Graywolf88

Got documentation from St. Louis that confirmed I served 45 days as staff Load with 834th at Ton Sun Nhut. Had 4 or 5 reporting periods of the Airman Evaluation signed by pilot and Company Commander in the package and every one of them had some confirmation of boots on the ground. The admin clerk at local VA refused to even look at them. He will only accept Vietnam Cross of Gallantry or Vietnam Expeditionary added on a DD-215 along with the VSM. Eligible for both and sent back to St. Louis for corrected DD-215. Been about 3 months since the request went back for 215 and nothing yet. Guess ya can't rush the government. I got a VSM on my DD-214 and it ain't good enough for the VA here. Got several papers that confirm boots on the ground. Not good enough. Still waiting, ain't giving up. I can think of a few places to put my boot that ain't on the ground.

I hauled combat loaded pax on a refugee evac one time and arrived with one more passenger than I left with.

PM sent, any ideas are welcome! If something don't happen with the recent request for the amended DD-214 I am gonna look for a hornet nest to kick.

Thanks! Good to have a little moral support. I failed to link the website I "borrowed" the 834th AD Vietnam Cross of Gallantry info from; http://www.fold3.com/browsemore/hYsfPNKzwhH8JaM7bsWwQhZyIvx8mXrPY_252/ It is all right there, but to get it on a DD-215 is the trick. They might be changed the requirement before it gets here. Will keep you updated.

Little update - I received an envelope full of copies of a lot of my old papers from Louisville. There is 3 reporting periods of the the "Airman Performance Reports" included in the papers Louisville sent. These reports are signed by your Aircraft Commander and your Squadron Commander in the comments and endorsements page. it clearly states on one of the performance reports that I flew 117 combat missions with 702 combat sorties. A some time during that 702 combat sorties I am sure my boots hit the ground even allowing for speed offloads without putting the truck ramps on. I called the county veteran service officer who has been working on it and he said take it to the VA and show it to them. Guess what? The little bureaucrat that makes the determination refused to even look at the papers. He told me he didn't care if I had a CMOH and a picture of the president of the U.S.A. presenting it to me in front of the main gate at some base in Vietnam it wasn't any good unless I had certain things on my DD-214 or I got a DD-215 to amend the 214. The only things he would accept is if my amended DD-215 had a Vietnam Cross of Gallantry or a Vietnam Campaign Medal on it. This is really ridiculous because you don't need boots on the ground to get the Vietnam Campaign Medal according to the requirements I found on it. The requirements I found say; To be awarded the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal personnel must meet one of the following requirements: Served in the Republic of Vietnam for six months during the period of 1 March 1961 and 28 March 1973. Served outside the geographical limits of the Republic of Vietnam and gave direct support in battle to the Republic of Vietnam and Armed Forces for six months. Such individuals must meet the criteria established for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (for Vietnam) or the Vietnam Service Medal, to qualify for the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. Six months service is not required for those who were wounded by enemy forces; killed in action or otherwise in line of duty; or captured by enemy forces. See---> http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armymedals/ss/rvcm_3.htm also http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/afmedals/blrovcm.htm I did find the papers online and kinda confiscated a copy that authorize the 2 AP, 315TAW, and 483TAW the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry for service from 1 Oct,66 - 30 Oct,71. These papers state the medal is to be awarded to the 834th AD and it's subordinate units. According to the papers I found and the requirements both medals should be on my DD-214. I seem to remember that when I was processing out they removed any medals issued by a foreign government from being on my DD-214 ...... memory could be wrong, landed on my head more than once since then and it was in medieval times. I remained relatively calm today while meeting with those desk jockeys, but I did remember why I used to drink when I was on active duty. The veteran service officer has put in a formal request to have my DD-214 amended. I will wait some more for now, but I did inform both of the people I met with that I knew who my congressional representatives were and how to contact them. I will go along with the system for a while, but when it appears the wheels have stopped turning I will throw a monkey wrench in the works. Just my opinion, but I think some of the people at the VA who are supposed to make the judgements on "boots in the mud" are attempting to push that responsibility off on some other agency with silly requirements and a refusal to even review paperwork that clearly indicates many boot prints on short fields all over that friggin used to be country! Ranting complete....... I feel better, but not much better.

Text not yet available from Library of Congress, but congressional website confirms it is law and has summary posted. You can find it here; http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/258

Yeah, I got citations that state I was on the ground in several locations in-country. The VA won't accept any of it nor do they even want to see it. They say the only thing they will accept is a DD215 (Modified 214) which I am still waiting for. I think maybe some VA employees are making up their own requirements.

I have piles of old paperwork that says I was in-country. I also have a VSM, DFC, and 7 AMs on my DD214. The VA will not accept any of it because of something not marked on the DD-214. They won't even look at the other evidence. They just give me some print outs that say a VSM is not proof of boot on the ground which is a term I never even heard of until recently. I am waiting now for a DD215 from St. Louis. Went through the county Veteran's Service Officer to get the DD215. He said it could take from a month to 6 months. Been over a month already. Where ever you young guys go keep all your paperwork! The VA does not listen to common sense and is full of bureaucratic crap heads.

The switchblade would not open in the pocket of the flight suits. It had a locking slide in addition to the button. If you had the slide locked the button would not open it. I carried one the whole time I was flying and never had one open accidentally. There may have been some other models of the knife without the slide lock, but the ones I was issued always had the slide and button.

Got a set of 1972 blanket orders out of CCK, but only 776 TAS crews listed on them. Sorry!

Could be, but Rebel Row at TSN had revetments too.

Once hauled 5 pallets of MPC. Had a grunt with M-16 sitting on each pallet. Load and look, but no touche. Hauled pallets of Playboy magazine. Hauled the legendary KC-135 tailboom all over in country.

Got some more Sun Moon Lake pictures somewhere.

I lied, do have some more of them uploaded. Some of these might be mine or might be R.C.s pictures. Got them mixed up.

Just outside Bar Town some time 70-73 Ex on my old Honda in front yard Taichung. Think it was Enchi Loo or something like that. Fell on my head many times since then. Got piles more pictures, but not uploaded yet.

Got that movie on DVD. Wondered about the 130 too.

Seems like it was the Asia Hotel where we stayed on the Bangkok shuttles. Officers stayed at the Florida Hotel. Time was around 70 or 71. Could look it up on flight time records, but doesn't matter that much.

I do have a VSM on my DD-214 along with a DFC and 7 AMs. That is not good enough for the VA. Still got old flight time records with thousands of combat sorties listed. 927 hours combat time on a C-130-E. Not good enough for the VA. Waiting for records and DD215 from St. Louis. Went through a county Veteran's Service office to request records. VA is just being asinine. They got some little space on the DD214 if it ain't the right number they kick it back.

Yeah, I know about the crash on Guam. It was my crew. I was grounded in Danang with my sinuses blown out from an RD. Candyman was taken to a hospital in Japan where he died from burns. Think a crew chief was on board, but no Loadmaster. I think they flew back to Ton Sun Nhut after I got grounded in Danang and picked up another Loadmaster. I had left all the information I had on it on the forum when this was herkybirds.com ..... not sure if those threads still exist.