Veterans Records Being Destroyed: Learn What You Can Do To Get Your Records

RECORDS OF VETERANS BEING DESTROYED

Learn What You Can About Getting Your Records

by Don Horton 

A press release from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) dated 16 October, 2008 revealed employees of the VA’s Inspector General discovered documents related to veteran’s applications for financial benefits were found among documents identified for shredding at three different VA offices.  How many other offices have conducted this practice without being noticed? How many other records have gone “missing”?

This is another episode of careless handling, by persons that have been given the responsibility of preserving records of our nation’s veterans. The loss of those records would probably result in the veteran’s loss of eligibility of deserving benefits the way the system is currently viewed.  Many veterans’ request for eligibility has been denied due to lack of records that verify their service.  A large portion of those denied would have had no problem being certified had the proper authorities have simply complied with existing requirements.  In other cases those in authority had little forethought in how important service documents are when it comes to gaining recognition for the sacrifices the veteran has given to gain their eligibility. 

This has been a continuing problem confronting those that have served and have fully earned the right to be recognized for that service. There are many veterans that have been denied their due recognition simply because “there is no evidence in our records that attest to your eligibility for services” being written on their returned request for recognition.  A casual review of records having been made by a government employee and simply returned without benefit of knowledge of or utilizing an existing  system in use for maintaining accurate and complete records as they pertain to an individual’s service to our country is simply not acceptable.

I have personal experience of this rejection.  I come from a family where five of us served in the Merchant Marine during the timeframe of WWII and all five were rejected because of lack of official records that demonstrated evidence of serving during the timeframe of WWII.  To date I have convinced the National Maritime Center (NMC) on only one member of my family to be recognized as a veteran, even though they officially denied the initial request on the grounds that no official records existed of his employment on any vessels during WWII; even though he was killed when his tug was shelled and sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Virginia on March 31, 1942. This information was clearly identified in his official folder maintained by the NMC.

Along those same lines, the GAO Audit, GAO-06-1010 of Sept 2006, cited several deficiencies of the joint services in gathering, obtaining and reporting information as it pertained to the casualty information processing of the veteran. A GAO recommendation from that report was for closer support of agencies and working with the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Veteran’s Administration (VA) was given to insure the Veteran received the best service possible.  Still, two years after, the mishandling of documents continues. 

During WW II similar situations occurred that made getting recognized for services rendered near impossible for certain veterans to gain their rightful positions as veterans of the US Merchant Marine.  On March 20, 1944, the Commandant of the US Coast Guard issued an order to relieve the masters of tugs, towboats and seagoing barges of the requirement for submitting reports of seaman shipped and discharged.

A search of the National Archives and Records Administration at  the Modern Military Records Branch in College Park, MD to retrieve information from ships’ logs for evidence of  employment  brought forth this report, “After World War II, the deck and engineering logbooks of vessels operated by the War Shipping Administration were turned over to that agency by the ship owners, and were later destroyed, by the Maritime Administration, in the 1970 on the grounds that they were voluminous, costly to house and service, and very seldom used for research”.

The United States of America went many years without recognizing the members of the Merchant Marine for their heroic efforts that came with a high price regarding the loss of life.  They were often scorned and condemned for their services, yet they kept on giving and kept the supplies and troops moving in spite of their heavy losses.  In May, 1942, President Roosevelt stated, “The war is now five months old and we have had our answer. Two million men have been called to the colors. In far places and near, our soldiers, our sailors, our air pilots, the beleaguered men of the Merchant Marine, have shown the stuff of heroes. Everything we have asked of them they have delivered.  Everything — and more”.  He also stated in one of his messages to congress, “that without those heroic members of the Merchant Marine, we may have lost this war” Finally, those mariners who served during December 07, 1942 through December 31, 1946 received veteran’s recognition with Public Laws 105-368 and 95-202.

There will always be incidents of human failure be it by inexperience, shortsightedness, inefficiency, or disregard.  Even with the various oversights in place to prevent mishaps, conditions will continue to exist that will cause the veteran to be refused his rightful recognition for his service unless action is taken to improvise and adapt for the loss of documentation that is the fault of others than the veteran.  To date the officials who are responsible for the issuance of eligibility of benefits for the veteran, maintain the responsibility for recognition is that of the veteran.  However, without those documents that are being consistently destroyed by those who are responsible for their safekeeping, the veteran simply cannot prove his position. Measures must be taken to allow for these mishaps and allowances for other means of recognition must be accepted if the veteran is to gain his rightful and well earned recognition for his services and benefits owed to him by our country.  Restrictions on some of those requirements for eligibility must be lightened or relaxed and latitude of proof of eligibility must be offered by some means of substitution or other information.

We must do whatever is necessary to insure that the veteran has every opportunity to gain his rightful benefits.  He has done what was asked of him and now we must do what is asked of us to guarantee that the veteran get his due recognition and benefits. If this requires new legislation or changes to some that exists, then we must ask those who can take this action to help as necessary.  We must contact our respective member of congress, be it the House or the Senate, to do whatever it takes to gain credit for those lost documents that will help our brothers to get their benefits and other recognition they have earned through the greatest of sacrifice. I am contacting both of my senators requesting their support and help.  Please do the same.  It is the very least we can offer.