Veteran Records Lost to Fire BUMMER

[BloodyBelle]

I had been working on my father's military history (Cpl Korea) only to find that there had been a fire, destroying military records from 1952-1959'ish. They're going to send me a form to try another angle.
I just found this out. Thanks for listening.

 

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[WilliamBoyd]

The July 12, 1973 fire at the St. Louis US Army records center destroyed
a lot more than 1952-1959, apparently 1912 to 1960.

My father's records were lost and he was in the Army from 1925 to 1928.

 

[BloodyBelle]

The July 12, 1973 fire at the St. Louis US Army records center destroyed
a lot more than 1952-1959, apparently 1912 to 1960.

My father's records were lost and he was in the Army from 1925 to 1928.

My bad. They wrote:

The record needed to answer your inquiry is not in our files. If the record were here on July 12, 1973, it would have been in the area that suffered the most damage in the fire on that date and may have been destroyed. The fire destroyed the major portion of records of Army military personnel for the period 1912 through 1959, and records of Air Force personnel with surnames Hubbard through Z for the period 1947 through 1963. Fortunately, there are alternate records sources that often contain information which can be used to reconstruct service record data lost in the fire; however, complete records cannot be reconstructed.

We are mailing you NA Form 13075 (or NA Form 13055) which asks for additional information concerning the veterans' military service. Please use this form to provide us with as much information as you are able. This information will be used by our staff to help reconstruct service record data lost in the fire.

 

[WilliamBoyd]

I wrote to St. Louis for my father's records in September 2001.

15 months later I received a form letter "due to the 1973 fire...".

 

[johnnycat]

My oldest brothers records went up in that mess. Now he's having a h*** of a time trying to get VA benefits. NO end in sight.

 

[BloodyBelle]

My oldest brothers records went up in that mess. Now he's having a h*** of a time trying to get VA benefits. NO end in sight.

Now that really sucks.

 

[Chug And Red]

Sorry to hear what you are all going through, your all in our thought's and prayers that you get the much needed information soon!!!! Red and Chug

 

[BloodyBelle]

And another thing--there has to be stuff in the VA hospitals at a minimum?

 

[Old Town]

Belle, a few years before my grandfather died, author Evan Thomas interviewed him regarding Admiral Halsey and the South Pacific. Thomas wrote "Sea of Thunder", the story of our Pacific campaign and Halsey in particular. My grandfather commanded a submarine over there and knew Halsey very well. They went to all the same schools, that kind of thing.

Anyway, in talking with Evan Thomas he told me getting WW2 servicemen information was not so easy. It was getting harder all the time as much is not on computer and many paper files have been discarded over time. Very sad deal.

Hope you have some luck. WW2 was our last righteous war if you ask me. I like the old soldiers.

OT

 

[BloodyBelle]

Belle, a few years before my grandfather died, author Evan Thomas interviewed him regarding Admiral Halsey and the South Pacific. Thomas wrote "Sea of Thunder", the story of our Pacific campaign and Halsey in particular. My grandfather commanded a submarine over there and knew Halsey very well. They went to all the same schools, that kind of thing.

Anyway, in talking with Evan Thomas he told me getting WW2 servicemen information was not so easy. It was getting harder all the time as much is not on computer and many paper files have been discarded over time. Very sad deal.

Hope you have some luck. WW2 was our last righteous war if you ask me. I like the old soldiers.

OT

My father was in Korea. Why hasn't anybody made a movie about that war?

I'm with you on WW2. I call it the last legitimate war. But then, I don't know a dang thing about the war my father was in. Meanwhile, I can rattle away about Tawara, Burma, etc.

My only friends around here are WW2 vets. But they're getting and passing on. :-( Now I hardly have anybody to talk to. It's lonely, especially this last year. Lost 3 in my building. Two moved in with their kids and one has developed dementia. Anyway, those were my friends.

 

[White Feather]

M.A.S.H.

No disrespect intended.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

allo Luv, I'm still here.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Deepdiger60]

The July 12, 1973 fire at the St. Louis US Army records center destroyed
a lot more than 1952-1959, apparently 1912 to 1960.

My father's records were lost and he was in the Army from 1925 to 1928.

In 1968 i contracted Malaria in Vietnam i spent 2 months in China Beach hospital , years later i tried to get some disability for permanent lung damage but was told no records are available due to the 1973 fire for years i tried but no good i cant prove it Dd60

 

[BloodyBelle]

allo Luv, I'm still here.

Don Jose de La Mancha

He doesn't write. He doesn't call...

 

[BloodyBelle]

Again, FWIW:

Fortunately, there are alternate records sources that often contain information which can be used to reconstruct service record data lost in the fire; however, complete records cannot be reconstructed.

We are mailing you NA Form 13075 (or NA Form 13055) which asks for additional information concerning the veterans' military service. Please use this form to provide us with as much information as you are able. This information will be used by our staff to help reconstruct service record data lost in the fire.

 

[White Feather]

Don Jose' My Hero, How Ya been? I'm hearing stories of drug cartel shooting wars down there. Tell me it ain't so! I was going to start planning another trip across Mexico but decided to look into some stateside shallow water hunting this year as the hurricane season winds down.

I had a similar problem with the VA over my records. It took a vet rep and lawyer to help find them. It seems that the fire story has turned into an easy copout when a record has been misfiled or was flagged and is setting on someones desk or stacked in a corner, filed under the first name or simply spelled wrong. I also ALWAYS had the VA print me a copy of any and all visits to the health centers or hospitals along with treatment and prognosis results. I still have 90% of medical files and even some old duty assignment orders and assignment changes showing name rank and such. This all helped to find the "burned" files. Truth being that most of the people in the system are there to help us. Just sometimes they need a little prod or redirection to find the correct results. Like the man said; "Never Give Up!"

 

[deepskyal]

Don Jose' My Hero, How Ya been? I'm hearing stories of drug cartel shooting wars down there. Tell me it ain't so! I was going to start planning another trip across Mexico but decided to look into some stateside shallow water hunting this year as the hurricane season winds down.

I had a similar problem with the VA over my records. It took a vet rep and lawyer to help find them. It seems that the fire story has turned into an easy copout when a record has been misfiled or was flagged and is setting on someones desk or stacked in a corner, filed under the first name or simply spelled wrong. I also ALWAYS had the VA print me a copy of any and all visits to the health centers or hospitals along with treatment and prognosis results. I still have 90% of medical files and even some old duty assignment orders and assignment changes showing name rank and such. This all helped to find the "burned" files. Truth being that most of the people in the system are there to help us. Just sometimes they need a little prod or redirection to find the correct results. Like the man said; "Never Give Up!"

I have to agree with this. Everything when I was in the service in 73 was done in triplicate. There's more than one copy. I saved most of my records...but I'm a record packrat. Still have a couple of my medals somewhere.
Being the government, they aren't going to make anything easy, but rest assured, there's more paper somewhere.
When they were restoring the county courthouse in Alleg. County, they found all kinds of historical records jam-packed in boxes in a storage room no one had been in for years. Now they can't figure out what to do with them or how to go through them all.
Conversly, a building they were attempting to demo but was saved by the historical society, records from the whisky rebellion were found along wiht all the reciepts from the very early tavern business which was also the meeting hall for the rebels. These are all being catalogued and sorted with great care.

So why would the military NOT have a back up...somewhere?
You can bet your sweet behind they are somewhere...just probably forgotten....like so many of us vets.

Al

 

[suprdave]

the most important paper you could have in your possesion is called a dd 214. without this important document it is hard to get anything done. all information is based off of this document. when you have this paper then dont take no for an answer until you get the rest of your information. they always say no the first time to your requests so dont give up!!!!! suprdave

 

[White Feather]

I just thought I would bring this back to the front because this sort of treatment is still going on even five years later. I have since had some very serious health problems and wound up going to a civilian hospital and doctors outside the VA system mostly at my own expense and through Medicare with a serious co-pay. I also have had to pay for my own prescriptions when they are from doctors outside the VA system. The last month or so I have managed to start getting back into the VA system but it is very slow and with much aggravation dealing with so many people who don't seem to care. I can't say that none of them care, I am sure there are many people in the system who are running into the same walls as those of us who need help are running into. I have said that their way of dealing with many of us is to ignore us. That way we either get well and "go away" or we die and "go away", either way they don't have to deal with us. This saves the system a lot of money, time and resources. I had a broken vertebra in my upper back some months back and was miss-diagnosed three times before I went to a private doctor outside the VA and found out about the broken vertebra. I was then set up for surgery and went to the VA for assistance with the costs involved. The VA agreed to finance the procedure after much prodding and intervention from the Vet Rep and doctors who insisted that this was urgent and needed to be done right away and could not wait to go through the system again. During surgery it was found that I also had bone cancer and it required surgery and radiation treatments as soon as I could get them. It was set up and started as soon as I could walk after the back surgery. The VA did pay for the treatments and has since started getting me in for subsequent checkups and treatments. Persistence does pay off. Never take no for an answer when dealing with the VA. I now have to go in for blood work and other testing every three months and MRI and Body scans every six months to keep an eye out for any return of the cancer. At this time I am a cancer survivor and slowly getting better as time goes along. I do still have a lot of back pain but can deal with it with only minor pain medications and constant office visits, blood work and constant cancer testing. Had I followed the VA system and let the back pain proceed and go through all the spinal shots prescribed, all the delays and miss-diagnosing I was getting I could very well be dead by now. Seeking a second opinion was the best thing I could have done. An opinion outside the VA. My primary doctor assigned to me within the VA went on some kind of medical leave or something and I was being diagnosed by a nurse and assigned treatments and medications by her and didn't get to see my primary doctor for 7 months. I was very uncomfortable with this and finally walked out and went to a private doctor who takes care of my wife. One test and he found the broken back and sent me to the proper spinal surgeon who actually ended up saving my life. Slow service and treatments, miss-diagnosing and improper treatments can get you killed. Always follow your own feelings. If you think something is wrong, demand another opinion and more testing. It is your body and your life that is on the line. If someone makes a mistake, you get to pay the bill......... you die! They say, "Oops, Sorry!"

 

[White Feather]

Oops, wrong button! It seems I took an idiot test. If you pass an idiot test is that good or bad? What if you fail an idiot test? Which way does that go? Maybe I are idiot.....