Sparks

Congrats on the new parts. Wish you the best for continued recovery. 

Chris, I sure hope you are feeling better. I sent you a PM on 9April. Check your e-mail

Keith

As Gizzard (Paul parrish ) once told me "hang in there and outlive the bastards" or words to that effect. Good luck.

Read the thread titled "buddy jet eng shop" I just responded to that thread and addressed how I dealt with the same problem you are describing. Submit the SF 149 Request for Correction of Military Records. Good Luck

After 42+ years, I finally got my letter from the Gov't confirming my Vietnam service. After exhausting all other avenues, requesting records, APR's, Travel vouchers, etc and getting nothing showing I had Boots on the Ground, I submitted the SF149 request for correction of military records. I provided a detailed letter of my time at Tan Son Nhut along with an historical overview of real world conditions at the time. The only document I had was a copy of my Small Arms Receipt that was given to me when I in-processed at TSN. The process took a while (about a year) but the request had been reviewed by 3 boards of evaluators. The first board denied my claim because of a lack of records proving my case. However, the two review boards following the original upheld my claim based on additional evidence they found (although circumstantial) and the strength of the detailed letter. As a result I received an official letter stating I had Boots on the Ground and awarded a VSM with Bronze Service Star. Additionally, they sent me a full size VSM w BSS and importantly, a DD215 (amendment to my DD214) awarding me the VSM w BSS. With the Golden Ticket, I went to my local Disabled American Vet service officer and worked up a claim for Diabetes associated with Agent Orange. That claim has been submitted on 3/3/15 and I hope to have it settled within a year. Bottom Line - Be persistent and Don't get Discouraged. There are several of us on her who have fought the good fight and giving each other encouragement along the way. Jerry Mitchell, Chris Schutz and Paul Parrish to name a few. GOOD LUCK!!

Happy Belated Birthday Ken. I might be late but ive still got a pulse. :rolleyes:

Hurlburt....auto correct kills me

If I ever get back from miami, I'll take a run down to Urlbert to check that tail number.

No problem sleeping anywhere in the cargo compartment. The best spot was on top of cargo close to the top. Always warm up there as opposed to the cargo seats. It was always cold close to the floor. Gear up, crawl up, settle in, eyes closed. To this day, I can fall asleep just about anywhere.

Thanks for your posts Sonny. I get a good laugh every time I read your stuff....

I guess I'm missing out. I'll have to pick up a copy and compare with my experiences as an electrician. Those were, after all, the days my friend.

First thing that came to my mind was Deep Throat.

Getting a bit cold up there in Anchorage eh SEFEGeorge?

Anyone here ever experience a JATO personally? If so, can you describe the feeling? Thanks

You gotta prove "boots on the ground" at zero dark thirty. But I'll trust you mom's memory on this one. Have a happy birthday pal.

Have a great birthday Chris!

Keith

you aint rite....giz, ill shoot you a pm. not sure why I didn't get your email?

Point of Contact

USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, 2947 Fifth Street, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433-7212, DSN 798-2716 or 937-938-2716. www.wpafb.af.mil/afrl/711hpw/usafsam.asp

I know I'm chiming in a bit late, but the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine would be a great place to find what current equipment is being used and trained on for Air Evac. I did my training at Brooks many moons ago and I can tell you this place probably has the info you need and maybe more. Regards Keith

seems re writing history is not just something the current president invented....

Ronc, I'm missing all the snow! While im here in Miami, my daughter is babysitting my house and son in Crestview. She tells me it is cold and icy

No doubt, Herks are tough old birds.

Nooo Bodyyyyy Knowss the Trouble I've Seen.......:(

My bronze service star was just added to the VSM I already had as a result of my sf149 request for correction of military records. If you submit this form, provide as much detail as possible about the specifics of your request. In my case, I wanted to have my dd214 amended to reflect I had boots on the ground at TSN in 1972. I provided a detailed letter explaining my entire experience on that particular 40 day TDY along with photo copies of my M16 card (this was the only actual documentation I had after 40 years), as well as the history of the An Loc battle from Wikipedia showing what was happening at the time. During the 8 months I waited for the reply from this request, three different offices reviewed my request. The first office disapproved the request and was sent for a second opinion. The second office found documentation from an old EPR that supported my claim and concluded there was enough evidence to say I indeed had boots on the ground. The two conflicting opinions were sent to an arbitration board and after extensive review, disagreed with the first review, agreed with the second and went even farther by finding more documentation and decided to award the VSM with bronze service star an amended my dd214 (dd215) to reflect their findings. Far from what I had expected, these people really spent the time and effort to actually research my record to arrive at their conclusions. They did note that the detailed letter of my experiences in country tipped the scale in my favor. Hope this helps

Thanks Chris, Giz, Bob et al. I think the bronze star on my NDSM represents the award from the Vietnam era and a separate award for Desert Shield/Storm. ps Hows the weather in Anchorage SEFEGeorge?

that would make sense.

Yeah..Im not real sure about why the bronze service star. Only thing I can think of is that my DD214 from 1995 had the VSM listed as one of my medals. Since Randolph is correcting my original DD214 from 1974 and adding the VSM, maybe they think I got two separate awards? (I had two separate periods of service thus two DD214's) Only thing I can figure. I know I got a bronze service star on my NDSM for two separate awards.