Missing Medical Proof of Wounded in Action. Hawija, Iraq September 2005

I was wounded in Iraq on September 20th, 2005.  I was at FOB McHenry, in Hawija.  I was one of approximately 18 soldiers that were struck my mortar fire.  I was treated at the BAS, however all of the paperwork was pen/paper.  I did see a laptop in the tent but have no idea what program it was or what was being stored or how it was being stored.  I was called up March 2005 via the Western Union call up, it was after my 8 year ETS but I still went.  I was assigned to B Co 451 CA BN (Mt View CA), 3 soldiers and I were attached to the TF 163 Inf of the 116th BCT  of the Idaho National Guard.  Later that year they left and the 101st Airborne came in, I was with the HHC 1-327 Inf Reg (Lt Col Hudson commanding).  That date of my injury the Idaho National Guard medics treated me, pictures were taken, buddy statement produced (still need one more).  I am trying to get my records from that day to prove I was wounded.  If anyone can help I would be beyond grateful.  I have been on this journey for over a decade.

  •  

    Thank you for posting your request on History Hub.

    For medical records of veterans who left the Army after October 15, 1992, and prior to 2014, you should contact the Department of Veterans Affairs, Records Management Center (VARMC), 4300 Goodfellow Boulevard, Building #104, St. Louis, MO  63120.  For more recent medical records, for those of veterans who left the Army after 2013, you should contact the AMEDD Records Processing Center, 3370 Nacogdoches Road, Suite 116, San Antonio, TX  78217.

    If needed, Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) of those who served in the U.S. Army or the Army Reserves since October 2002 are in the custody of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, ATTN: AHRC-PDR-VIB, 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Department 420, Fort Knox, KY  40122-5402.  The telephone number is 1-888-276-9472.  The email address is usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.tagd-ask-hrc@mail.mil.  The website is https://www.hrc.army.mil/.

    Finally, we have not accessioned operational records of Army units from the conflict yet, but if such records are of interest, you may wish to consult the list of records managers at agencies of  the Department of Defense at https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/agency/departments/defense.

    If you have additional questions for the staff at Archives II, please email us at archives2reference@nara.gov so that we can assist you further.  We also invite you to continue the conversation with community members on History Hub.

    We hope that this information assists you with your research.

    Sincerely,

    Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
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  • Thank you for the reply.  I have already left messages with every pertinent contact, to include the above mentioned.  Yesterday Joyce Luton of the DOD Army Records Management Directorate did in fact call me back.  We spoke for some time and she indicated that they have a team dedicated to these circumstances.  The key factor they will be looking for is what in country system medics were using during that timeframe.  She believes the file would be there.

  • The individual treating you is wearing a shoulder patch from the 116th Armored Cavalry Regiment I see they now call themselves the 116th Armored Cavalry Brigade Combat Team).

    I assume you're trying to get awarded the Purple Heart.

    To be awarded the Purple Heart, you have to be treated by a Medical Officer. Battalion Surgeon, Battalion PA, etc.

    Were you treated by an officer?

    If you were treated by an officer, it should be fairly easy to get the name of the officer that was deployed with the Regiment at that time. You've got a picture of him treating you, if you can get his name and send him the picture, you could probably get HIM to write a statement saying that yes, he provided you treatment on that date, and that it is, indeed him in that picture.

    That would certainly make your case a lot easier.

    I would suspect if you put one of those announcements in VFW magazine saying "are there any medics who remember treating patients in a medical facility of the 116th Cavalry Regiment at FOB McHenry on 20 September 2005 following a mortar attack" you might get a nibble, which could point you towards that medical officer.

    Good luck.

  • I appreciate the response however that it's not accurate. You do not have to be treated by a medical officer, and only needs to be approved by medical officer, and that would be one that wasn't even present. I already have been in contact with 116 BCT, including their medical attachment. The issue is accessing the in theater medical storage. That has been much easier said than done, including by them. That person in that picture is I'm sure far into his retirement. I've sent all these pictures taken to the 116th BCT and the 163rd infantry regiment. I was with another unit, that was not national guard, but was assigned to them.

  • If you weren't directly treated by a Medical Officer, it certainly complicates things, because you're right, you'll have to access the electronic health record. But the in-theater health record should have been merged into the   full electronic health record, and that, in turn, should have migrated to the VA. I know all my encounter notes from Iraq migrated into my health record stateside when I returned--but all of my visits were in a Combat Support Hospital, I can't speak to a battalion aid station. And it shouldn't matter what unit you belonged to--the electronic health record is generated at the facility you were treated at and is stored based on your social security number (now your DoD ID number). I've been doing DoD healthcare for over 42 years, so trust me on this. IF they created an electronic encounter note (and they may not have at a battalion aid station).

    The issue with having the name of the person who treated you isn't whether he's on active duty or not--it's whether he remembers the incident. It isn't as helpful if you weren't directly treated by a Medical Officer (and they were stretching things if they were having a Medical Officer counter-sign the note)--it's that you can find him and get a supporting statement that he remembers the incident and he reviewed all of the notes in accordance with policy and signed off on them, even if there is no record of the encounter, and based on the photographic evidence, he would have signed off on your note and it would have met the criteria.

    There are websites that allow you to track down individuals using their name anywhere in the US. As a historian, I've used them and tracked down people who served in Vietnam as medics more than 50 years ago--with their phone numbers, addresses, and e-mail addresses. So once you get a name, the next step gets easier.

    And the medic probably knows the name of the battalion surgeon--and he can say if he certified (if he remembers). He may not remember you by name, but a statement from him (or her) saying that he remembers the attack, and he remembers the medic treating X personnel, and that he reviewed the encounter notes and countersigned them will go a long way towards meeting your needs.

    Absent access to the note itself, you need to track down the medic and the medical officer from the 116th ACR.

  • Hello,

    As a former 18D during this time period (2005) stationed at a remote fire base in AF, any treatment I performed was always hand recorded on an SF 600. One of these forms should have been written up for your treatment, with a copy given to you (ideally) and one inserted into your (at the time) paper medical record. At no time did I need to chase down a “medical officer” to approve/endorse the form, though other units may have had a different protocol.

    If no hand jammed SF 600 was put into your then paper record, I think it is unlikely anything exists in the later electronic version of said record. Therefore, tracking down someone who can provide sworn statements, etc, for your treatment after the event, as you’ve been trying to do, is probably your best option, though, as you know, quite a challenging one. Good luck!

  • The key is "at a remote fire base." In an established Role II or higher facility, there would have been an electronic medical record, AHLTA-T. Possibly at Role I, depending on the situation (at Camp Bucca in 2007-8 we had it in our Role I facilities on the FOB), but not guaranteed.

    But I agree with you, his best bet, if he's not found it already, is to locate someone who treated him.

  • I can't help you find your records. I'm just here to say I was at FOB McHenry. I was with 101, we relieved you guys. That place was special. Hawijah and McHenry were special. I hope you find what you're looking for.

  • Hey!! Thanks for messaging in here. We got attached to you guys as soon as you guys came in. Lieutenant Colonel Hudson was in charge of McHenry. The amount of enemy contact we had stepped up dramatically when you guys showed up. I remember we had to change to the same bdus you guys had and figure out how to embroider that damn club into our Kevlar covers. HHC 1-327 is what our deployment paperwork was changed to when you guys showed up. And if I'm not mistaken sailors are the ones that replaced our team of 4. In regards to the purple heart paperwork, I was able to actually get the sitrep of the incident that those pictures refer to. I'm in month 6 waiting for an answer from the Purple Heart folks.