Posted on Jun 7, 2020
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My husband went from being a sea-cadet until he was 17 (1967) didn't go to bootcamp, went directly to Navy reserves without going to bootcamp. He claims that he immediately became an E3 after serving as a sea cadet. He also claims that he was a Navy Reservist who went to sub school in New London, CT and served time on the USS Blenny out of New York harbor chasing Russian subs. But I couldn't find his name on any sub roster. And he never got a DD214 after his Navy Reserve discharge. When he went put in a VA claim for service connection, he was denied due to only serving 70 days active duty. They said needed 90 days active duty to qualify for VA service connection. I always thought that a Vietnam era veteran only had to serve one day active duty to make a VA claim. I don't know what to believe. My Navy career was simple. I served from 81-87 and all active duty. I certainly went to bootcamp and was honorably medically discharged with knee injuries. And I soon after had my VA service connection with no problems. I've been with my husband 19 years. But I don't know what to believe about his "military" background. I always thought that the sea-cadets were closer to military teenage boy scouts. Should I believe my husband's military stories?
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Boot Camp
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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What reasons do you have to question him? Back in the 60s, some people did do some branches without boot and time in these cadet programs do buy you rank and less training. If I had enlisted in the Air Force in 1993, I would have gone in as an E-3 and have been told it would have only been two weeks in basic. I went Army, did the entire 8 wks but did start as an E-2.
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PO3 Betty N.
I checked out the Air Force in 1980. I had 26 college credits and that would have cut my bootcamp time in half. But I didn't join the military until the following year. I returned to the Air Force recruiting office in 1981. They didn't have any billets available for women and they sent me over to the Navy recruiting office. I joined the Navy DEP in June 81. I had 6 weeks to lose 12lbs before going to bootcamp. I went to bootcamp at RTC Orlando as an E2 and began bootcamp July 20, 1981. I had to finish all 8 weeks there. I made the mistake of going in as "non-designated". I spent 2 years as an E-3 going TDY all over the place at my first duty station until going to journalism A school. I was transferred to NAVSTA Roosevelt Rds, Puerto Rico in 1983 as Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada began. I worked out of the Public Affairs Office giving Spanish sea cadets tours of the foreign ships. That's the reason that I question him. I worked around little sea cadets and it seemed like they were just "playing" Navy. I don't know much about them. And I also question the idea of not having a DD214 at discharge. Every veteran I know has a DD214. Do reservists get some other kind of discharge papers?
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Reservists do not get a DD 214 for separation.
However, they get a DD 214 for any period of active duty for training over 90 days, and any period of regular active duty.
What also doesn't make sense is joining the Navy in 1967 and getting on the the crew of the Blenny.
The Blenny came back from a long cruise in APR 67 and went back out MAY-SEP of 67.
He would have needed to complete an A school AND sub school prior to MAY 67 to get on that crew.
And that length of training and certainly the length of that cruise would have resulted in DD 214s.
However, they get a DD 214 for any period of active duty for training over 90 days, and any period of regular active duty.
What also doesn't make sense is joining the Navy in 1967 and getting on the the crew of the Blenny.
The Blenny came back from a long cruise in APR 67 and went back out MAY-SEP of 67.
He would have needed to complete an A school AND sub school prior to MAY 67 to get on that crew.
And that length of training and certainly the length of that cruise would have resulted in DD 214s.
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PO3 Betty N.
He says that he completed sub school July 67 and that the Blenny was not out from May to Sept 67. He says he was on the Blenny for 2 weeks at the end of that July. My husband also claims that he was on the Kingfisher sub some of that time too. These days, he's trying to put in a VA claim for tinnitus his ears. But the VA is still trying to find his discharge papers. His service number started with a "B" and he said it's not associated with his social security number. If he was only on the Blenny for 2 weeks at a time, wouldn't his name be on that roster?
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SGM (Join to see)
Most of the Blenny information I found looked like it was put together by a some of it's previous crews, which would explain incomplete rosters. But I don't think that they would have written that it was out in the North Atlantic, Med and Indian Ocean from MAY to SEP of 1967 by mistake.
There was a sub named Kingfish, it was scrapped in 1960.
There was a minesweeper named Kingfisher, commissioned in 1996.
I would ask what his rate was, when and where he attended A school, because sub school is just how to fight fires and survive on a sub, but this sounds more like if you submitted an FOIA request for his records, it would show an entry level separation with 70 days service.
There was a sub named Kingfish, it was scrapped in 1960.
There was a minesweeper named Kingfisher, commissioned in 1996.
I would ask what his rate was, when and where he attended A school, because sub school is just how to fight fires and survive on a sub, but this sounds more like if you submitted an FOIA request for his records, it would show an entry level separation with 70 days service.
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PO3 Betty N.
My husband says that his A school was in New London, CT and then he had skip jack training. He was an E-3. And also told me that he graduated 7th in his class. Then he told me that he was given an admiral's appointment that he turned down. I don't know a thing about sub school or admiral's appointments. But I wonder how he went to the top of his class then discharged with an "other than honorable" discharge. He said that he needs to have his discharge type corrected to honorable. But isn't there a 10 year rule to have records changed?
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SGM (Join to see)
PO3 Betty N. - I don't know what an admiral's appointment is, but if he meant admiral's mast, that is NJP/Article 15 and more severe than a captain's mast, and "turning it down" means requesting court-martial, which at best would result in an other than honorable discharge.
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For those cadets who decide to enlist in the military, their prior training as a Sea Cadet may allow them to join at an advanced pay grade. This means that a cadet who enlists may be eligible for a higher rank and pay than his or her non-cadet counterparts
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