DFC: Need the whole story

[Lizard3]

Fellas,
   Recently my father passed. He lived a full life and really was a great man. If I live to be a hundred I doubt I could ever become the man he was. Its hard to imagine, but he was 6'4" and all heart. Looked allot like John Wayne.

   Anyway, I knew from a young age that he had done some special things, but I never new what. When I was a young toddler and I would ask where my father was, I was told he was in Vietnam fighting a war. I of course didn't exactly know what all that meant, but I did figure out that he was flying in airplanes.

   He wasn't a pilot, even though he had some stick time, he was a Radio Intercept  Technician or something like that. He flew around in the back of a Goonie Bird using electronic equipment doing stuff he said was classified.

   During his tour, he recieved a chest full of medals including the DFC. A few years back, It dawned on me that they don't just give them things away like cookies at a church social. I asked him about it and he gave me some goofy answer. About 8 months ago, I asked him again about how he got the DFC and again he gave me a very weird answer and immediately changed the subject.

   I've read the citation and the news paper clipping. I've seen the picture of a high ranker giving it to him. Everything but the picture is vague and very non-specific. It reads something about how he voulunteered for a mission and did great things that enabled the allies to regain the initiative during the Tet offensive. No information what-so-ever.

   My question is, does anyone know what I can do or who I can contact to find out what it was that merited a DFC? My Mom has the clipping that names the 2 other guys that got medals, Air medals I believe, the same day he did. Should I try to get in contact with them? Is there a vehicle to facilitate old Air Force buddies getting in touch? Does anyone know someone in AF brass that I could get in touch with to find out or get on the right track to answer my questions? Or should I just let it be, content with the knowledge that my Pop was a hero with or without the DFC?

   I really would like to know.

[wulfie]

It should be pretty simple for you to get copies of your Father's service records.

If he was a SIGINT type guy (radio intercept is in that category) and was awarded a DFC he was probably doing something 'secret squirrel' when he was awarded that decoration.

However, 99.9% of all classified data from the Viet Nam war is no longer classified. If the citation for your Dad's decoration is still classified (i.e. the description of how he came to be awarded such a decoration, including what he was doing at the time - which usually leads to citations being classified) the award will still be on his records, but the citation won't be available.

Go here:

http://www.archives.gov/research_room/vetrecs/

If you run into any problems, let me know. One of my former COs is presently one of the main guys in charge of 'clearing' previously classified data for FOIA release (i.e. there's a slim chance that your Dad's citation is no longer classified, but hasn't been 'checked to make sure' prior to it being made available under FOIA).

Good Luck. Sorry to hear about your Dad.

Mike/wulfie

[Lizard3]

Thanks Wolfie, that was some of the info I was looking for. I will have to go to my Moms to get all the info, but it is a start.

Thanks for the info, and well wishes.

[Curval]

Sorry to hear about your Dad Lizard3...sounds like he was an amazing man.  Let us know what the DFC was for if you find out.