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Vietnam? or not.

GrayGray Member Posts: 13 ✭✭
edited May 2007 in US Military Veteran Forum
My father in law swears he was in Vietnam but he was born in
1959 he says he went to prison and they let him out to go to "nam"
have any of you ever heard of this he says there is no record of his service. Confidental you know. My dad was a Veitnam veteran born in 1949 died in 2004 never talked about it all my father in law dose is talk about it i just wish i could burst his bubble.

thanks
Gray
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Comments

  • Ray BRay B Member Posts: 11,822
    edited November -1
    Giving the benefit that he was born on Jan 1, 1959 he would have been 14 years of age when US pulled out in 1973. I know guys that were 17 when they went over, voluntarily; no one under 18 was required to go. Age 14 would only have occurred if he appearred to be four years older than actual, and was good enough at forging documents to prove it; but given his Nam or prison scenario, this is not an option.

    Just ask him what unit he was in and what dates in was in-country.
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  • Laredo LeftyLaredo Lefty Member Posts: 13,451 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Gray.... I agree with Ray. He's yanking your chain. First of all, of all the cases I have seen, Vietnam was only offered to people of military age who were in trouble with the law as a way of avoiding jail, not prison.

    At 14 he would have never been considered for prison or Vietnam. There also would have been a record of his service. Every serviceman has a form DD214 that is a record of his service, ask to see it.
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  • Henry0ReillyHenry0Reilly Member Posts: 10,892 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    One of our town drunks used to spend a lot of time whining about Vietnam when he was in his cups.

    One day I met his mother and I asked her what happened to him there that made him that way. She just laughed and told me he never left the U.S.

    Later I confronted him a few days after his mother had passed away. "Your mother wasn't a liar, was she?" He said not and I told him what she had said about his service time and he admitted it was true, he never went.

    See the thread on Guilt Complex for some possible insight on why he says he was there.
    I used to recruit for the NRA until they sold us down the river (again!) in Heller v. DC. See my auctions (if any) under username henryreilly
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  • grizzclawgrizzclaw Member Posts: 1,159 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ray is right, I was born in 1956, and never came close to going.
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  • jlundy46jlundy46 Member Posts: 7 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I was born in 1946 and joined the Navy in 1964 at 18. We had some local kids that the judge gave a choice - county jail time or go in the service, but that did not mean they went to Vietnam. Most of us who saw combat in Vietnam don't talk much about it unless we are with others who were there. I met a Marine gunny in Vietnam who joined at 16 when they didn't check such things as carefully. I think your father-in-law is blowing smoke.

    John
    TF-115,
    Operation Market Time
    1966-68
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  • chollagardenschollagardens Member Posts: 4,614 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If your father in law is Vietnamese that would answer a lot of your questions.
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  • TiredTired Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I entered the service at Age 15. in the 60s the nam war was raging, and uncle sugar was not quite so particular about investigating backgrounds. I used the birth certificate of a deceased cousin and had no problems. Boy that was sure a dumb way to get off the family farm. funny how much I long to be back on it now.
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  • dersequimdersequim Member Posts: 110 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Laredo Lefty is RIGHT! I was in an Intel unit as an analyst, stationed on Taiwan, 61-62, we had 1200 billets on our base. There were 15k personel assigned to our base? We all know where thay were.
    I do have a DD214 as ALL other former Servicemen.
    The VFW wanted me to join, but I told them they would find NO proof that my unit served in Viet Nam. After 2 months the Membership Director came to me and Said, "All we can find is a APO # in San Francisco, sorry we can not accept your application". The FUNNY part of the story is that he informed me that I never picked up any of my Service Medals. He proceed to give me a box that contained 3 medals.
    Good Conduct, Unit Citation and a medal awarded by the ARMY? I always questioned WHY the Army awarded me a medal? Last year I went to Fort Lewis to the Military Museum. Displayed on the Wall of Honor,
    ALL medels awarded to units of Fort Lewis, since the begining of the
    the 1800's. Right THERE was my Medal, The South Vietnam Presidents award for SERVICE IN VIETNAM!!!
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  • Brock TownsendBrock Townsend Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    "he says there is no record of his service"

    Very common among fakes. Report him here.

    P.O.W Network
    http://tinyurl.com/38hdpw
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