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Vietnam Vet? PLEASE READ Can You Help Mrs. Sager?


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I received the message below via the Contact US e-mail account. Do any of you remember Ben Sager? Please help if you can.

Casey

Hi! My name is Becky Sager and I'm desperately searching for folks who served with my husband in the Air Force during Vietnam. He is ill and has undergone many surgeries and is trying to get compensation from the VA, but they say his records don't show his actual service while he was in Vietnam. The VFW and other organizations suggested we search for people who served with him.

He was in the Air Force and was in the 21 TAS, Naha AB, Okinawa (PACAF) during July 1, 1967 thru May 3, 1968 and was assigned to the ground crew on Aircraft (C130) 56-523. He flew Operation Blind Bat and was on six TDY mission to SEA and served on extended TDY at the Ubon RTAFB in Thailand as the Crew Chief.

Is there any assistance you can provide? I will be happy to pay for any service. He was so proud of his service in the Air Force and I would love to connect him to any of his fellow crew members, but it can be a daunting task.

Thank you so much for any assistance you can provide.

Becky Sager

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I agree, Chris. I am willin' to bet that a bunch of folks on this site will know him, or come up with ways to find out the info he needs. It is a *&$^&%(*#$% shame that our brothers and, yes, sisters have to go through this crap. I ain't goin' on my drug-sucker, bastard factory welfare tramps rant again, but don't it seem really unjust??????????????

Oh I bet if he had made up a story that he had four silver stars, nineteen Purple hearts and turned down a MOH, the world would fall down in reverence. I don't know him personally, but he is a brother, and I wish to hell there was something I could personally do for him.

Giz

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I agree also, I did not know him. But I was only in country on C141s. This is even harder to prove. St Louis does not have any record of crew orders or TDY records for 1971. I made the request and all I got back was a certified copy of my DD214.

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I don't know Ben either but pray for his recovery. I wish I knew him. I hope Mrs. Sager can find some friends who knew him.

She might also try to look on Together We Served - http://airforce.togetherweserved.com/

On a side note - A friend of mine had 18 yrs in the Marines and was on a night traning misson getting ready for a third deployment to Afghanistan. He broke his back in a fall and was discharged with 100% disability two years ago. He still walks wih a cane, but last year the VA re-evaluated him and changed his disability to 30%.

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I hope things work out. Having your name on ( blanket tdy orders ) may not show he was TDY. He is going to back it up. Pay roll record or travel voucher. He can get photos copy of Pay records from Air Force. Ask for records the time of showing on Blanket orders.

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This is my first visit to this site. I am glad to see the support of a brother. I pray all goes well and that all his paperwork falls into place so that he may receive his compensation that he so well deserves.

I also need help in the paperwork department. I just recently left a VA hospital in MA for signing up for VA health care. My DD214 does not show any Vietnam time at all on my DD214. I now understand that I need to fill out DD215 for an adjustment. I was assigned to the 776TAS CCK for March 1967 to July 1969. I was a crew chief on several C-130-E's. My DD214 does not show any Vietnam time. Being so young back in those days, my record keeping didn't exist. I did spent multiple TDY rotations to Bangkok, Cam Rahn Bay and Tuy Hoa while flying g several sorties out of those locations in country.

It appears our administrative folks forgot to insert our Vietnam service on several DD214. I look forward to hearing from others who have suffered from this omission.

Dale Johnson

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Welcome, Dale. You have found yourself among some of the finest people you can hope to associate with. I find it strange that some peoples 214 shows all kinds of travel, countries entered, etc, etc. All mine shows is the number of overseas days, the VSM, and that's about it as far as on-the-ground stuff. Mine does not show any specific times, dates or locations. Hell, I have had to submit four SF190's or whatever they are to get some things up-dated. So, I have come to the conclusion that you should not rely on that 214 as your primary or soul evidence for benefits claims. I look at my Dad's 214 from WWII, and is shows all his journies from Ft. Leonard Wood to the Aleutians and back to he states from '42 to '44, then his deployment to Europe just after D-Day until his discharge. Anybody else see this kind of variety???

Giz

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Dale, I was at CCK from Mar. 69--June 70 and your name sounds real familiar. I have 3 buddies that I am in touch with that were there two two tours (one during your time). I will check with them tonight and see if they can help. They are Steve Mudge, Dennis Guinane, and Dave Glanville.

Giz, My 214 is like yours--33 months overseas duty only. Also the VSM. So far I haven't have had to prove I was in Viet Nam if that isn't enough but I do have some other stuff that would put me there. I suppose I should keep digging for more proof if I ever want to make a claim.

Ken

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Welcome home Dale, glad you found us. I think that (like most of us) you will find a home here. A quick note to Ken; Keep digging, buddy. As you mentioned, you never know when you may need documentation of "boots on the ground". It appears to me that the VA is really tightening the screws on us old guys (old farts!?!), so as long as you're able - keep digging! Chris

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Like most of you guys, my DD214 lacks any mention of where/when I was TDY. It does list SEA service and the VSM but that info is not good enough to prove Boots on the Ground. Giz, I've requested copies of travel vouchers on two occassions and have spoken to a rep from the AF Finance section. I was told that those records dont exist. Based on your success with getting those records, I know that is not true. I also contacted the IRS in the hope I could get a copy of tax returns covering my time in VN. No luck there either.

Now, like Ms. Sager, I need to reach out to my friends and ask anyone with knowledge or paperwork showing a TDY originating at Langley AFB and traveling to the west coast with stops at Hawaii, Wake Island, Guam, Phillipines, then Tan Son Nhut, VN during the summer of 1972. I would be most appreciative of any help with this. My name and rank at the time: Gardner Keith, A1C

Welcome to the site Dale and best of luck to Ms.Sager in your quest for justice concerning the VA.

Keith

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Ken,thanks for the response. I was in the 776TAS. I am working on getting my DD214 amended by filing out DD form 215. I need to dig out my old pictures. I have a huge collection of Super 8's that need to be placed onto a DVD. I remember a lot of the guys, but again need to view the old pictures to get the brain going again. Bob Sailey pops into mine. Don White, whom I have worked with since CCK. I work for the FAA and Don is a self employed DER. Don is willing to write a letter testifying that I had boots on the ground in Cam Rahn & Tuy Hoa. All of us need to get the Agent Orange test done and placed on your records. I live in Belchertown, MA

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Thanks GiZ, I amending my 214 by filing out the DD215. Hopefully it will work. I have a ton of pictures and super 8 movies to prove i was at these places. One of my old buddies, Don White is willing to write a letter for me as he went through the same hoops. Don and I were in the 776TAS at CCK.

Dale

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Hi Chris,

Thanks for the welcome. Brought tears to my eyes. Remember we were told or recommended not to wear our uniforms once we reached the states in fear of being retaliated by some hippies. What a change. I fly all over the states doing en routes for the FAA. When I am at a terminal waiting, I have bought my lunches for the troops. I also make it a point to greet and shake each military person entering the A/C that I am flying on. It's an honor to have that privilege.

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  • 3 years later...

This is an old thread but I wanted to add my experience and resolution I went through last year...I applied at the VA for medical rating and ID card. Also I tried to get on the Agent Orange registry. I got a letter back that said I could not be on the AO registry and I was placed in Priority group 8...Vietnam service puts you automatically into group 6. I called and asked why and they said my DD214 didn't show any RVN service. Well I guess 118 combat missions all over the country was not service. I ordered my records from STL. I found travel vouchers showing CCK departure and arrival in TSN, CRB and DNG.. Also it showed the number of days on the trip. Also included were my APRs written by my A/C stating how many combat missions and TDY days in country spent. I put together a packet along with a Narrative of my missions and requested my 214 be corrected and sent it to the Randolph AFB in Texas. About 6 weeks later I got a letter from the USAF confirming my RVN service. Now I got my AO claim filed and awarded. I was also placed in group 3 for VA help. I have been working with a vet group and found out that we are not alone in having to prove boots on the ground to get recognized as a combat vet. I wanted to wake up this thread as maybe somebody will get an idea of how to get resolution and credit they deserve.. 

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