Posted on Jan 9, 2020
Is it worth it for me to pursue updating my grandfather's DD214 after he passed away?
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My grandfather served in the Marine Corps from Oct of 1960 to Oct of 1963. In his 3 years he did one cruise on the USS Independence to the Med with VMFA 115 and was also sent to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay for the Cuban Missile Crisis from Oct 1962 to Feb 1963. Yet his DD214 shows none of it. Thankfully my grandfather kept every piece of paper the Marine Corps gave him, all his travel orders and awards even his promotion warrants. Unfortunately my grandfather passed in 2011 and left me all of this records. Is it worth requesting a change to his DD214 to reflect his service appropriately? It's odd to me that his DD214 didn't even have a marksmanship badge on it at least.
DD214
Awards
Deployment
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 21
It is allowed and appropriate for family members to get things such as you described corrected. The Department of Defense will issue a form DD-215 correcting the original DD-214. The two documents together will then make up your grandfather's record of separation. Always keep them together. Go to the following web site for information to get you started:
https://statesidelegal.org/dd-form-214-discharge-papers-and-separation-documents
https://statesidelegal.org/dd-form-214-discharge-papers-and-separation-documents
DD Form 214, Discharge Papers and Separation Documents | Stateside Legal
A Certificate of Release or Report of Separation is generally issued when a service member performs active duty or at least 90 consecutive days of active duty training.
Maj Marty Hogan
Great advice- props SGT Robert Pryor
LTC Jason Mackay
SPC Wyatt Evans would you want that done for you? I'd let that question guide your answer.
I say yes. My family knew that my grandfather served in WWII in Europe, and that he’d have gone to the Pacific if the war hadn’t ended. I discovered that he was eligible for Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal based on orders, but his DD-214 didn’t reflect. It’s a simple letter to the Board for Correction of Military Records. To me, it was worth it to honor his memory correctly.
SGT Robert Pryor
And I think that is most important -- honoring your grandpa's memory as a legacy for all who follow.
I had the same problem before my grandfather passed away. He didn't have any of his paperwork, so I sent away for his complete file from the archives and when I got them, his original DD214 was not accurate. So I talked to the DAV and they were able to help guide me on how to file a DD215 and when my grandfather passed away, his DD214 and now DD215 were accurate and he got all the benefits and rights he earned.
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