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by Alyssa Myracle on 15 March 2009 - 02:03
As suggested...
I stated on another thread that anyone claiming that all proof of their military service has been "lost", is a liar.
I maintain that to be true.
It was pointed out that the VA frequently loses paperwork.
That is absolutely correct.
However, the VA is not a service verifying entity (in other words, it isn't their responsibility to verify who has, and has not, served in the military). Additionally, they are not responsible for storing or maintaining the records of all personnel discharged from the 5 branches of the Armed Forces.
That responsibility falls to the National Archives, in St Loius (in the case of National Guardsman, additional records are maintained in each State's archives as well).
The VA requests service records for veterans FROM the archives during the processing of a VA claim for compensation or treatment. Again, in the case of National Guardsman, they also request records from the appropriate state.
Because there is no single record of a veteran's service, rather several different records are maintained, it is virtually impossible for all record of military service to "be lost" or "disappear".
Many phony vets will claim that their records were destroyed in the fire that occured in the archives in 1973.
While it is true that many records were destroyed during that fire, there are a few caveats.
1) While almost 18 million records were destroyed, there are still other sources of information to verify the military service of those personnel whose records were lost. Their own personally retained copies of DD214, unit-level records and rosters and other historical documents can all be used to verify military service.
2) We know exactly which records were destroyed. No one who was discharged from the military after 1964, had their records destroyed. You may recall that Kennedy was killed in 1963, and the war did not really begin in earnest until after his death. Only an incredibly small percentage of people who served in Vietnam would possibly have had their records damaged- and only if they served in Vietnam and were DISCHARGED from the service prior to 1964.
Some additional warning signs that someone is a phony:
Many phony Vets claim that their service records are "classified".
Guess what. Even Navy Seals, Special Forces operators and Delta personnel's records aren't THAT classified.
Missions, operations and special training that a person received may be classified- however, their basic service info, ie, the year they enlisted, their branch of service, and their date and charectorization of discharge, ARE NOT CLASSIFIED.
Furthermore, exercise some logic- if the very fact that someone was in the military is classified, should they be telling you about it? It's "classified" right?
Personnel who participate in classified operations simply have two sections to their personnel file- the classified, and the unclassified. The basic fact of ANYONE'S military service is verifiable through a Freedom of Information Act Request.
You needn't have a Social Security number or service number- just a name and an approximate age.
For more info, or to verify my statements, you can go to the National Archives website www.archives.gov and, www.POWNetwork.org
I stated on another thread that anyone claiming that all proof of their military service has been "lost", is a liar.
I maintain that to be true.
It was pointed out that the VA frequently loses paperwork.
That is absolutely correct.
However, the VA is not a service verifying entity (in other words, it isn't their responsibility to verify who has, and has not, served in the military). Additionally, they are not responsible for storing or maintaining the records of all personnel discharged from the 5 branches of the Armed Forces.
That responsibility falls to the National Archives, in St Loius (in the case of National Guardsman, additional records are maintained in each State's archives as well).
The VA requests service records for veterans FROM the archives during the processing of a VA claim for compensation or treatment. Again, in the case of National Guardsman, they also request records from the appropriate state.
Because there is no single record of a veteran's service, rather several different records are maintained, it is virtually impossible for all record of military service to "be lost" or "disappear".
Many phony vets will claim that their records were destroyed in the fire that occured in the archives in 1973.
While it is true that many records were destroyed during that fire, there are a few caveats.
1) While almost 18 million records were destroyed, there are still other sources of information to verify the military service of those personnel whose records were lost. Their own personally retained copies of DD214, unit-level records and rosters and other historical documents can all be used to verify military service.
2) We know exactly which records were destroyed. No one who was discharged from the military after 1964, had their records destroyed. You may recall that Kennedy was killed in 1963, and the war did not really begin in earnest until after his death. Only an incredibly small percentage of people who served in Vietnam would possibly have had their records damaged- and only if they served in Vietnam and were DISCHARGED from the service prior to 1964.
Some additional warning signs that someone is a phony:
Many phony Vets claim that their service records are "classified".
Guess what. Even Navy Seals, Special Forces operators and Delta personnel's records aren't THAT classified.
Missions, operations and special training that a person received may be classified- however, their basic service info, ie, the year they enlisted, their branch of service, and their date and charectorization of discharge, ARE NOT CLASSIFIED.
Furthermore, exercise some logic- if the very fact that someone was in the military is classified, should they be telling you about it? It's "classified" right?
Personnel who participate in classified operations simply have two sections to their personnel file- the classified, and the unclassified. The basic fact of ANYONE'S military service is verifiable through a Freedom of Information Act Request.
You needn't have a Social Security number or service number- just a name and an approximate age.
For more info, or to verify my statements, you can go to the National Archives website www.archives.gov and, www.POWNetwork.org
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