Posted on Feb 12, 2020
How do I find out what awards and patches a deceased veteran was authorized to have?
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My grandfather served in the Army during Vietnam. He didn't talk about it much so I found out kinda recently. Unfortunately he passed away due to cancer. I have his flag and would like to build a shadow box to display it in along with any patches and ribbons he had. The problem is his wife is a wicked with and got rid of everything before the family could even look at what he left behind. How do I go about finding what awards, ribbons, and patches he was authorized? I know some of that should be on his DD-214 but I don't know how to get that. Plus, there's the issue of any patches he earned. Thank you for helping this navy vet honor his grandfather. I'm pretty ure he wasn't registered with the VA either
Awards
Unit Awards
DD214
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 9
As Next of Kin, you can submit a request to the National Archives for his military documents. You will need to supply the SSN of your grandfather to help better narrow the search down. The form and all of the instructions can be found on their website.
https://www.archives.gov/veterans
https://www.archives.gov/veterans
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See if your county has a Veterans Service Officer or contact a local VFW Post, they might can help you with locating the DD-214.
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PO2 Mike Shorey: This is a pretty good article on getting the replacement medals/ribbons, etc. Please note that there are requirements as to whom is considered next of kin in order to get the DD214, etc. I suggest you also talk to a Service Officer with the VFW, DAV, or American Legion who can obtain the various required documents to submit in order to get these items. One thing you will probably not be able to get are the personal unit patches. These were made specifically for certain units and were usually "unauthorized" (my husband's was the Warriors as he was 25th ID, 2/12th, Bravo Co. and he still has his personal "unauthorized" unit patch). To find out if your grandfather's unit had an "unauthorized" patch, you will need to get in contact with others who served in that unit with him. Best of luck to you.
https://themilitarywallet.com/replace-military-medals-awards-decorations/
https://themilitarywallet.com/replace-military-medals-awards-decorations/
How to Replace Lost Military Medals, Awards, and Decorations
Military veterans and family members can request replacements for lost military medals, awards, and decorations, sometimes free of charge.
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