RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:	DOCKET NUMBERS:  BC-2003-02097
				INDEX CODE 131.01  107.00
	 			COUNSEL:  None

				HEARING DESIRED:  No

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APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

1.  He be given Special Selection Board (SSB) consideration for the Calendar Year 2002C (CY02C) Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Selection Board with the following awards in his Officer Selection Record (OSR): 

		a.  The Defense Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM) for the period 1 Jul 99-10 Jul 02.

		b.  The Joint Service Achievement Medal (JSAM) [1st Oak Leaf Cluster (1OLC)] for the period 1 Oct 01-4 Feb 02.

		c.  The Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation (CGMTC) for the period Dec 00-Sep 02.

		d.  The Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) for the period 10 Oct-9 Dec 94. 

		e.  The Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) for the period 21 Oct-13 Nov 98.

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APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

These decorations were missing from his OSR when the board convened. He provides email traffic showing attempts to correct his records and that AFPC was notified to update his OSR before the board met. The special order correcting the DMSM was also missing. The JSAM was being processed since 2002 but was not signed until recently. His files should have been updated when the AFSM was approved in 1996 for his deployment in direct support of Operation Provide Promise. He was not aware of his eligibility for this award until Mar 03. In Mar 03 he also discovered he was eligible for the HSM. However, HSMs have a two-year limitation for submission. While stationed at Lackland AFB, he provided humanitarian relief to families along the flooded Guadalupe River during the South Texas flood (10 Oct-13 Nov 98). On his weekends and nights, he provided immediate assistance working with the Red Cross helping remove mud/debris, renovating flooded homes, and providing clothing/blankets/hot meals to flood-stricken families.

The applicant’s former rater provides a supporting statement indicating the JSAM originated on approximately 2 Apr 02 but was not acted upon by the additional rater prior to his departure on 26 May 02. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. 

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STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant was awarded the JSAM (basic) for the period 10 Oct-9 Dec 94, and the citation was filed in his OSR on 3 Dec 01.

He was mistakenly awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) by Special Order GJ-064, dated 16 Jul 02. This order was later amended by Special Order GJ-095, dated 30 Sep 02, to reflect award of the DMSM instead of the MSM.

The applicant was considered but not selected by the CY02C board, which convened on 3 Dec 02. The OSB reflects the following awards: the DMSM (2002), the Air Force Commendation Medal, the basic JSAM, and the Air Force Achievement Medal. However, the citation and special order for the DMSM were not included in the OSR.

The Military Personnel Flight Memorandum (MPFM) 02-29 (Exhibit C) does not include the AFSM and the CGMTC as awards authorized to be displayed on the OSB. A maximum of seven different decorations can be entered on the brief.

An AETC Form 114, Indorsement for Decoration, for the second JSAM was signed by indorsing officials on 4 Apr 03, and the Recommendation for Decoration for the second JSAM was signed by the rater on 2 Jun 03 (Exhibit A). In both instances, the award was not properly identified as the second JSAM [1OLC]. The decoration was awarded to the applicant by Special Order GJ-091, dated 30 Jun 03, which was after the CY02C board. Neither the citation nor the special order for this award correctly identifies the JSAM as the second, or 1OLC, award.

AFI 36-2803, paragraph 3.1 states recommendations are entered into official channels within two years and awarded within three years of the act, achievement, or service performed, and Table 3.1, Note 5, directs forwarding citations and special orders within 30 days of the date the special orders are published. Based on this directive, the special order and citation for the JSAM [1OLC] were not due for file until 30 Jul 03, after the CY02C board.

With regard to the HSM in question:

	DODM 1348.33 indicates that the Services have two years from the time of an event to submit a request for establishing the incident as an HSM event. The HSM is an individual, not a unit, award. At the time of the event, an individual has to be named to participate in that specific operation for the time period designated. Each orderly room typically takes the names and other pertinent data of each individual who participated in the operation. It is the prerogative of the service centers to determine the need for record keeping, such as name lists. Based on emails from HQ AFPC/DPPPR, the HSM for the South Texas Flood (21 Oct-13 Nov 98) was approved on 9 Nov 00. Air Force bases eligible for the HSM South Texas Flood were Brooks, Kelly, Lackland, and Randolph. The applicant was assigned to Lackland AFB during 28 Jun 97-30 Jun 99. His Officer Performance Reports (OPRs) make no mention of his having participated in the South Texas Flood operation.  The applicant can obtain verification from Lackland AFB as to whether he was a participant in this operation. 

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AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

HQ AFPC/DPPPO agrees that, since the special order for the DMSM was published prior to the board’s convening date, SSB consideration with its inclusion in his OSR would be appropriate. As for the JSAM, since the applicant was awarded the basic JSAM for the period closing 9 Dec 94, the special order and citation awarding him the second JSAM should reflect 1OLC. The applicant should request an amendment from the decoration awarding authority to correct both of these documents. Secondly, although the JSAM period was through 4 Feb 02, the special order was not published until 30 Jun 03. Thus, his record did not contain the citation nor was it reflected in the Military Personnel Data System (MilPDS). According to governing directives, neither the JSAM special order nor the citation were due for file until 30 Jul 03, and the decoration would not have been a matter of record at the time the board convened. The applicant’s request to include the AFSM and CGMTC is unfounded, as these decorations are not listed among the MPFM 02-29 for the CY02C board. As such, these awards are not authorized to be reflected on the OSB. The citations filed in the OSR should mirror the decorations displayed on the OSB. The only way to ensure the board members’ knowledge of his receipt of these awards would have been for him to write a letter to the board president, which the applicant apparently did not do because he had been misled. Therefore, partial approval is recommended. The applicant should be afforded SSB consideration for the CY02C board with the DMSM included in his OSR and an opportunity to write a letter to the board president identifying the CGMTC and the AFSM. Inclusion of the JSAM should be denied.

A complete copy of the evaluation, with attachment, is at Exhibit C.

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APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

A complete copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant on 3 Oct 03 for review and comment within 30 days.  As of this date, this office has received no response.

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THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT:

1.	The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing law or regulations.

2.	The application was timely filed.

3.	Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of error or injustice to warrant partial relief. The initial special order for the DMSM had to be reaccomplished because it incorrectly awarded the applicant the MSM. However, as pointed out by the Air Force, the special order for the DMSM was published prior to and should have been filed when the CY02C board convened. The special order for the second JSAM, on the other hand, was not only not published until after the board convened, but also incorrectly identified the award as a basic JSAM rather than as the applicant’s second JSAM. Further, the applicant’s submission has not persuaded us his chain of command intended it to be in his records for the CY02C board’s consideration. Accordingly, we do not recommend SSB consideration for the CY02C board with this decoration on file, as it did not exist at the time of that board, although we do suggest the applicant have the special order and citation for the JSAM amended through administrative channels to reflect “1OLC.” With regard to the HSM, the applicant has provided no evidence verifying he was a named participant during the South Texas Flood humanitarian operation for the period 21 Oct-13 Nov 98, and his available records do not document his participation in this effort. However, we suggest he ascertain through Lackland AFB whether he was, in fact, a participant. Like the CGMTC and the AFSM, the HSM is not listed on the MPFM 02-29 for the CY02C board as an award that is included on an OSB. However, should the applicant obtain official confirmation that he was a South Texas Flood participant and is entitled to the HSM, we see no reason why he could not include that fact in his letter to the CY02C board president, along with mention of the CGMTC and the AFSM. In summary, the applicant should have the citation and order for the JSAM in question administratively corrected to reflect it is his second JSAM. However, its inclusion in the CY02C OSB should be denied. If the applicant obtains official documentation that he is a recipient of the HSM, he could mention receipt of that award, along with the CGMTC and the AFSM, in his letter to the CY02C board president when he is afforded SSB consideration for the CY02C board. The DMSM should be reflected on his CY02C OSB and the special order and citation should be filed in his selection folder. We are aware that when the applicant is scheduled for SSB consideration, he will be provided an opportunity to write his letter to the selection board president. The applicant’s records, therefore, should be corrected to the extent indicated below.

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THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT:

The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force relating to APPLICANT, be corrected to show that the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM) for the period 1 July 1999-10 July 2002 was accepted for file on 2 December 2002 and that he be considered for promotion to the grade of lieutenant colonel by Special Selection Board for the Calendar Year 2002C (CY02C) Lieutenant Colonel Selection Board with inclusion of the DMSM, and he be provided the opportunity to submit a letter to the board president regarding the Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation for the period December 2000-September 2002, the Armed Forces Service Medal for the period 10 October-9 December 1994, and, if officially documented, the Humanitarian Service Award for the South Texas Flood for the period 21 October-13 November 1998. 

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The following members of the Board considered this application in Executive Session on 12 November 2003 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

All members voted to correct the records, as recommended.  The following documentary evidence relating to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2003-02097 was considered:

   Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 20 Jun 03, w/atchs.
   Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
   Exhibit C.  Letter, HQ AFPC/DPPPO, dated 23 Sep 03, w/atchs.
   Exhibit D.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 3 Oct 03.

                                   

AFBCMR BC-2003-02097

MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF

	Having received and considered the recommendation of the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records and under the authority of Section 1552, Title 10, United States Code (70A Stat 116), it is directed that:

	The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force relating to    , be corrected to show that the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM) for the period 1 July 1999-10 July 2002 was accepted for file on 2 December 2002 and that he be considered for promotion to the grade of lieutenant colonel by Special Selection Board for the Calendar Year 2002C (CY02C) Lieutenant Colonel Selection Board with inclusion of the DMSM, and he be provided the opportunity to submit a letter to the board president regarding the Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation for the period December 2000-September 2002, the Armed Forces Service Medal for the period 10 October-9 December 1994, and, if officially documented, the Humanitarian Service Award for the South Texas Flood for the period 21 October-13 November 1998.