I got a letter from the V.A. the other day (it is why I have not updated my blog) and it upset me profusely. They denied my claim because my U.S. Army Records are not available to them, they even called me a few weeks ago asking me if I had my records. I explained to them that I do not have my records and every time I requested them that they V.A. Department of Records in St. Louis MO. does not have them.
I have even talked to the folks in St. Louis on the phone and they told me on the phone they show that they received them, but have no idea what happened to my records, that was the first time I talk to them in 2000 and then in 03 I talked to them again after requesting then again for the 5th time and was told by the man that answered that they were burnt in the fire that burnt almost all the records in 1992 but I have never been able to prove that there even was a fire in 92.
I do not understand how an organization like the V.A. could lose both of a persons files, the personnel (201) file and medical file. How it is possible that two separate files be lost that are suppose to be stored in two different parts of a building, one file I can understand but both?
The 201 file is suppose to be stored and under control of one group of people and the Medical records are suppose to be stored in another part of the building. All of this is suppose to be done by your social security number. In this day and age though these records are also suppose to be on a computer disk and micro fiche some where else. Iron Mountain is suppose to have a section in their cave (yes it is actually a cave) that they store copies of these records as well, and there is suppose to be a copy at the Pentagon, of which I have yet to get a response from the Pentagon. The Iron Mountain office tells me that there is no such area in their cave that they store military records. Because I wrote to Iron Mountain to find out to whom I could contact to try and find a copy of my records.
As of the date of this writing I am one of a few thousand veterans that was not able to get a copy of their records and are being told that their records no longer exist or are lost. What I am to do now is to try again to back track my records from the last known place of existence and see if I can find record that they were ever shipped to the St. Louis office to begin with, and if not then I am going to have to trace them threw the last Army base I served at. Which I have tried to do before but this time I will only talk to the officers in charge.
If you have any other suggestion or served with me in the Army At Coleman Barricks or Turley Barricks in Mannheim Germany, or at Fort Lewis Washington then let me know threw the comments section.
I have even talked to the folks in St. Louis on the phone and they told me on the phone they show that they received them, but have no idea what happened to my records, that was the first time I talk to them in 2000 and then in 03 I talked to them again after requesting then again for the 5th time and was told by the man that answered that they were burnt in the fire that burnt almost all the records in 1992 but I have never been able to prove that there even was a fire in 92.
I do not understand how an organization like the V.A. could lose both of a persons files, the personnel (201) file and medical file. How it is possible that two separate files be lost that are suppose to be stored in two different parts of a building, one file I can understand but both?
The 201 file is suppose to be stored and under control of one group of people and the Medical records are suppose to be stored in another part of the building. All of this is suppose to be done by your social security number. In this day and age though these records are also suppose to be on a computer disk and micro fiche some where else. Iron Mountain is suppose to have a section in their cave (yes it is actually a cave) that they store copies of these records as well, and there is suppose to be a copy at the Pentagon, of which I have yet to get a response from the Pentagon. The Iron Mountain office tells me that there is no such area in their cave that they store military records. Because I wrote to Iron Mountain to find out to whom I could contact to try and find a copy of my records.
As of the date of this writing I am one of a few thousand veterans that was not able to get a copy of their records and are being told that their records no longer exist or are lost. What I am to do now is to try again to back track my records from the last known place of existence and see if I can find record that they were ever shipped to the St. Louis office to begin with, and if not then I am going to have to trace them threw the last Army base I served at. Which I have tried to do before but this time I will only talk to the officers in charge.
If you have any other suggestion or served with me in the Army At Coleman Barricks or Turley Barricks in Mannheim Germany, or at Fort Lewis Washington then let me know threw the comments section.
