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Hi Joe,
Thank you for taking time out of your day to reply!
As you may have noticed, I am with the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness
Center. We aim to provide the most current and accurate information
regarding asbestos exposure and its link to mesothelioma cancer.
As you know, many Navy veterans were unknowingly exposed to asbestos while working in shipyards, and while onboard ships and submarines.
I chose to contact you today because the USS Oklahoma City is one of
those vessels. When built, asbestos was used as an insulator for many
parts of the engine room and boiler room.
That said, in an effort to spread awareness about this terrible disease, I
am trying to reach all those who understand this devastating disease and the
importance to get good information out there. I would invite you to visit
our site, especially our Navy section.
I am confident you will find that we have compiled a large resource for those who may be suffering from the disease or have family members who are.
I would like to share this resource with your browsers, and would ask you to point a link to some portion of our navy section that you feel would be the most pertinent to your browsers.
I look forward to your reply and feedback. Thank you for all the work you do.
Kind Regards,
Dave Latimer
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Many of our shipmates have asked for information on assistance with Agent Orange issues and claims. Chief Dave Campbell has already done the research and you can read the results on his Navy Bosn website.
You can also check out the Department of Veterans Affairs resources on AGENT ORANGE.
DD-214s Now On Line
The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214s online:Vetrecs Archive.
This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military files.
Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents. Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete the Standard Form 180, which can be downloaded from the online web site.
Because the requester will be asked to supply all information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized. The new web-based application was designed to provide better service on these requests by eliminating the records center's mailroom processing time.
The recently launched Militarybenefits.com Website is an all-inclusive insider guide to military benefits, and includes both general overviews on major benefits topics as well as in-depth explanations of specific benefits. From pay to the GI Bill, from VA home loans to health care, your military service has earned you valuable benefits, whether you're active duty, Reservist, a veteran, or a retiree.
The Militarybenefits.com site features everything you need, and also includes useful community and reference links. Bookmark the site Military Benefits and use it as a one-stop resource.
Thanks to shipmate YNCS Don Harribine, USN(Ret) for the heads up.
Anyone who's been in the military knows that trying to get personnel
records can be frustrating. The government has tried to simplify things
by allowing online record requests.
Answer a few simple questions and print out a signature verification
sheet. Fax the sheet to the number listed within 20 days of your request. The hardest part is the wait.
TO VISIT THIS SITE, GO TO RECORDS
Use our system to create a customized order form to request information from
your, or your relative's military personnel records. You may use this system
if you are: A military veteran, or Next of kin of a deceased, former member of the military The next of kin can be any of the following: surviving spouse that has not remarried, father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother. If you are not the veteran or next of kin, you must complete the Standard Form 180 (SF 180). You can obtain this form from Fax-on-Demand, or download it, then mail or fax it to the appropriate address on the form.The SF 180 may be photocopied as needed. Please submit a separate request (either SF 180 or letter) for each individual whose records are being requested.
You may submit more than one request per envelope or fax.How to Initiate a Request for Military Personnel Records: Click on the "Request Military Records" button to start. This will launch a separate window.
Enter the required information in the system to create your customized
request form. There are 4 steps that you need to navigate. The system will guide you through the steps and tell you exactly which step you are on.
Print, sign and date the signature verification area of your customized form.
If you don't have a printer, have a pen and paper handy and we will guide you
through the process. This is important because the Privacy Act of 1974 (5
U.S.C. 552a) requires that all requests for records and information be submitted in writing. Each request must be signed and dated by the veteran or next of kin.
Mail or fax your signature verfication form to us, and we will process your
request. You must do this within the first 20 days of entering your request, or your request will be removed from our system.
Thanks to YNCS Don Harribine for the heads up.
The Department of Veteran's Affairs has a website that covers all topics of interest to Vets from education benefits to burial services. You'll find their site at Veteran's Affairs.
Records showing where veterans and their spouses
have been buried in Department of Veterans Affairs national cemeteries are
now available online at www.cem.va.gov making it easy for anyone with
Internet access to search for the gravesite locations of deceased family
members and friends.
The nationwide grave locator contains more than three million records of veterans and dependents buried in VA's 120 cemeteries since the Civil War. It also has records of some burials in state veterans' cemeteries and burials in Arlington National Cemetery from 1999 to the present.
The records date to the establishment of the first national cemeteries during the Civil War. The Web site is updated nightly with information on burials the previous day. The site displays the same information that visitors to national cemeteries find on kiosks or in written ledgers to locate gravesites: name, dates of birth and death, period of military service, branch of service and rank if known, the cemetery's location and phone number, plus the grave's precise location in the cemetery. Refer to the home page Burial and Memorial Benefits to select the Nationwide Gravesite Locator to begin a search. State cemetery burial records are from those cemeteries that use VA's database to order government headstones and markers for veterans' graves.
Since 1999, Arlington National Cemetery, operated by the Department of Army, has used that database. The information in the database comes from records of
interment, which before 1994 were paper records, kept at each cemetery.
VA's interment records contain more information than what is shown on the
Internet and cemetery kiosks. Some information, such as identification of
the next of kin, will not be shown to the public for privacy reasons.
Immediate family members with a government identification card may request
to see the full record of a burial when they visit a national cemetery.
Six cemeteries which have not yet completed their records for inclusion in the data base are Long Island, Los Angeles, Ft. Rosecrans, Golden Gate, San Francisco, and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Military Benefits Guide
Where Are My Records?
Department of Veteran's Affairs
V.A. Gravesite Locator
Go to:VA Gravesite Locator.
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