Posted: 1/15/2015 4:22:56 PM EDT
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Hey all , I need some help. My father in law served in the air force during Vietnam .
He has never talked much about it to me,, so I've never asked, so I don't have a lot Of imfo to go on. My brother in law was born in 69, father in law would have been 18 in 1962. So I'm guessing 65 to 68? Maybe. He said when he got off the plane he was handed A M60 and became a door gunner . I'm building a display gun of sorts and thought it might be cool To personalize the engravings . Thanks. , Aaron |
| I don't remember exact addresses per branch, but you can write and obtain a copy of his service record (DD214). You may have to be a little dishonest, as Im not sure if someone else other than him can request the documents. It may be possible to get docs online nowadays, but when I requested mine, I still had to do it in writing. The DD214 will provide dates, locations, awards, etc covering his active duty time. |
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OK, so I know you CAN get service records of someone else. That's how these stolen valor groups are checking on people faking. What I haven't been able to sort out is exactly how you do this. There is a .gov website, but if I'm reading it right, you have to have a bunch of information that would be really hard to get(i.e. service number or SSN) if you're not getting copies of your own records.
Along those lines, if anyone here knows how to get someone's record without all of that, please let me know. I have something of a personal situation with a family member to sort out, and I need to be able to get a copy of his service record(if he actually has one, hence the situation). I attempted to contact one of the stolen valor groups several months ago to see about how one does this, but I never heard anything from them. |
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You can submit a Freedom of Information Act request. I've never done it, so not sure what the process is. Getting his entire file, by filling out the paperwork as him, would be bad
Also, a lot of vets file their DD214 with the court house in the county they live in at the time of separation from service. If done this copy is public record, and the local court house will be able to walk you through what you need to do. Most all vets know exactly where our DD214 is. If you and your FIL are friendly, and his service was honorable, he will probably just show you if asked. |
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Ya I found the gov site where you can request a copy.
I suppose if that was my only option, I could just ask him . I've just always assumed because he hasn't talked about It that he doesn't want to.. I would like to find another way. I have a grandfather that served in The army and fought in the battle of the bulge. Another had his destroyer sunk under him twice in the pacific. And I know almost nothing about them |
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Easiest answer would be to call the VA. 1-800-827-1000 is the number concerning Veteran's records.
ETA: found what you need: Read this page |
| The dd 214 will only tell you that you served over seas but not the dates . You can wright of call St Louis and get a copy of his records you will need his SS# or his old Service number the AF went to using SS# in stead of service numbers in about 1969 I had friend that was AF and stayed in touch he told me that things had changed and to use his SS# when writing him.. But his age doesn't do you much good at guessing when he was there, I had a Bro in my outfit that was 26 when he came to Nam, he was hoping not to go and they drafted his ass just at the last minute, I went in right out of high school and was 17 all most 18 after basic and and jungle school. I was 19 and did two tours turned 21 in the Nam graduated from the university of south Viet Nam collage of war fare class of 68/69 . And could not find a job here in the state's toughing hand grenades !!! Dept of Military Records St Louis I had to go through all that Bull shit when the VA put me on 100% disability, even though I had been decorated in Nam and had the disability when I got out ! And all those medals and 1.50 will get me a cup of coffee, Maybe. they still wouldn't just use my 214 |
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You can also request a re-issue of all medals, awards and letters of commendation awarded to him. For quickest service tho ,don't go thru the V.A. Write a letter to your senator or local congressman explaining that you want to do a memorial display of your relative. The V.A. will help but can take a long time,, the elected official usually gets it done a lot quicker. Before I learned of this, I wrote the V.A. for my Dad's stuff (WW2 combat medic with the US 29TH infantry division) and it took damn near a year. After learning this method, folks I know got there stuff back in as quick as a few weeks.
Send your letter "certified,, return receipt requested". ETA,, you may want your wife to write the request as she is the blood line relative. |
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Quoted:
Ya I found the gov site where you can request a copy. I suppose if that was my only option, I could just ask him . I've just always assumed because he hasn't talked about It that he doesn't want to.. I would like to find another way. I have a grandfather that served in The army and fought in the battle of the bulge. Another had his destroyer sunk under him twice in the pacific. And I know almost nothing about them Talk with them. My Dad volunteered very little detail about his WWII experiences. Some comments about his time as a POW were sparked when I was a kid and we were watching Hogans Heroes. Much later, he recalled other events after watching a History channel show. After we both read the memoirs of a family friend, which included WWII service, I asked him several times to do the same thing-put his story on paper. After several requests over the years, he did use a tape recorder and dictate a few pages of good stuff, including some things I had never heard before. He is gone now. I wish I had encouraged him more. Some vets don't know anyone cares to hear about it. They may be more comfortable talking one-on-one to an interested person, or with you and another vet so they can swap stories and trigger memories. |
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Hey guys . Sorry it took so long to get back,, today was hectic to say the least.
I appreciate everybody's help. As I was talking about this post to my wife , She was secretly texting her dad to find out the story. So I might have a update soon. And you guys are right,,,, the best thing to do would be to ask. Some vets talk about their experiences and some don't,so I don't ask if it's not offered. He has said a little , but mostly talks about the 20+ years He served after. He did tell me once he had a nice gun collection , Including some custom made shotguns from FN That he had fitted in Belgium. .. Sold them all after the war . He told me they lost their allure after being shot at. I will use the links you guys have givin me to try to track down info On my grandfathers . The two I mentioned earlier never talked about it. So nobody in the family knows much, it will be a challenge. . I had another grandfather (by marriage) who was at batan, and in the march. He would talk about it freely . I was a teenager at the time , but I loved hearing the stories . He was 50 miles away when the bomb went off working in a mine . |
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My Eagle Scout project was dealing with veterans graves, and I had to get a bunch of DD214's to verify some.
One obstacle was that I either had to be a descendant or someone with a real legitimate reason to request the documents, so I had the local American Legion Post Commander sign off on that kind of paperwork. Thats been a few years back and the rules may have changed some, but you might have some luck working with someone from a Legion or VFW. 
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Well I got a update from the wife.
My father in law said his second duty station ( first was uneeventfull ) was Det 1 610 massq Bien HOA air base. When they got off the plane they where Huddled in masse and then divided into 30 man groups. First 30 worked in the kitchen , second 30 started training On the M60 for door gunner duty. Third group did base Security duty. He was in the second group, buy mostly As a full in gunner since cammand didn't need him. So what unit is this? And what would I engrave? |
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The form is call a Standard Form 180 (SF180) It's a VA From. Also remember that there was a fire in St Louis in the early 70 that destroyed a lot of Air force and
Army records. Try the National Archive. But before you contact them Ask the Veteran what units that he or she serve in. Note the" Old morning report" that the had to keep. |
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Not sure if this is related to your father-in-law, but found this:
610 Mass site Maybe you could engrave something similar to the AF symbol on their plaque? Don't know - worth looking into though I think. Try clicking on the "Join Here" link & see if your FIL's name is listed on that page perhaps. Good Luck |
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Imagine trying to do this for a grandfather who served in the Mexican Expedition back in 1916!
I'm still trying to piece together info about his service. Good luck, OP. We need to preserve the history of our veteran's service, no matter how pivotal a role they played. |