berta

[billy2]

What Testvet saw jumped out at me too Delta-the date -

Vietnam Era is described as Aug 5, 1964 through May 7 1975 except for in-country veterans- it is beginning Feb 28,1961 to May 7 , 1975.

There is a General Counsel Pres op on this definition too- # 27-97.

I think this means that a vet who served in 1962 would not be Vietnam Era unless they also were in Vietnam anytime from Feb 1961 to May 1975.

It might be worth his while to file a DD 149 to have his DD 214 corrected and/or have any additional awards or medals added to it.

I would sure think maybe the DD 214 could be corrected to show service in Southeast Asia too. The Mil paid him so they had to know where he was and when.

First Cav , I believe , could not get in country Vietnam -until the helopad at An Khe was built- in or after late 1965.

It was the largest helopad in the world at that time.

If he gets SSA ,the SSA office might have far more info on his service than the VA does in his C file.They check all service records to deterem9ne how much to add to the SSA check for military service.

I think the Cav arrived in Nam on Sept.11 1965.

Bill