I'm Todd. I'm a DODEA schools teacher. My dad died in his 50s from cancer. He never talked about his service time. But I know he was Army Special Forces. I'm looking to see if anyone knew him or if I can get any information about him. I requested his records, but they're all blacked out. He served and got out prior to the Vietnam war. David Patrick.
Hello!
- Thread starter tenortodd
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Todd, when you say his records were "all blacked out," what exactly do you mean? Do you have your Dad's DD-214 or any of the pages of his Service Record Book? I just find it a bit odd that his records would be completely redacted, even if he served in Special Forces or was involved in covert activities. If he served prior to or during the Vietnam War most of his records would be declassified.
Sorry. I'm at work. It is not completely blacked out. But a lot of the records they sent me are blacked out. I agree that I thought everything would be declassified, but it's not. I guess I'm mostly looking to see if anyone knew him. I can get more specific info when I get home.
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There are very few circumstances for which someone's records from that time period would still be classified. Even fewer reasons why someone's DD-214 would be redacted.
I hope you find the info you're looking for.
I hope you find the info you're looking for.
It might be easier for you to find some of your Dad’s Army buddies if you knew what specific units he served in and when. And there’s no reason for that information to have been redacted after all this time.
For instance, even CIA and MACV/SOG activities during the Vietnam War have been declassified for some years, with only names of Vietnamese participants redacted to prevent reprisals against family members.
But everything else is pretty much out in the open.
As for finding anyone who knew him here on Shadowspear, not many pre-Vietnam vets here, although it’s certainly possible someone who knew your Dad might surf in. But as for members who visit often, I’m one of the oldest guys here and I served at the tail end of the Vietnam War.
Good luck to you, though.
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Thanks for the welcome! Ok, I have his records from requesting them online. 99 pages. The first 40 pages are all intake forms and are all clear. But the rest of them have a big black rectangle on almost every page. And I'm not sure what I'm looking for. The heading on the papers is John F. Kennedy Center for Special Warfare (Airborne). They all say "special orders" and then a big black rectangle. On and on. On one it says "Private First Class, Signal Company, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Fort Bragg, 1965. He was selected for the General's Orderly in 1965.
99 pages mostly blank or blacked out doesn't make sense to me. I'm not sure what online source you got them from, but here's the official link for requesting DD214's and complete service records from the National Archives. Good luck.
Request Military Service Records
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Hey Todd -
I’m assuming these were sent to you as a PDF file?
If you want to send me a PM, I can take a look at them for you and depending on what I see, share it with some of the SF guys here on the board to see if they can give you a better idea of what you were sent.
Welcome, I hope you get your answers.
