Buddy Letter

[J Savage]

Hi all,

Without getting too deep into things as it will likely detract from my question, I'm a 40% SC Vet and currently seeking review of my SC Bilat Pes planus and Lumbar Spine issues and have filed a new claim for PTSD. I've reached out to a buddy regarding the PTSD claim, seeking a buddy letter. Now, this guy is the only guy I could find that I served with over 20 years ago and he's a little paranoid. He's really not comfortable with listing his address, phone number, or email address on anything "the government" is going to get. Now I'm not even sure it's worth it or if it will have any probative value if he doesn't provide supply his contact info.

Any thoughts? I mean, does the VA even follow up on these letters? Should I include it because it won't hurt or is it just a waste?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

J Savage

 

[brokensoldier244th]

Generally buddy statements are taken at face value- Ive never requested more evidence from the writer of a buddy letter. If I need clarification I go through the filing veteran- they know the person, and generally the interaction would be better received from them rather that me, for exactly the reason you mention (among others). It needs to be relatively detailed- if at least a place(s), date range, what you were doing MOS (some kind of event if it was a traumatic injury) definitely helps because I can look for a lot of that in existing STRs and it narrows down where Im looking and what im looking for. 

[ShrekTheTank]

Hello and welcome!

 

A few questions first, do you need a buddy letter?  Did you fight in combat or is it a situation where someone saw it and no one else?  Asking as they will access your records to see when and where you served.  If you served in combat it is kind of a no brainer.  

If it is the latter then you can right a Lay statement and try to get someone else who was there and saw what you saw.  Or it might be in your records.  

[brokensoldier244th]

If it was relatively public, news accounts can be corroborated, too. Ive used them before to establish time and place to proximity for a troop and what unit they were in (one was a huey crash, another was a ship fire in the Persian Gulf and a ship to ship rescue effort). 

[J Savage]

It wasn't a combat event, though, there are vague references in my service record. It was a riot in a "migrant camp" in Panama in support of Operation Safehaven, 1994. I'm trying to make sure I cover all of my bases. I was awarded a Humanitarian Service Medal after ETS for my participation in that operation, the unit's activity was relatively well documented, but I worry that it's not spelled out by to the letter. I feel like the burden is probably met, but I want to be sure. What makes matters worse, I can't get anything out of NPRC due to "covid restrictions" and they're still only servicing emergency requests so I can't see what all is actually in my service record, aside from a few records I have.

As a little backstory on my uncertainty, I was diagnosed with PTSD years ago, and at the time, being much younger, felt like "The VA will see it all in my record". Well, my claim was denied then as I didn't connect the dots for them and my VSO was useless. I'm trying not to leave it up to chance and be more proactive this time.

[ShrekTheTank]

So it sounds like there would be a record of this somewhere.  What I would do is not delay filing for this as the longer you wait the more they get to not give you!  I would get it going and do a Lay statement of the events.  Tell them every detail of what happend.  

Next let the VA do their job of ASSISTING you to complete your claim.  Now durring this time you can search for public records and keep working on the NPRC.  Remember you will have some time to find them.  

[brokensoldier244th]

Well, thats a lot more than I usually get, so its a good start. You have time, place and date (ish)- if you had a citation for it that will be in your NCO evals or there will be a personnel action that could be found for it. It also depends on what you said/how you said it in your initial filing. Basically you want to combat the denial- whatever it said you didnt have, thats what you try to counter.

 

As far as NPRC, neither can we- you and we ultimately have the same standing as far as NPRC goes. You could go on VA.gov and run DPRIS but that will only show you whatever is digitized. Records for most services were all in transition in the early/mid 90s for digitization so there are times I run DPRIS and still have to go to NPRC to have someone find physical stuff. And in that case I have to wait months and more just like you (and have been, since last March). Last I talked to someone there via FB that is an acquainance they were something like 400,000 requests behind (both civilian and military together). 

Edited June 16, 2021 by brokensoldier244th