Do "bonds" purchased in boot camp expire?

Sgt Alvin P. Liendo "Tanto" — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:36:56 -0400

I remember having an option to buy a few $50 "bonds" during USMC boot camp back in 1996. I remember the purchase was automatic and withdrawn from my paycheck for a few months to cover the 3 or 4 bonds I had agreed to purchase. I don't remember what the bonds were for exactly. They may have been war bonds. However, I do remember that they were supposed to mature in 7 or 10 years to $100 each.

I remember thinking about it a lot, because as an E-1 $50 was a lot of money. I remember looking at my LES and realizing there would be a few hundred dollars worth when they matured, but I don't remember being given any certificates of ownership or any paperwork proving that I ever purchased them, other than the withdrawals from my LES's, which obviously I no longer have those LES's. I remember asking an admin clerk about them, and was told it should be recorded in my SRB. So I didn't think anymore about it, until after I had separated.

I separated in 2001 due to injury. I remember waiting a few years to inquire about the bonds, which would have been in 2004 and 2005. I did not find any mention of them in the copy of my SRB I have. I tried to contact the VA about it, and was transferred to or given several phone numbers to contact. It seemed I was being given the run around, and no one connected to the VA resources I was in contact with had any idea what I was talking about. Finally, I remember being given a specific number to call and put in a request to have them investigate the issue, but I never heard anything back.

I did some research online about it, but never found anything solid. To be fair, the folks investigating the issue may have sent me some information in the years that followed, but I had moved and lost the numbers I was given, so if they sent anything, I never got it. I haven't been able to find that number since.

Does any one remember buying bonds in boot camp?

Has anyone had any luck finding out how to retrieve them and cash them in?

I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2014 2:03 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:03:42 -0400

The bonds you would have purchased in 1996 would almost certainly have been Treasury Bonds of some sort. I'm pretty sure we haven't sold war bonds since 1945 - although maybe we should have, but that's a whole different discussion.

The Treasury Department should have a record of the bonds you bought - presuming they were properly entered into the system back in 1996. This link should help you get started: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/tools/tools_treasuryhunt.htm

Individual - Treasury Hunt

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Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2014 2:07 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:07:41 -0400

Sgt Alvin P. Liendo "Tanto" Unfortunately I do not remember having the chance to purchase bonds at basic training. In my limited experience with them they do not typically (at least the ones I have seen) expire and can be cashed in so long as you have the paperwork.

Have you tried to contact anyone in the USMC about this issue?

Otherwise, without the numbers and paperwork you may be out of luck...

Response by Sgt Alvin P. Liendo "Tanto" made Oct 29 at 2014 10:20 AM

Sgt Alvin P. Liendo "Tanto" — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 10:20:51 -0400

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions. SCPO Private RallyPoint Member was correct in that they are not war bonds, they are savings bonds. The website Davis provided offered this quick search tool (https://www.treasurydirect.gov/TH/THGateway). Unfortunately, my ID was not found.

Here are a few other options that I was able to come up with that I will try:

Option 1: http://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/bondretrieval.html

Option 2: DFAS
[login to see]
fax: [login to see]

Option 3: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/forms/sav1048.pdf
Simply fill out the form for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed U.S. Savings Bonds (Form PD F 1048) and mail it to the address provided on the form.
If you don't have a listing of your savings bonds' issue dates and serial numbers, write to Savings Bonds, Parkersburg, WV 26106-7012. Provide as much information on the bond as possible and request a search of our records. We will replace your savings bonds if we can establish that a person entitled to cash the bonds hasn't done so.

I will post later, if I am successful in recovering my savings bonds.

Thanks again,

Semper Fi

Retrieving your U.S. Savings Bonds

Response by Sgt Alvin P. Liendo "Tanto" made Oct 29 at 2014 12:15 PM

Sgt Alvin P. Liendo "Tanto" — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 12:15:21 -0400

I attempted the first option, which required me to scan and email a signed letter requesting any bonds to [login to see] , which resulted in this auto response:

We are no longer accepting Bond Release Requests. All requests received by April 16 have been processed. If you sent a release request, we ask that you allow 30 days for receipt of your bonds from the April 16 date. If you do not receive your bonds after 30 days, you must claim non-receipt with the Department of Treasury using their Treasury Direct website. Should you wish to change the owner or co-owner name, and/or beneficiary on your U. S. Savings Bond(s) you must complete form PD F 4000, it is available on the Treasury Direct website, see hyperlinks below.
All bonds remaining in Safekeeping after April 16 will be electronically forwarded to the Federal Reserve Bank - Minneapolis for them to print and mail; they will accomplish this over an eight week period. Please do not contact the FRB. Printing will be scheduled by denomination and series so you may not receive all your bonds in the same envelope or timeframe. All bonds should be printed and mailed by the end of July. A SmartDoc will be issued to confirm the completion of this task. The Department of Treasury will not have a record of your bond purchase(s) until the bond(s) are printed, as the serial number is assigned at that time. The bond's registration date will reflect the actual month and year you purchased your bond.

TreasuryDirect information:

* Guided Tour of TreasuryDirect: This online demo shows you how to open an account, purchase securities, and manage your account holdings: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/TDTour/default.htm

* Opening a TreasuryDirect Account: Video clip provides easy instructions on opening a TreasuryDirect account: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/readysavegrow/video/vid_howtoopen.htm

* A quick reference tip sheet that provides the necessary steps to open a TreasuryDirect account is also available here: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/savbond/otc/HowtoopenanaccountinTreasuryDirecttipsheet.pdf

* Logging on to Your TreasuryDirect Account: Instructional video that explains the account log in/access process for TreasuryDirect: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/myaccount/myaccount_demo.htm

* Converting Paper Savings Bonds to Digital: You can trade in your paper bonds for digital bonds using TreasuryDirect's SmartExchange program: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/readysavegrow/start_saving/converting_bonds.htm

So, I have created an account with Treasury Direct, and submitted a contact us form, requesting for them to research this issue.

I'm starting to feel that familiar "run-around" again, but I will post any pertinent correspondence.

Response by LCpl Steve Smith made Sep 29 at 2015 6:36 PM

LCpl Steve Smith — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 18:36:00 -0400

to the best of my knowledge they do not expire, They just stop earning money when they Mature.

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Sep 29 at 2015 7:03 PM

SGT Jerrold Pesz — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 19:03:26 -0400

I bought some bonds in the Army and got a few as awards. They were just plain old savings bonds and I did get the actual bond. They do not expire but they do quit earning interest after a certain number of years. I cashed mine in long ago.

Response by Cpl Stuart Blankenship made Jan 10 at 2017 6:34 PM

Cpl Stuart Blankenship — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 18:34:45 -0500

I have had the same questions but have never been able to find out an answer. My time frame was 87.

Response by Cpl Stuart Blankenship made Jan 10 at 2017 6:35 PM

Cpl Stuart Blankenship — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 18:35:41 -0500

I had the same question and have never been able even to find the records of the bonds.

Response by LtCol William Bentley made Jan 11 at 2017 8:50 PM

LtCol William Bentley — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 20:50:19 -0500

Tanto, you won't find any evidence of US savings bonds in your SRB, and the VA will not know anything about them. They ARE, however, shown on each of your LES's in those months when part of your paycheck was withheld to buy US savings bonds through the "safekeeping" program.

This program ended in 2014, and you cannot buy US savings bonds any longer through the old-style (and simple to understand and use) method of an allotment from your pay. If DFAS was still holding any savings bonds you purchased under the "safekeeping" allotment program, you were supposed to receive them all in the mail, in paper form, in late 2014, with instructions about how to either cash the in, or register them back with the new Treasury Direct program so they could continue to draw whatever (usually pathetic, but guaranteed...) interest rate they had until they reached full maturity at 30 years. I can tell you this worked: in late 2014 I got a stack of paper bonds, that I forgotten I had bought years ago in the early 1990's and then again years ago while deployed, with the instructions how to register them, which I did. I put them back into the "machine" so they can continue to mature and I have a safe, virtually hidden stash of cash I can use for my kid's education someday and minimize the taxes...or something like that.

You now have to buy them through Treasury Direct, using a method similar to allotments but actually is a form of monthly bank draft: you set up a payment of a certain amount from a checking or savings account, and the frequency of payments, and what type of Bonds you want to buy. And then it goes on autopilot, just like the old allotments but completely privatized, outside the military pay system. It's just you -- and the US Govt's Treasury Direct program -- and your bank of course.

Here is the military DFAS guidance on this topic: https://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/bondretrieval.html

Here is the US Treasury Direct site: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/global_open.htm

And, most people do not keep copies of their LES's forever. But, DFAS does! They have every LES that was ever generated on you, from the active or reserve sides of MCTFS, the only fully integrated personnel and pay system within the DoD. It holds all personnel and pay-related information on every Marine in the Corps - active, reserve, and retired, even separated for a couple of years! (In 1994, the Joint Uniform Military Pay System/Manpower Management System (JUMPS/MMS), and the Reserve Manpower Management Pay System (REMMPS) were merged to form MCTFS...a little trivia that adds color to this answer). (See: http://jdgrose115.tripod.com/Adjutant/mctfs.html)

I have successfully requested various LES's over the years from DFAS. Here is what DFAS FAQ website says about that (https://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/faqs.html):

Marine Corps Members:
For Active, Reserve and Separated USMC Service Members: Your LES's for the past 12 months are available on myPay. For copies of an LES more than one year old, send an e-mail to [login to see] or fax your request to [login to see] .

If you don't get what you want the first try, or the email comes back undelivered, etc., which HAS happened to me, then call the DFAS customer service and ask for supervisors until you get through to what you want. I have received old LES's as recently as 6 months ago, so this system works. You probably should just ask for ALL your old LESs, don't try to guess which months you bought savings bonds. Then go from there.

Retrieving your U.S. Savings Bonds

Response by SGT ~ Hodg made Oct 25 at 2019 12:24 PM

SGT ~ Hodg — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 12:24:51 -0400

I joined in 94 and am still serving. I bought the bonds and being a new young guy I had elected to have them sent to my family for safe keeping. There were actual paper bonds mailed home to my family. I have them still they are a little larger than a check.

~Dan

Response by HN Adrian Martinez made Jun 27 at 2020 5:37 PM

HN Adrian Martinez — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 17:37:26 -0400

Yes. I to was able to purchase them in boot camp back in 87', but have not been able to find out how to retrieve them. The money was withdrawn from my paycheck at the beginning of boot camp up until I finished my A-school at Balboa Hospital in San Diego. No one in the Navy knows what we're talking about. Someone got a retirement bonus.

Response by PO3 Thomas Burger made Nov 8 at 2020 6:59 PM

PO3 Thomas Burger — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 18:59:17 -0500

I been looking for this for years. I bought two $100 bonds when they first handed out our orders at the end of boot camp. Everyone I've talked to said they don't know what I'm talking about. I've done treasury hurt and unclaimed money thing and nothing.

Response by PO2 Darrin Williams made Jan 21 at 2022 7:33 PM

PO2 Darrin Williams — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 19:33:08 -0500

Funny I came across this conversation because I remember buying them years ago (30 to be exact) and never had anything about them since. Been trying to track them down. That's how I came across this page.