Vietnam War: Purple Heart?

My father was drafted and served in the Vietname War. During his time, he was hit by shrapnel from a bomb that went off infront of him. He was admitted to the hospital and had to have surgery--it hit him and embedded into his neck and left side chest area. He did recieve a Purple Heart for being wounded in action, however, while he was in the hospital and asleep, it was stolen right from his room. He is now 61, and as his daughter, I would like to try and get him another Purple Heart before Father's Day. I know the war was tough especially because of the way he and other soldiers were treated once they returned home.





My question is, how do I go about getting him this Heart back? Who do I contact and talk to about it? I know my mom has all of his information on where he was stationed, located, etc., so that's not a problem.





Thanks.

Vietnam War: Purple Heart?
To officially replace the medal you'll have to go to the government and request it. It is called eVetRecs and it is located online. I have provided you the link below. You fill out the form 180 which can be downloaded from the site and send it to the appropriate address shown there for the branch of service he was in. You will need a form called DD-214, which is a record of his military service. Should be in his home files somewhere. A replacement can be obtained through the government, too, but would take a while. It, or the medal, will probably take longer to receive than before Father's Day. As example, I've been waiting about 4 months now for a medal to be sent to me and they are projecting about another 4-5 months wait. You are dealing with the government and things are a bit slow as we all know. To get assistance look in your phone book for the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, call and ask for an appointment with the Post Commander. They will assist you with getting things correctly done. Once you receive the medal you can ask for a ceremony to have once again returned to your Father.





Perhaps you won't get it all done by Father's Day, but it's the thought that counts. Your Dad was a hero and deserved the honor of being treated appropriately. Thanks for not only caring for him, but our other soldiers as well.





God Bless ourTroops.





Here's the link:





http://www.archives.gov/veterans/militar...
Reply:You can contact a local Veterans Hospital Disabled American Veterans member,and ask how to get an MOPH number.You will need his SSI number and dates of service,if you can find a DD214 you will have no problem, You can contact www.Iris.gov or try to call the records archives of the DOD in Missouri.You have to have Metal of Purple Heart documents or they will not issue one.His DD214 will have all his awards on it and that's all you need to get it..Your Mother is the key ,if she has all the info,it will be no problem.
Reply:You will need a copy of his DD214, to show that he has earned the purple heart and then you can just buy one.
Reply:It will cost you around $50 to purchase them. The odds that you received the free replacements by Fathers Day are iffy.





There are plenty of online stores that sell them. It's perfectly legal. The only one they don't sell is the MOH.





Uncle Sam is really run by well entrenched civilian bureaucrats.





SSG US Army 73-82
Reply:I can't believe someone stole his Medal!


The fellas who wrote before are correct you will need a copy of his military records and as much info as possible to speed the process up as yes our government is slow to move.





Here is the direct link with all the info you need on replacement medals


http://www.archives.gov/veterans/militar...





Like everyone else said before me you will probably not get this before fathers day but this is a wonderful gift idea and he will LOVE it.





Here's an idea. On these guys website vetfriends.com they have purple heart products including a "replica mini medal" for 9.99. Go ahead and buy it for fathers day and then put it with his card and in the card you can comment "the real thing is on its way and will be here soon" Just an idea


https://www.vetfriends.com/catalog/catal...





Good Luck!
Reply:i would try taking the copy of the dd214 and talking with the local VFW, or American Legion. i'm sure the guys there would be very helpful and point you in the right direction.

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