Need Help Fining Proof Of A Stressor

[coastie72]

This is probably not the correct place to ask this question, but any help and or suggestions would be appreciated.

I am not 100% sure of the dates but I know that this incident was in one of the two time ranges.

Mid July-Early Sept 1970 or March-June 13TH 1972.

I am stretching both of these time frames a little. I was TDY at USCG Group Norfolk VA. in the 1970 time period, and I was at the same Base before my RELAD.

While there one of my jobs was as engineer on our small boats. We responded to a report of a body floating in the Elizabeth River, me and two other guys that I have no

clue what their names were. The body that we recovered as I remember was a black male, dressed in a suit, with a holstered handgun. He was floating face down and when we retrieved him he had a gunshot to the back of the head and was faceless. We radioed it in and the Police? don't know what department, met us shortly after we got to the dock. I have three recurrent dreams on an all to frequent basis and I can see the image of this one as I type.

Through email I turned to the Norfolk Police Department thinking surely that would have a record of this. It was obviously a murder. Through a ten day period I emailed back and forth only to be told that they have records from that time period, but nothing like I am describing.

In those days everything was in the newspaper, but I never seen a story on this.

I know that it happened I was there can anyone suggest another avenue to find a report on this.

I also have contacted Portsmouth Police but the have not responded.

I have not had any luck trying to find information through the USCG.

Thanks in advance.

[coastie72]

Finding I meant!

[georgiapapa]

Coastie 72,

You may also want to check with the county coroner's office. Coroner's inquests are usually held when foul play is suspected so I am sure a coroner's inquest would have been held in this case.

If you are mentally up to the task, you would probably have a better chance of finding the records you need if you could go back to the area and talk to the officials in person. If not up to the task, perhaps a family member or friend might travel there for you. They should check with law enforcement officials, coroner's office, library newspaper archives, newspaper office archives, local USCG officials, etc.

Perhaps one of our Hadit members from that area may be able to do some checking for you.

God luck to you and take care of yourself.

[georgiapapa]

I meant "good not God" but God luck is probably better luck than good luck.

[Berta]

Could it possibly have been the Potomac River instead?


"In this case, the Veteran contends that he currently has PTSD as a result of traumatic experiences while conducting search and rescue missions in the U.S. Coast Guard. Specifically, he states that he participated in the recovery of a badly decaying body from the Potomac River while serving on the U.S.C.G. Capstan in Alexandria, Virginia, in March 1973. He further states that he assisted in recovering a torso with no head, arms, or legs from the boat basin while serving at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Governor's Island, New York, in May 1979. The Veteran reports that these two incidents affected him much more than other search and rescue missions. He asserts that he currently has nightmares, flashbacks triggered by sights and smells, and other PTSD symptoms as a result of these incidents. See, e.g., June 2005 claim, August 2005 PTSD questionnaire. "

ORDER

Service connection for PTSD is granted.


http://www.va.gov/vetapp11/Files3/1126133.txt

NOTHING is impossible as many of us here know. It just takes some legwork as far as research goes.

Maybe some of these sites will help, although you said you did try the CG already.



http://www.uscg.mil/


USCG Maintenance Logistics Command
Pacific and Engineering Logistics Center in Baltimore,
Maryland

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/robert-jeffries/64/4b8/a92
Robert Jefferies ...Command Master Chief at Coast Guard Surface Forces Logistics Center

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/eelquarterly/Mags/FIEELQ.pdf (

Quarterly Newsletter)

Also try your unit web site and look for any 'looking for sections' if they have one. Even a Reunion Roster could have a name or two that rings a bell.

In a separate BVA case I found, the BVA ordered the VARO to contact NARA

In part:
I"n the June 2002 development request, the Board requested
from the USCG any maintenance records in their possession on
CG 40478, specifically whether the records showed the vessel
to have been located at Curtis Bay, Maryland, or Baltimore
Station, Maryland, during the period from 1965 to 1967. In a
September 2003 letter to the veteran, the USCG indicated that
they had reviewed their files and the files of Maintenance
Logistics Command Atlantic, Maintenance Logistics Command
Pacific and Engineering Logistics Center in Baltimore,
Maryland and that none of the maintenance records requested
on CG 40478 had been located. However, USCG informed the
veteran that the maintenance records of CG 40478 could be
obtained from the National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA). A review of the claims files does not
reflect that the RO subsequently contacted NARA to request
any maintenance records of CG 40478. (The NARA had
previously indicated in October 2001 that it did not have log
books for the time period in question, but maintenance
records were apparently not researched.)"


http://www.va.gov/vetapp05/Files2/0510222.txt

You can obtain your inservice medical and personnel records at NARA as the BVA ordered the RO to do in this case.

There could be something in your personnel file....if not on this incident but to show any logs of that time that could help.

http://www.archives.gov/ click on the Veterans Records Icon

I wonder if this deceased man had even been identified. In those days forensics were nothing like they are now.

I searched for a deceased person once.... Had very little info on them ,not even their name, just a guess, and found that the state I searched in had a data base of photos of all deceased unidentified people.

Of course with the injuries this man had, that might not help....but it could... all of the faces I viewed were from morgue shots and his lack of a face would stand out.

It was gruesome research I did at that time and not for any VA claim at all,

but

when one seeks to find someone or something

( specifically to prove a stressor to VA)

they must leave no stone unturned.

[coastie72]

Could it possibly have been the Potomac River instead?

"In this case, the Veteran contends that he currently has PTSD as a result of traumatic experiences while conducting search and rescue missions in the U.S. Coast Guard. Specifically, he states that he participated in the recovery of a badly decaying body from the Potomac River while serving on the U.S.C.G. Capstan in Alexandria, Virginia, in March 1973. He further states that he assisted in recovering a torso with no head, arms, or legs from the boat basin while serving at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Governor's Island, New York, in May 1979. The Veteran reports that these two incidents affected him much more than other search and rescue missions. He asserts that he currently has nightmares, flashbacks triggered by sights and smells, and other PTSD symptoms as a result of these incidents. See, e.g., June 2005 claim, August 2005 PTSD questionnaire. "

ORDER

Service connection for PTSD is granted.

http://www.va.gov/vetapp11/Files3/1126133.txt

NOTHING is impossible as many of us here know. It just takes some legwork as far as research goes.

Maybe some of these sites will help, although you said you did try the CG already.

http://www.uscg.mil/

USCG Maintenance Logistics Command

Pacific and Engineering Logistics Center in Baltimore,

Maryland

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/robert-jeffries/64/4b8/a92

Robert Jefferies ...Command Master Chief at Coast Guard Surface Forces Logistics Center

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/eelquarterly/Mags/FIEELQ.pdf (

Quarterly Newsletter)

Also try your unit web site and look for any 'looking for sections' if they have one. Even a Reunion Roster could have a name or two that rings a bell.

In a separate BVA case I found, the BVA ordered the VARO to contact NARA

In part:

I"n the June 2002 development request, the Board requested

from the USCG any maintenance records in their possession on

CG 40478, specifically whether the records showed the vessel

to have been located at Curtis Bay, Maryland, or Baltimore

Station, Maryland, during the period from 1965 to 1967. In a

September 2003 letter to the veteran, the USCG indicated that

they had reviewed their files and the files of Maintenance

Logistics Command Atlantic, Maintenance Logistics Command

Pacific and Engineering Logistics Center in Baltimore,

Maryland and that none of the maintenance records requested

on CG 40478 had been located. However, USCG informed the

veteran that the maintenance records of CG 40478 could be

obtained from the National Archives and Records

Administration (NARA). A review of the claims files does not

reflect that the RO subsequently contacted NARA to request

any maintenance records of CG 40478. (The NARA had

previously indicated in October 2001 that it did not have log

books for the time period in question, but maintenance

records were apparently not researched.)"

http://www.va.gov/vetapp05/Files2/0510222.txt

You can obtain your inservice medical and personnel records at NARA as the BVA ordered the RO to do in this case.

There could be something in your personnel file....if not on this incident but to show any logs of that time that could help.

http://www.archives.gov/ click on the Veterans Records Icon

I wonder if this deceased man had even been identified. In those days forensics were nothing like they are now.

I searched for a deceased person once.... Had very little info on them ,not even their name, just a guess, and found that the state I searched in had a data base of photos of all deceased unidentified people.

Of course with the injuries this man had, that might not help....but it could... all of the faces I viewed were from morgue shots and his lack of a face would stand out.

It was gruesome research I did at that time and not for any VA claim at all,

but

when one seeks to find someone or something

( specifically to prove a stressor to VA)

they must leave no stone unturned.

Thank you Berta for all the above information. I relive this incident almost daily so I don't mind searching. I don't like the wakeups in the middle of the night with this on my mind. If I have to pay a private detective or something I will.

The way the whole incident happened and the facts I recall about it, I was always suspicious of the person being a government agent of some sort or even a spy? No wallet or ID of any kind, carrying a holstered weapon and the no news reports. The body was very close to the Norfolk Navy Shipyard that at the time had some secretive vessels, one in particular was a submarine.

In those days we had 3 TV channels and a few newspapers in the Tidewater area and those were the only source of news. I recall wondering why I never read anything about it in the paper and still do. I really need to find out the truth, because I know what I remember is TRUTH!

[rosypalm]

Research!