AO Mother and Son of Veteran - Followup info from previous topic

[Foxhound6]

Berta and all. Here is what I have so far from my friend and his mother that I was speaking about the other day. From what I can tell, They do have the DD214 and DD215's. However, there DD214 itself does not show any type of locations of service as the newer ones do.It does show a previous command which I assume is the one he deployed with. I took notice of the "Foreign/Seas service" section of his 214 and noticed he has Foreign service for 11 months and 20 or so days, just long enough to be in Vietnam... However, I feel I may have to dig up records pertaining to that unit at the time in order to prove it? I am unsure on that exactly. It was also strange they had 2 DD215's, also unsure what to make of that. *edit - I remember the wife speaking about the veteran making a stop in Okinawa before Vietnam. I found a unit that fits that timeline of when the veteran would have arrive in Okinawa to link up with as a support engineer. I dont have a way to confirm, but it fits...:

" On July 4, 1965, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines was ordered to Vietnam. During this first year 9th Marines took part in approximately 45 battalion-sized and several company-sized operations. During the next four years 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines operated in or around Danang, Hue, Phu Bai, Dong Ha, Camp Carrol, Cam Lo, Con Thien, Than Cam Son, Quanq Tri, Cua Viet, Vandergrift Combat Base and Khe Sanh. For its actions in Vietnam 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines was awarded a third Presidential Unit Citation, a bronze star in lieu of second award of the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two silver stars, and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm. In August 1969, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines left Vietnam and returned to Okinawa. Its role in the Southeast Asian Conflict ended with the recapture of the Mayaquez and the landing on Koh Tang Island in May 1975 (Veteran completed his training sometime in 1969). In February 1979, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines became the first battalion to rotate to the United States as part of the unit deployment program. " via http://www.2ndbattalion9thmarines.org/About_Us

As far as medical is concerned, I believe I have enough to prove the VA wrong. The mother has HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of medical records pertaining to his disability. I couldn't copy them all but I found many pertinent ones that show the initial DX plus ongoing treatment. I am posting all of it here in hopes someone might make more sense of it along with the Rating decision. Sorry for some of the photos, the mother found more docs after I left and sent them via her phone.

 

Matt Spina Bifida_Redacted.pdf

Edited November 25, 2019 by Foxhound6
Possible unit

[Foxhound6]

1 hour ago, Berta said:

Here is the DD 149 app:

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/forms/dd/dd0149.pdf

Thank you!

Good thinking as to JSRRC ----they changed their address and Marines Corps info:

https://community.hadit.com/topic/48901-jsrrc-contact-info/

YOu are right- the VA has often stated they could not verify a  veteran's stressor and denied PTSD claims. The VA can and will lie.

I know personally two vets they said that to, and the VA was wrong.The vets wrote to JSRRC themselves and got their stressors verified.We have had members here over the years that had to write to JSRRC themselves.

The Marines have a specific link above and it should be easy for them to search this veteran's place of overseas duty as well as maybe give you more info, as he might well have been in a support battalion in Vietnam.

I was surprised so little showed up on Google for his unit but as you said they moved the Marines around a lot, depending on their MOS.

Berta, I agree, there is not much about 3d FSR except for the Wiki page and some other info I found pertaining to the Logistics between 1970-1971. given that this veteran was a Heavy Equipment Operator/Engineer, I would assume the demand for his MOS was very high during this time frame. I wouldn't be surprised if something could be found.

Also, it seems since the posting of the JSRRC info, the Marine Corps records now seem to be at either NARA or at the History Div at the MCU. I am looking to see which I should focus on but I may do blanket letter to all, just to cover all bases.

 

1 hour ago, Berta said:

 

 

[Foxhound6]

Berta,

Have a look at this compared to the Service Record unit assignments in previous post...I obtained this info from Marines.mil

https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/U.S. Marines In Vietnam Vietmanization and Redeployment 1970-1971 PCN 19000309600_4.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2x-fXDkyppoA1tivss-C7r0bQUHVhzv4_ihfxPo_uddA8A58UjIiQxAPs

I think you may have been right regarding the Veteran possibly being assigned to 3d MARDIV. 

According to this, III MAF was under operational control of FLC and under admin control by FMFPAC... General Padalino, formerly of FLC, took over as Commander of 3d FSR in 1968 (the unit the Veteran was in according to his records). That Command was comprised of Headquarters & Service, Supply, and Maintenance Bn (Engineers). I believe the veteran was in this Maintenance Bn. The article goes on to state that H&S Bn provided Admin, comms, transpo and other elements of FLC and III MAF. The article is a gold mine of info pertaining to both the veterans unit AND timeline. I am posting some more pages that pertain to this case. It is VERY interesting to read and compare it to the case...Please have a look.

 

[Berta]

It is quite possible he was in Vietnam-with this kind of info---I need to pull out my husband's DD214 -215-because I think his full unit designation was part of H & S and I know they probably needed much more heavy equipment operators in Vietnam ( for those reason in the article) than they did in Okinawa.My husband had a brief  week TDY in Okinawa and said it was like being another world, and then he went back to his unit-in Danang.It was some sort of debriefing or rest period  for many Vietnam Vets (USMC)-I think after a horrific event he and a few others  were involved in.

The spouse might have a lot more info to help- or even any of his living relatives. The name of a Vil or  any place in Vietnam--any  Bong or Song or An or Hoa or any Americanized name like Monkey Mountain, Perfume River .could help-they ,the famiy, might still even have letters he wrote home from Vietnam because to be anywhere in the world for a  whole year would certainly be something I feel he would have talked about to others.

Also the Mil paid him while he was in Vietnam or in Okinawa-I dont know know how to find that info but others here might

Has the spouse ever obtained his full SMRS and NAV 201 file from NARA?

We don't know the cause of his death and, as a AO widow myself, I wonder ,if he can be placed in Vietnam, that she could be eligible for DIC. How long ago did he die?

Did anyone he knew from his unit attend his funeral? I live in an isolated farm community in NY, we have snow for Thanksgiving! But we are near a VAMC, many vets in this locale.

I went to the funeral of a Vietnam vet I knew well. One of his incountry unit buddys was there. The vet I knew told me long ago that he was walking down the street in our closest village ) population  less than a thousand and they suddenly recognized each other from Vietnam and were close friends until he died.

Funerals have those visitor books and there could be a name there that would be someone who either knew him from his service or  a friend or relative who recalled facts about his military experience, that could help.

.

Was he on Facebook before he died?

Does the widow might surely still  have a copy of his obituary? It might contain the names of any relatives that could be googled.

I feel the widow could hold the key to this situation or at least help with some more info-the more I thought about Okinawa, a year there didn't make sense.

But as a hardcore VA claimant myself, I learned that Nothing is impossible.It just takes a lot of time and a lot of hard work.And the needle in the haystack can be FOUND!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Foxhound6]

1 hour ago, Berta said:

It is quite possible he was in Vietnam-with this kind of info---I need to pull out my husband's DD214 -215-because I think his full unit designation was part of H & S and I know they probably needed much more heavy equipment operators in Vietnam ( for those reason in the article) than they did in Okinawa.My husband had a brief  week TDY in Okinawa and said it was like being another world, and then he went back to his unit-in Danang.It was some sort of debriefing or rest period  for many Vietnam Vets (USMC)-I think after a horrific event he and a few others  were involved in.

There was A LOT of this during the 1970 and 71 timeline for this Veteran. I read it made it easier for them to TDY folks to Oki, fill them with a few replacements (TDY orders to Vietnam) then come back. I have no idea how to verify this but this would be interesting to find, some TDY orders for the veteran going to Nam..

The spouse might have a lot more info to help- or even any of his living relatives. The name of a Vil or  any place in Vietnam--any  Bong or Song or An or Hoa or any Americanized name like Monkey Mountain, Perfume River .could help-they ,the famiy, might still even have letters he wrote home from Vietnam because to be anywhere in the world for a  whole year would certainly be something I feel he would have talked about to others.

Also the Mil paid him while he was in Vietnam or in Okinawa-I dont know know how to find that info but others here might

Has the spouse ever obtained his full SMRS and NAV 201 file from NARA?

I do not know. The widow was able to contact Sen McCains office back in 2015 and they were able to get his records from NPRC but nothing from NARA or JSSRC or any other archive system.

We don't know the cause of his death and, as a AO widow myself, I wonder ,if he can be placed in Vietnam, that she could be eligible for DIC. How long ago did he die?

He died only about 2-3 months ago..

Still working on Cause of Death. Should be coming soon.

Did anyone he knew from his unit attend his funeral? I live in an isolated farm community in NY, we have snow for Thanksgiving! But we are near a VAMC, many vets in this locale.

No, he was from Syracuse, NY but lived here in AZ. Family didnt really talk to him while he was overseas, the spouse says it was like he was dead to them. It was strange to hear that...

I went to the funeral of a Vietnam vet I knew well. One of his incountry unit buddys was there. The vet I knew told me long ago that he was walking down the street in our closest village ) population  less than a thousand and they suddenly recognized each other from Vietnam and were close friends until he died.

Funerals have those visitor books and there could be a name there that would be someone who either knew him from his service or  a friend or relative who recalled facts about his military experience, that could help.

Was he on Facebook before he died?

Does the widow might surely still  have a copy of his obituary? It might contain the names of any relatives that could be googled.

I feel the widow could hold the key to this situation or at least help with some more info-the more I thought about Okinawa, a year there didn't make sense.

But as a hardcore VA claimant myself, I learned that Nothing is impossible.It just takes a lot of time and a lot of hard work.And the needle in the haystack can be FOUND!

No Facebook or anything either. Sam was a fairly old school man. He did NOT like to talk about his time in Oki or Nam...since he has passed, it has been very difficult looking into this. So far, everything I have paperwork wise has come from the widow so she has done an amazing job to be honest with keeping things together...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by Foxhound6

[Berta]

That was a very strange statement from the family----------

You need to find in his NAV201 file ( aka personnel file) ***

When I requested the SMRS and NAV201 from NARA they sent me only the NAV 201 and said his SMRS were at the Buffalo RO- which was where they were supposed to be.

The NAV201 contained many NAVMC 118s.

One is entitled Sea and Air Travel Embarkment slips.

It clearly states my husband was in Okinawa briefly twice, and after the brief TDY , it says he returned to Danang AFB Vietnam.And was there when his DEROS brought him back from Vietnam to Okinawa then  to El Toro. I forgot about the second Okinawa flight.Now I remember  what he said-He was with Marines from Vietnam and didn't know any of them and they were sort of all in a state of shock.But when their flight got over the shore of America, then they all started hollering, and talking to each other,  and clapping for joy.

***There is quite a bit in the NAVMC 118 sheets- many are entitled Service Record and I just remembered that this is also called a SRB - Service Record Book. An allotment he assigned  to his Mom and also an allotment to his credit union-from his pay

There is a clear statement on one of the NAVMC 118s of his combat history in Vietnam.And that produced the 2 Vietnamese medals on his 214- but the DD 215 had more.

This is the info you will need from NARA- maybe the widow has the SRB (NAV 201 file)   These files contain a lot of info.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by Berta

[Foxhound6]

1 hour ago, Berta said:

That was a very strange statement from the family----------

i should clarify. The family that did not talk to the veteran during his time was his family from Syracuse. His spouse and son came post-service time. They did not know about much of his family past back then either. I think they speak now a days but i believe she has already reached out to them. 

You need to find in his NAV201 file ( aka personnel file) ***

When I requested the SMRS and NAV201 from NARA they sent me only the NAV 201 and said his SMRS were at the Buffalo RO- which was where they were supposed to be.

The NAV201 contained many NAVMC 118s.

One is entitled Sea and Air Travel Embarkment slips.

It clearly states my husband was in Okinawa briefly twice, and after the brief TDY , it says he returned to Danang AFB Vietnam.And was there when his DEROS brought him back from Vietnam to Okinawa then  to El Toro. I forgot about the second Okinawa flight.Now I remember  what he said-He was with Marines from Vietnam and didn't know any of them and they were sort of all in a state of shock.But when their flight got over the shore of America, then they all started hollering, and talking to each other,  and clapping for joy.

***There is quite a bit in the NAVMC 118 sheets- many are entitled Service Record and I just remembered that this is also called a SRB - Service Record Book. An allotment he assigned  to his Mom and also an allotment to his credit union-from his pay

There is a clear statement on one of the NAVMC 118s of his combat history in Vietnam.And that produced the 2 Vietnamese medals on his 214- but the DD 215 had more.

This is the info you will need from NARA- maybe the widow has the SRB (NAV 201 file)   These files contain

I will absolutely do this. Thank you for that info! The SRB makes perfect sense. The Army has SRBs as well. I have mine from the Army. They called them Service Record Briefs. Thats kind of what I was hoping to find in the NPRC records from McCains office. Hopefully the NAV 201 file has it!