Hi
My husband is having a hard time remembering every detail on his applicant app. On his military record they want to know where his port was ...... he is in his 60's and he was 17 at the time and he doesn't remember every detail.........He remember his commanders name etc. he was in vietnam at 18 years of age but he says most of it is a fog at this point.
Should he just add a attached letter to that effect. He doesn't want to leave it blank with no explanation. Is this going to effect his approval these details.
Thanks bunny
Don't leave any blanks for sure - if you do, they'll kick it back to you
He doesn't remember where he was stationed out of?
If not, I'd do the letter & plead age :)
His discharge papers should list all foreign postings, and his regular records would list all his transfers. At least he was in the Navy. Army and Air Force records were mostly burned in 1973. If he needs help, have him call the local VFW or American Legion post, and they have guys there who do nothing but help veterans get their records. It might be worth waiting for them to apply, because CIC can get really anal when it comes to military stuff because they are looking for people who might later be charged with a war crime. Don't give them a reason for wanting to pull you out of line for an interview.
I gave fairly sketchy details for my Navy history from same time period; I never served in a combat zone, however, and that may make a difference about how closely they scrutinize the military record.
The only commanding officer I listed was my last one. I could not find much of my military history at all (I did not make any formal requests for it either), and my discharge papers only listed my last post, rank, and such, not any information about previous stations, units, or such. In the box on the form I only listed overall time and, again, last station, last CO. On a supplemental page I gave a more or less narrative statement (in fairly general, not specific terms) about the different stations to which I was posted, including the name and number of the two vessels I served aboard during my service.
Overall I think enough info to adequately identify the nature of the service, years of service, and a little more info, should be sufficient for those who served in the U.S. military, particularly that long ago. I believe they are primarily interested in a few key things, like whether one might be a war criminal, whether one has otherwise engaged in illegal wars (mercenary stuff), or whether one was involved in criminal activity while in service, in addition to the overall interest in positively identifying who the applicant is to be sure the background and history information relates to that particular individual.
In other words, again, the basic information should suffice. Emphasis on "I think."