Military Service?

[L2R23]

Maybe it's kinda off topic. I went to a motorcycle rally/ benefit for a veteran at a local American legion years ago. One of the members asked if I was a veteran and asked if I was interested in joining. Sure, why not everybody I met were good people. I filled out some paperwork with my active duty times. Nov. 76 - Dec 79 . 3 years active duty. Extended 1 month to go on another Med cruise, no bad time. I was told my active duty time didn't qualify for membership. No big deal. Probably saved me from a DUI anyway. Never went back.
Another kinda off topic, but here goes. Regarding my 214. Under Sea service, it shows no times. Went to the Caribbean, USS Saginaw. Mediterranean twice, USS Newport and USS Ponce. Did the office poggies miss something ?
Or am I missing something about qualifying for sea service? Semper Fi.
0811 3rd BN. 10th Marines

 

[KMart]

The Marine Corps had/has some screwed up rules that makes no sense. You got caught up in that. I will try and give you some examples.

Earning a CAR: You must give and take incoming fire in a combat zone. Must be signed of on by your Company CO.
But, you can serve in a combat zone for a year, take mortar fire, ChiCom rockets or artillery fire a couple of times a week, and you are told that you were not in combat.

As for your time on an MEU, It wasn't counted as an overseas tour because your home unit remained in CONUS while you were in the Med. No Sea Service for you because you were just being transported from place to place. Had the same thing happen to friends of mine.
Served 13 months in RVN. Returned to Cherry Point in Nov 1970. Jan 71, our squadron put a detachment aboard a Carrier and went to the Med. Spent another year in the Med serving on 3 different Carriers. This didn't count as an overseas tour because our squadron was still based in CONUS.
I know, none of it makes sense.
Which Howitzer was your specialty?
Semper Fi

 

[L2R23]

The Marine Corps had/has some screwed up rules that makes no sense. You got caught up in that. I will try and give you some examples.

Earning a CAR: You must give and take incoming fire in a combat zone. Must be signed of on by your Company CO.
But, you can serve in a combat zone for a year, take mortar fire, ChiCom rockets or artillery fire a couple of times a week, and you are told that you were not in combat.

As for your time on an MEU, It wasn't counted as an overseas tour because your home unit remained in CONUS while you were in the Med. No Sea Service for you because you were just being transported from place to place. Had the same thing happen to friends of mine.
Served 13 months in RVN. Returned to Cherry Point in Nov 1970. Jan 71, our squadron put a detachment aboard a Carrier and went to the Med. Spent another year in the Med serving on 3 different Carriers. This didn't count as an overseas tour because our squadron was still based in CONUS.
I know, none of it makes sense.
Which Howitzer was your specialty?
Semper Fi

We were a 105 battery

 

[durand mortenson]

Simple way to check. Ask him what his MOS was. Military Occupation Specialty (Job)

ISS

That would filter out a lot of pretenders.

Mort

 

[dave@aDave]

Agree - for years all I had to do was show my Driver's License which shows I am a veteran to get veteran discounts at Lowe's and Home Depot.

Now they require you to register with some online service. I tried to explain to them that when I was in your SS number was your service number and I am not putting that online. So, they denied me the discount even though I produced my Honorable Discharge Certification along with my Driver's License. I was really pissed and went someone else to buy my refrigerator.

Make a copy of your DD-214.
Black out your Social Security number with a marker.
Submit your blacked out copy online.
Worked for me.
I also have a very low tolerance for military/naval pretenders.

 

[CJ6]

Didn't most of you get the small laminated copy of your 214 ? I've been carrying mine in my wallet ever since discharge.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Didn't most of you get the small laminated copy of your 214 ? I've been carrying mine in my wallet ever since discharge.

No, never heard of that, but I was discharged in Oct '67 so that most likely has something to do with that. We were handed a paper version of the DD214 and sent on our way. That is after signing a stack of papers that was about 3/8" thick promising by threat of Federal prison to NEVER discuss where we went, what we did, and when we were never there.

I chuckle about that now. Who TF cares after 50 years?

But to stay OT, it's usually pretty easy to spot a fraud by asking a couple of questions that only one who has been "there" could properly answer. The country seems to have plenty of these jerks too.

 

[M-61]

Didn't most of you get the small laminated copy of your 214 ? I've been carrying mine in my wallet ever since discharge.

I did not. In fact never heard of it. It must be hard to get all that typing legible on a card that small but I want one.
Can you tel me where to get it? From the VA?

 

[CJ6]

I did not. In fact never heard of it. It must be hard to get all that typing legible on a card that small but I want one.
Can you tel me where to get it? From the VA?

At the time of discharge along with the rest of the copies of 214s. They asked and I said yes. They just took a full size copy and shrunk it down and laminated it. You could do the same thing on your copier and just get it laminated. Germany 1979

 

[Old Navy]

I got one in 67 also. I could read it without glasses then and can't read the full size one now.

 

[M-61]

Thanks.
I got out in 1968 I had 6 years in and was discharged the next morning at Travis AFB They gave me my back pay, my occurred 51 days leave, and travel pay back home along with my full size DD214. No one said shit to me. They also left out the VA part. They left out a lot else also but by 1991 things changed. For me at least.