We lost two legends this year.. One you know.. one well..

This has been a sad year for me, it seemed liked more and more we are loosing more of the fabric of our country and our lives.  It started this year when we made a casual email to our dear friend of 32 years to get together at our favorite pub in downtown Fredericksburg.  But to our surprise we got an email back from Lynn's (yes he's a guy a named Lynn)wife Pam, she informed us that he was extremely congested, he had not slept (well hardly), he had been back and forth to the doctor and had had numerous tests, and the verdict was Pulmonary Fibrosis.  Well our jaws dropped being both medical we knew this was not a good diagnosis, there is no cure and death is usually the outcome.  Lynn was a Navy Intelligence Officer in Viet Nam, he also had come in contact with Agent Orange.  As a genealogist and friend I had started a while back to do his family history, as well as his wife's, and Im still working on it to give to Pam to pass on..

We lost another Viet Nam veteran this year, Senator John McCain another Navy Officer who served on a Aircraft Carrier deck as well in Saigon and was also exposed to Agent Orange.  For several years glioblastoma, a lethal brain cancer has not been on the VA’s list of presumptive diseases, but since it is being diagnosed at an  accelerated rate over the past few years among Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange, there has been increased pressure to add it to the list for benefits.  Senator McCain work hard for VA rights and benefits, hopefully now more Representatives will pick up the mantle to carry on the fight. I say that because its harder and harder for veterans to get the benefits like for Agent Orange, Lynn and Pam finally applied a year ago and they didn't get it until November of this year and now with his death on December 7th, that will be that.

All of this happening this past year has been reflected in my own research work and how important these records are for the family to see the service of a loved one. By getting their military service records, you have a record that will include their health records, service records and awards.  Some service members are really good at keeping these records some are not. Take my own family my father who I talked about in the last post, kept only part of his records, his entry and exit that was it.  However I contacted the National Archives.  Everything you need to request records for deceased veteran either as family member of veteran.

I will have to admit they send you an awful lot, every physical, every service review, every promotion,  and every muster roll which is done every 3 months.  Alot of the records I set aside, what I was interested in was the citations for his medals and awards and for his main service ships and duty, as well his physicals. They are a trove of information.  So if you need or are curious about a service members records even as far back as the Revolutionary War, I recommend joining Fold 3, or the Daughters of American Revolution (DAR). 

Also having the records brings joy to those who didn't know or want to learn more about a friend who recently had passed away.   This past weekend we attended Lynn's Memorial Service, Pam had included people who served with him as well as  his commendations and service medal for Valor in Viet Nam. It was nice to see them, his family and wedding pictures and to meet other friends we had not seen in awhile, Lynn was the one that what held us all together.  Through genealogy research its a way to keep the pages of the story together. 

Pam and Lynn 2016

Here's to happy hunting and a bounty of research for 2019..