I need some advice for a friend, Nam vet from anyone with Nam experience.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

I ran into an old friend who served eighteen years in Viet Nam. It basically ruined him and left him with a lifelong battle with nerves and depression. He has worked all these years since the war, but mostly handyman and security jobs that don't pay a great deal. His SS will be minimal, and he is very nervous about being able to exist on this small income.

I asked him whether he would be receiving any type of retirement from his years in the military and he said that he had sought some assistance but had run into problems. Apparently, he and several other men in his unit were pulled to work for another unit as security. He saw daily combat for many months and received some awards for valor, but since his basic unit wasn't a combat unit and he was still listed as a member with them, (he still received his paychecks from them), he wasn't technically regarded as a member of a unit in active combat. He said this kind of thing happened a lot. They put you where they wanted you.

But unfortunately, for this reason, his records don't indicate that he was in actual combat, and in order to collect any retirement, they said he would need some kind of verification. Unfortunately, he no longer has any contact with the men he fought with in either unit, as this occurred so many years ago.

This guy is an honest hardworking man who fought for his country for many years, and will probably now be forced to live in squalor in his old age.

Has anyone else had a similar experience, and is there any advice I can pass on to him?

[MiaCulpa]

1. I have a friend who works at the VA

I'll bookmark this thread, and after I speak to him I'll let you know what he had to say.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

3. Oh, that would be great.

He did go to the VA and apparently got that advice from someone who works there, but he seems to have lost his will to want to fight for himself anymore. I appreciate your help!

[4bucksagallon]

2. What???

Look, just ask him to see his DD214 you can tell a lot about his service from that. By the way, no one served 18 years in Nam, do you mean in the military. If he had 18 years in the military why did he leave when his retirement was so close? I question his story as you have relate it.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

5. Yes, sorry, in the military.

He said he served sixteen years active and two years inactive. Whatever that means, since I'm not a military person. And I'm relaying the story pretty close I think to the way he told it to me tonight. Apparently, from the available records, there isn't enough information for him to collect any type of assistance. He did mention that he probably should have stayed in for the retirement, but that he was pretty messed up at that point. Mental health wise...not drugs.

[Glorfindel]

4. Every square inch of Vietnam was a combat zone

and, while it's true that "they put you where they wanted you," I've never heard of anyone's being denied anything because they weren't members of the Big Red 1 or the 1st of the 101st. And also, if you were assigned to a unit other than your own, you generally were eligible for TDY ("temporary duty") pay in addition to your regular pay. Something just doesn't sound right here.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

7. It made sense to me when he was telling it, but

not having been there and knowing nothing about the military, I have obviously screwed up the telling of it. Obviously I'll have to get more details. But thanks for the input. :hi:

[HeeBGBz]

6. My first husband had the same kind of problem

The VA claimed they had no record of him being in Vietnam. I think the only thing that finally got him the benefits he needed was the fact he had some copies of some Army papers that showed he was there.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

8. They do have his records because he has been in the VA hospital

several times, so of course they knew he was in the military, but they said he needed more paperwork/proof than they have in his records in order for him to get assistance. I find your story very scary too...no record of him being in Viet Nam? How does that happen?

[HeeBGBz]

10. I don't know.

If I remember right, he hand carried some of his records back from Vietnam.

[sandnsea]

9. Has he applied for PTSD disability?

I don't know about retirement, I think you need 20 years. But if he's had documented living issues, he might could get a partial disability, which would help some. SS hasn't kept up with the cost of living either, lots of people are going to be in dire straights in a few years. Probably see old ladies picking pears before too long.

[BOSSHOG]

11. HERE IS A SIGHT THAT MAY ASSIST YOU AND YOUR FRIEND

It is used by military personnel (or family or friends) to help them retrieve military records.

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/index.html

I hope this is of some assistance.

R/BH