Veteran fights to prove he went to war

DARTMOUTH, Mass. (WPRI) - Conrad Dupre tugs at his Vietnam Veteran embroidered cap, proudly remembering the dangers of nightly missions to ‘light up the sky’ over the war.  But the Department of Veterans Affairs has no memory of Dupre from 1964 to 1965.

“The bottom line is I don't see how it could happen,” the 73 year old tells us from the Dartmouth motel room where he lives. ”I just don't see how they can lose somebody for a whole year. They don’t believe I was in Vietnam.”

But he tells Target 12, that’s where he was when the herbicide Agent Orange fell from the Da Nang air as he scrambled to fly 3 times a night with the 8th Aerial Port Squadron .

He describes his Air Force job, saying he held white phosphorous flares between his legs and then dropped them out of a C-123 while it cut a path at 135 miles per hour, about 2000 feet off the ground.

“We did it so the soldiers could see at night and we took fire almost every night,” he says. “They told us If we took a hit it would take exactly a minute for that airplane to melt and we'd be killed instantly. We didn't even wear parachutes.”

When Dupre developed Ischemic Heart Disease, he was advised that the disorder is connected to exposure to Agent Orange.

In the words of the Department of Veterans Affairs webpage ;

Veterans who develop ischemic heart disease and were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and military service to be eligible to receive VA disability compensation.

But Dupre could not prove he was ever in Vietnam. He applied for disability compensation in February, 2011 and has fought for his case ever since.

“Read this yourself. That's how they explain it.” he says, brandishing a stack of paperwork. “The required service in Vietnam is not shown nor is their any evidence of exposure to herbicides during military service.”

The only records Dupre has to prove his case are tied to his commendations, including a pair of medals called the Vietnam Gallantry Cross and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. He has a document from the U.S.Government that acknowledges he received those medals.

Dupre also submitted letters from his ex-wife and cousin, who under oath, confirmed he served in Viet Nam.

“They're saying Conrad Dupre is a liar and he was never there,” Dupre says.

Rich Levesque, the former director of the New England office of the Vietnam Veterans of America Benefits Program, is a believer. He helped Dupre file his claim and in his opinion the medals and the letters should be enough.

“Under the VA benefit of the doubt rule, he should receive the benefits,” Levesque says. “Conrad is the real deal.”

But he adds that in his opinion the Air Force 'dropped the ball' by losing records of where Dupre served.

A representative from Senator Scott Brown's office confirms for Target 12 that they are working with the VA on Dupre's case but no one would offer any specifics.

“I just want them to stop calling me a liar," Dupre says with his hands in the air. "Why would I make this up?” .

Send your news tips to Target 12 Investigator Walt Buteau at wbuteau@wpri.com and follow Walt on Twitter: @wbuteau