Question for DU Vets - My father's DD214 (vietnam)

Dear DU Vets
I'm 44 years old. My father left my mom & I when I was an infant. I knew he served in Vietnam. I recently requested a copy of his DD214.

Turns out he only served 6 months, 15 days active duty (November, 1968 - May, 1969) and was discharged (honorably).

The Reason section is this:
SEC VII CH5 AR 635-212 SPN 264 ORSET (RAD) DISCHARGE

I've found that the SPN 264 code is:
"Unsuitability, character and behavioral disorders"

His Re Enlistment code was 3A-
"Individuals who are not qualified for continued Army service, but the disqualification is waiverable. Ineligible for enlistment unless a waiver is granted.

Type of Certificate Issued:
256 A


My father struggled throughout the remainder of his life with drugs and alcohol and basically drank himself to death back in 2002.

Can anyone give me any idea of what he might have done to get discharged, during wartime, with an SPN 264 or shed any light on the rest of his discharge Reason?

I'm still trying to piece together who I am and where I came from.

Many thanks.

the military. Alcoholism, drug use, and personality disorders were just some of them. It was sort of a catch-all category. At this point, it will probably be impossible to discover the details, I'm afraid. A lot of Vietnam veterans have been successful at getting those "spin" codes removed from their DD 214s, but that would have to be done by the person himself.

I wish I could help you more, but it truly was a catch-all category.

Best wishes to you in your search.

Note: SPN stands for Separation Program Number. You could do some Google research and probably find some documentation in pdf format that represented the actual regulations in use back then, but it probably won't help you get any closer to the details. All it says, really, is that your father had some sort of problem that the military didn't want to bother trying to fix.

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/theorderlyroom/l/blcode1.htm


246 - discharge for the good of the service.

247 - Unsuitability, multiple reasons.

248 - Unsuitability.

258 - Unfitness, multiple reasons

251 - Punitive discharge. Class I homosexual - general court martial

252 - Punitive discharge. Class I homosexual - general court martial

253 - Homosexual - board action

255 - Punitive discharge. Class II homosexual - general court martial

256 - Homosexual, acceptance of discharge in liey of board action

257 - Unfitness, homosexual acts

258 - Unfitness, ineptitude

260 - Unsuitability, ineptitude

261 - Psychiatric or psychoneurotic disorder.

262 - Behavioral disorder, Bedwetter

263 - Bedwetter

264 - Unsuitability, character and behavioral disorders

265 - Unsuitability, character disorder

270 - Placed on temporary disability retired list

271 - ermanently retired by reason of physical disability

273 - Physical disability with entitlement to receive severance pay.

274 - Physical disability resulting from international misconduct or willful neglect or incurred during period of unauthorized absence. Not entitled to severance pay.

276 - Released from EAD & revert to retired list prior to ETS.

277 - Physical disability, EPTS, established by medical board. Discharged by reason of physical disability upon application by individual. Not entitled to severance pay.

278 - Physical disability, EPTS, established by physical evaluation board proceedings. Not entitled to severance pay

279 - Release from EAD & revert to retired list at ETS

My DD214 is free of that stuff, thank goodness. I was released from the USAF six months early in 1969, but because they were doing a RIF in my specialty. That made me a happy camper. I was ready to leave.

As the War went on longer---the military became more and more vindictive to people they perceived were "damaged goods"

Especially with Project 100,000 or commonly referred to as "McNamara's Morons"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2927566

http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2002/05/29/mcnamara/

It contains a scanned copy of AR 635-212.

http://www.whs.mil/library/mildoc/AR635-21215July1966.pdf

unaided, and see and hear...including many with existing emotional and personality disorders simply to fill the ranks of the infantry and other combat specialties in Vietnam...in other words, cannon fodder. It is entirely possible your dad had some emotional problems that were exacerbated by his time in the Army.Most people, even the most well balanced, have long term effects just from military service, and those with service in wartime may suffer lifelong consequences.
I know several men who served in Vietnam who died young of alcohol, drugs and stress related diseases, and many-including myself-who still have bad-at times terrible-dreams related to their military service, 30-40 years and more after their service was "over".

Ths military is great at ruining people's lives, but does not take any responsibility for it, nor offer much help to anyone suffering from any service related problems.

I ask you to look with some charity and kindness and understanding on your dad...I am sure his life did not go the way he wanted it to, and I am thinking he may have been yet another unrecognised casualty of war.

mark

I went and found my father in my early 20's and knew him briefly, mostly through letters, for a few years.

I think he was deeply affected by his time in Vietnam and dealt with his demons through Jack Daniels and Coor's Light.