A veteran doesn’t take no for an answer.

If you hit a brick wall, Guillermo Perez, a New York Army National Guard veteran, said, you find a way over, under or through it.

Perez, a resident of Mastic Beach, served his country and has since lost the whereabouts of his DD-214 honorable service papers, preventing him from receiving benefits. He served between 1982-1988.

His journey to obtain copies of his papers began in 2005 after moving from New York City to Mastic Beach. Preparing for his move, he noticed many of his documents were missing. After an exhaustive search, he contacted his National Guard post, to which they stated they did not have any military documentation on file dating back to 1987.

He then contacted the office of then-congressman Tim Bishop to help with finding his missing papers. However, they were also unable to find anything after several months of searching.

Several years went by, and he became discouraged, he said. Emotionally exhausted, he gave up.

“The feelings of not being able to have a document that proved my faithful service to my country, and not being able to take advantage of military benefits as an honorably discharged veteran, was disheartening, to say the least,” he said.

In 2012, his wife encouraged him to restart his search. He has since written letters to former President Donald Trump and spoken to congressman Lee Zeldin. He also enlisted the help of the Veteran’s Affairs (VA), and after several months was told to contact the Army National Guard Adjutant General’s Office. However, in 2013, they, too, were no help.

By 2014, he returned to the Armory of the 69th Infantry Division in New York City where he served, and further inquired about his missing papers. They stated he did not have military records on file. So then, he contacted the National Archives and National Guard Bureau of Public Affairs.

By 2017, he was again defeated. He joined the American Legion Post 269, who had acknowledged his status as a veteran without paperwork.

“It was clear to him that I had served my country,” he said of the post commander Jon Ralph. “I was not only accepted as a member of the post, but after several months of dedicated service, I was also honored with the position of sergeant-at-arms.”

However great his efforts have been, he has still been unable to locate his papers.

“Guillermo is an active and valuable member of our post,” said Ralph. “He is currently the sergeant-at-arms and is involved with both our color guard and firing detail.  We depend on his help at all of our events.”

About Guillermo Perez

Perez enlisted at 18 years old after deciding not to go back to school in his senior year.

“My English teacher said, ‘Full book reports were due by the end of the week’; I said, ‘That’s not happening. I ain’t doing a full book report,’” he said, laughing.

Perez told his mother who notified his father, who told him to come to work with him the next day for employment. Instead, his father brought him to the recruitment office.

“It’s so funny to me, I relive this day so many times, I can actually say I thank my father millions of times,” he said. “I just love being a veteran.”

During his time in service, he was known to always volunteer and raise his hand. He became an expert shooter and volunteered to be in the Rangers training unit as potential combat support in Lebanon.

“I really am so impressed, being a veteran; you put your life in another stranger’s hands and they will go above and beyond for you,” he said, also proud to serve his American Legion. “We are the 1 percent out of 99 percent that served. I am very proud of what I did and proud of my country.”

He went on to a career in the mental health field as a counselor at Kings Park and Pilgrim State. He has a wife, son, and daughter and lives in Mastic.