Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 10/11/2004

Dear Sgt Shaft
My great-grandfather, David G. Noble, died December 18, 1871. He served as a Private in Co. H, 90th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry from November 1861 to his discharge September 16, 1862 with a "Surg. Cert. of Disability".

He is buried in an unmarked grave in Lawn view Cemetery, Rockledge, PA.

Is he entitled to a U.S. Headstone or grave marker? If so, how do we go about obtaining one?

Josephine T
Ellicott City, MD

Dear Josephine
The VA Cemetery folks have advised me that your grandfather could be eligible for a headstone.

You would need to submit an application on form 40-1330 (which can be printed off of VA's website) and provide all available proof of eligibility. For service prior to WWI this could include muster rolls, extracts from State files, pension or land warrants, etc. They would also need a statement from the cemetery that the grave is unmarked. They could follow the instructions on the form and mail it in as directed. I hope this helps.

Shaft notes
The Sarge is looking forward to joining the VA Alumni Association at their Fall luncheon on October 14. Featured speaker will be good friend Sandy Garfunkel, Director of the DVA Medical Center, Washington, DC. The luncheon will be held at the Pier 7 Restaurant on Maine Avenue Waterfront, Washington, DC starting at 12:00 Noon. Further information and reservations are available by contacting Leon Sanchez at (703) 451-7529.

Kudos to
The Department of Navy for establishing a Disabled Veterans Assistance Phone Line to provide employment and referrals for our returning disabled service members, recently medically retired service members, and their spouses. Specifically, this phone line is to support our Disabled Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and all disabled veterans of other conflicts, campaigns, and wars. The primary mission is to assist the target groups in their search for employment opportunities with the Department of the Navy, as well as with other Federal and State agencies. The secondary mission is to provide resource and referral assistance. Referrals include, but are not limited to, the Veterans Administration, Department of Labor, and other Department of Defense agencies for the purpose of meeting and addressing needs that are outside of the normal scope.

The assistance phone line has been set-up. The phone number is (800) 378-4559 and will be staffed by a Human Resources Specialist. If the specialist is unavailable to take the call, the caller will receive a reply within one business day. In addition to the phone line, there will be an email address implemented where callers can directly communicate with Human Resource Specialists via email. In addition to the phone line and email address, information will be posted on our website at http://www.donhr.navy.mil/.

To support this program: To support our mission, a Human Resources Specialist will take a case management approach with each caller. What this means is that callers will receive customized service depending on his or her needs. Calls will be tracked from the initial contact through employment, which includes a follow up six months after employment.

For additional information regarding this new initiative or to find out how you can support the Disabled Veterans Assistance Phone Line, please contact Mr. George Mendoza directly at (360) 315-8124 (DSN: 322-8124) or email at George.Mendoza@navy.mil.

A false rumor circulating on the Internet, in e-mails, and among veteran service organizations is causing problems at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) where military records are stored.

The rumor that Official Military Personnel Files at the NPRC will be digitized and then destroyed is simply not true. Every minute taken to squelch a rumor is a minute taken away from the primary job.

Neither the Department of Defense nor the NPRC intend to destroy any official files stored at the Center, according to officials of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the agency under which NPRC falls. The purpose of any electronic scanning would be to help preserve the originals and increase efficiency in handling reference requests.

NARA preserves and protects records that were transferred from the military service departments because they are permanently valuable records that document the essential evidence of military service for the veterans of our nation. NPRC responds to approximately 4,000 requests pertaining to military records each day, totaling more than 1 million requests each year. Officials point out that requests resulting from this false rumor will have a negative impact on NPRC's ability to respond to requests from veterans with real immediate needs, such as medical treatment or employment.-

-The Sarge joins the VFW in condemning plans for a proposed memorial to be built in Canada to honor Vietnam draft-dodgers.

“We urge the President and Congress to do whatever is necessary to communicate to the Canadian government that this exercise of free expression is an absolute slap in the face to every man and woman who ever served in uniform … both in our military and theirs,” said John Furgess, the national commander of the largest organization of combat veterans in the U.S.

“Everything America holds dear and every freedom we cherish today came from the blood, sweat and sacrifice of more than 42 million Americans who have answered the call to duty since the Revolutionary War,” said Furgess. “More than one million of them died helping to create our country, to save our Union, and to defend the world from tyranny. To create a memorial to those who chose to flee instead of doing their duty must not be allowed to take place.”

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-462-4430 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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