Being in 2 branch of the military?

Question

My husbands father swears he has been in the Marines AND in the Navy under different names during the Vietnam war. Is that possible? And how do I find out if he was ever in the military to begin with?

Answer 1

well I was in the army and the air force under the same name but at two different points in time - it's pretty common.
If I understand you to say he swears he was in both AT THE SAME TIME - I find that hard to believe.
Every veteran has a DD214 detailing their service - ask him to see his.

Answer 2

I have a friend that was discharged (honorably) from the Marines. After about 6 months he decided he wanted to go back into the military so he joined the Navy. So ti is possible to do tours of duty with multiple branches of the armed service (and no the Marines and Navy are not the same branch)

Answer 3

It sounds to me there's a little play on words here. Being a Marine could, I suppose, mean he was part of the navy. Thus, being in both services. Or, he could be one big stroke!

That damned war lasted a long, long time. It could be that he was discharged from one branch and joined the other. I don't get the name change thing, however.

Someone will come up with a web site for you to visit that might help, that is, if you think it's really that important !

Answer 4

Serving in two different services is not uncommon as long as it happens at different times.

If he is saying that he served in the Navy, and then got out and served in the Marines then its not really a big deal because it happens alot.

If he is saying that he was actively serving in the Navy, and then actively serving in the Marines at the same time but under different names then he is completely full of sh-t, sorry.

Cowboy down at the bottom...

It doesnt matter if there was a fire or whatever ok? You cannot physically serve in two branches at the same time, ever hear of morning formation? No its not going to happen.

Answer 5

He is full of it. The Navy and Marine Corps recruiters are careful to ensure a person's identity upon recruitment into the Military. He could have been in one or the other but not both. At least not at the same time. The likelihood is that he did not serve at all since he is so ignorant of the process. Ask him for his military ID numbers. If he says he forgot them he is a liar. I can remember my ID number from 1958 with alarming clarity, and I stopped using it and switched to my SSN in the 70's.
We were that number, and names were not nearly as important as you unique ID number.
Tell him if he persists in being a crap spreader that you will take him down to the local VFW where they can check up on him using computer programs the government has provided for them to check membership. Tell him to be prepared to have his &*% kicked by some of those old vets if he is a "wannabe".

Answer 6

Yes think about it. Back in Vietnam we didnt have all the computers we have now. Everything was on paper and now I have forgotten but I know there was a fire that destroyed alot of the records for military servicemembers. I have heard about the same kind of thing before. It isnt unheard of. About finding out if he was ever in I don't know how you could go about finding out. I know when I was on active duty there was a way to find other people in the service but I don't know about people who are out

Answer 7

ok yes you can be in two different braches of the military in your lifetime, under a different name NO they go by your social security number so unless he has two SS# then its not true you can look up under the VA website but there was a really big fire in like 1977 I think and a lot of records got destroyed.

Answer 8

Yes. Marines are part of the Navy.