Hello all,

Let me start by saying that I am not a veteran, my father was. Last year he passed away of natural causes and when being placed in hospice it was the most surreal thing to hear 'thank you for your service' when he never once talked about his military history with my mom and I.

Since then I've been trying to push my mom to look into his history with the army. Eventually we started to look into it, found out that he had this 'certificate of eligibility' in closet, we talked to the VA near us and were informed to request his DD214.

It took my mother and I awhile to finally get around to submitting that form but once we did and finally heard back, well.. They don't have anything. Even now they still haven't found it or anything on him for that matter. All they cold find is that he served from 58' to 59'. They couldn't even see what branch he served. We knew he used his brother's birth year to get in but we don't think he used his name or SSN. Currently they still have not found his dd214 or any other information on him.

The only thing my dad kept from those years was a certificate of eligibility for loan guaranty and benefits from the Veterans Administration and a photo of him in army uniform. We already knew he was enigmatic but I know there has to be something on his history with the army..

I've been so adamant on finding out any info I can as my father was not the best person but he was still my dad. That certificate of eligibility has a box ticked on it for PL- 89-358 and on the back it has an amount of I think 25k for a home loan. It was issued on February 2nd of 1979 by the Veterans Administration and signed in Jacksonville, FL. He always talked about a better life and living elsewhere and how he hated the life he had. He could have had that if he just.. acted on all of these opportunities from the VA but instead he lived with regrets and now I'm stuck trying to find a way to help my mom get out of her living situation. The rented home she's staying at his from the 40s and the landlord won't help her with any of the mold, termites, or anything with the property. Heck she's been on the wait list for a new roof for over 2 years while water damage still sits prominently throughout the home. She can't afford to fix it all on her own or even rent a different property due to her credit score.

My mother has fought to be strong for 28 years with my dad. He never claimed either of us on military documents or even did any for himself. Even in college now I never have put down that I'm the child of a veteran despite the fact he served because he simply had no paperwork and wouldn't talk about any of it.

Recently, I called the Jacksonville office to inquire on the certificate and was told to have my mom file a DIC form. But we can't file it without his dd214 and I'm not sure what to do now. I did some minor research and it suggest his information could be within the National Archives but even that I'm completely ignorant on.

I'm reaching out here in hopes that anyone can provide me with insight within this veteran community as to what to do here. I hope I am within the parameters of requesting help on the board and I'm looking forward to hearing back from anyone who has any insight on the matter.

Thank you so much and thank you for your services to all vets reading.

Did you struggle to afford necessities & wants when getting out of basic training? Did you get a Star card to buy your TV, barracks items, additional uniforms, etc?

I remember not being able to afford the things I needed upon leaving AIT/Basic Training. I must’ve spent the money I accrued during training during leave between my graduation & my first duty station. I quickly maxed out my $600 limit on my Star card.

So this is my first time doing all this and got a closing cost sheet, as you can see the VA Funding Fee, MIP, and PMI still need to be removed (more than 10% disability), but other than that does anyone with experience see anything i should be alarmed at or bring up? or just overall general thoughts, i really appreciate any insight

Hello all so I’m ready for a career change. Currently, I only work part time doing IT work but I want to change to something lie FEMA or Americorps. Are those rewarding endeavors ?

I live in Colorado and will be doing online school for Cybersecurity. My counselor is telling me they can only order my laptop thru the school itself. The school only offers a Dynabook and I’m concerned about its capabilities. I’ve seen other post from Veterans saying they were able to get very nice laptops. When I asked my counselor about that I was told it was VA policy to order thru the school.

Can anyone confirm what they said is true? Or help me find the regulations on laptop purchase thru VR&E that would say otherwise?

I’ve never been to war but I have severe PTSD from my childhood trauma. The feeling of loneliness and loss from death is pretty intense. My father not only was the abuser but also the only person that I had in my life that would fight for me. I’ve lost my family and now I’m pushing through college. It’s hard to bond with new people since I went through pretty insane trauma. How do you deal with your loneliness and PTSD triggers? What helps you get through? Could be anything honestly , I would love to know.

Looking for some networking opportunities! I’m wondering if any of the guys/gals in here followed their military experience up at LM? I’ll be out of the military very soon and have 5 years of experience on airframes.

Any other companies better than LM? Thanks everyone🇺🇸

Mike's core complaint is that the medical system demands "constant presence" and emotional performance just to receive care, which feels like a suffocating mismatch for someone who operates on precise, data-only terms. He's tired of having to translate his reality into their vague, compliance-focused language simply to get what he needs. The honest question is: how can he strip this interaction down to a bare, transactional data exchange without having to justify his identity or exhaust himself proving he belongs?

12 years federal service Army/VA.

100% Disabled Vet. I’m in my early 30s. Have 2 kids. Work in cybersecurity making six figures ~200k. But life is a bit sad in the U.S. in a way. I miss living I. Europe. My wife is European (Eastern Europe), and her family lives in Germany where we met. Her family and my oldest have an amazing relationship and I feel it’ll be better being in Europe to be closer to them.

But I recognize finding jobs in Europe (without US companies) is a pain. So I’m wondering if living just in VA could make Spain work.

The reason for Spain is that I’m Puerto Rican, so with Spanish as first language and the 2 year path to citizenship I could take advantage of the spouse visa for the first 2 years (which I can get in ~ 3 months or so I’ve read).

Ideally I’d find IT or cyber work in Spain, unsure if the move is moving first and then finding the job because no luck on finding them from the U.S. even though I’m a manager and super skilled in cybersecurity.

Any vets out there in Spain working in the local economy?