My dad is aretired 22 year Army vet who served in Korea*'52-'53 and Viet Nam '68 and '71. I have tried to find how he earned 2 bronze stars and a purple heart only to be told WEL THEY GAVE MEDALS TO EVERYONE.Every on line search has been fruitless.I end up on some pay search site or veterans benefits site.Suggestions as to where to look? TIA
Since your Pop is a retired vet, if you could find out what outfit(s) he was attached to and contact the Army and ask them to check in their archives, you might find something. I would include name, rank and service number...in the sixties, we were assigned specific numbers (not Social Security numbers)...they usually started with the branch e.g. Air Force started with AF. For the Bronze Star, some were awarded for meritorious service without a V (valor) so if that was his case it might be tough for even the Army to find. Purple Hearts were so numerous might not be anything available, unless he was awarded a Bronze and a Purple in battle. If that is the case, there may be a catalogue of multiple medal awardees. One more thing, it is possible that there were press releases of his ceremony (ies). Look into look newspaper archives......I found out about the man who married my mother being decorated with the Soldier's Medal (highest non combat medal) when he helped pull a crashed bomber's crew out of their burning aircraft through a press release archive. Be sure to thank your Pop for his service for me! Boomer...
Clarifying what Rock said about the Service number For a person who enlisted it was RA prefix I cant remember what the draftee prefix was, But if you have his DD214 it should have that info. Have you tried THIS site? http://www.amervets.com/bsmedl.htm If you want to PM me the Info I will help search, I helped a poster here a few years back find a lot out about his Dad that he couldnt find ,PM me the info and I will see what I can do . Know this IF he earned the Bronze, he wernt no pusssy !
