Page 19 - A Soldiers Exposition
P. 19
SPEAKING MY MIND - FROM MY HEART
This is the editorial of my experiences; it is also:
- My perspectives
- My observations
- My interpretations, and
- My opinions.
Fortunately, after nearly five years of daily research, I was able to assemble sufficient documentation to
prove my service. Proving the where and the when was not easy.
The research included:
- Trips to military bases to use the resources of the unit historian’s records to prove my
participation in events, “official” and “unrecorded but nonetheless official”.
- Submitting requests for duty and medical records from the Army, the National Personnel
Records Center, and the Veterans Administration. Many times, I had to resubmit requests.
- I learned to ask specific questions.
The government is excellent at not providing records.
- Hundreds of phone calls to people who knew me during my service and could help me
document my “participation”. This was difficult because the majority of my contacts had died.
Lesson: Don’t delay. Submit your claim early.
My failure to keep a daily journal of my service was a major mistake.
My perspectives, my observations, my interpretations, and my opinions count.
… If only to me.
