Veterans
Related: About this forumQuestion on behalf of my better half..........
he served in the Marine Corps from 1968-'72. He was assigned as a Fleet Marine & served aboard 2 ships. One ship was in the China Sea & shelled Vietnam.
Though he was not on the ground in Vietnam, is he eligible for a Combat Ribbon? He calls himself a Vietnam Era Vet, but some Vets he has met at the VA say he is indeed a "Vietnam Vet", is he?
We are trying to straighten out his ribbons, when he was discharged a Second Lieutenant filled out his papers & we are pretty sure he is missing some awards.
Thanks.
The Wielding Truth
(11,422 posts)So that makes him a Vietnam War Vet.
douglas9
(4,474 posts)The waters off of Vietnam (Gulf of Tonkin not China Sea) were a part of the
combat zone. If his ship was shelling the coast he participated in combat. He is a Vietnam Vet not Vietnam Era. He should have a ribbon/medal that looks like my avatar.
His DD 214 should list all the awards he is eligible to wear.
Lots of web sites sell replacement medals/ribbons
mrmpa
(4,033 posts)a 2nd Lieutenant filled out his discharge forms & did not list ribbons & awards we believe should have been noted.
denbot
(9,912 posts)You can fill out forms there to have medals or ribbons noted on your DD-214.
Years ago I called the Naval Records Office in D.C., and told a clerk my name, ship, and when I was on it. It took a while but one call seemed to have worked faster then filling out a records correction request to add a campaign ribbon to my DD-214
mrmpa
(4,033 posts)to get new hearing aids. I asked him to check with someone as to how he could get his personnel records, because he has forgotten the names of the ships he was assigned to.
We got a contact to follow up with.
denbot
(9,912 posts)It will note where and when a unit was deployed.