RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2008-00162 INDEX CODE: 107.00 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX COUNSEL: NO HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ _ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, be corrected to reflect his service in Vietnam. ________________________________________________________________ _ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for the time he served, 1 November 1961 through 7 July 1965, in Saigon with the XXXXX Air Police Squadron. He is being denied service connection by the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) for Agent Orange exposure while he was in Vietnam. In support of his appeal, the applicant has provided copies of his DD Form 214, an excerpt of his Air Force Form 7, Airmen Military Record, an excerpt of Air Force Pamphlet 900-2, and a letter from the Montana DVA office. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ _ STATEMENT OF FACTS: On 13 July 1961, the applicant enlisted in the Regular Air Force at the age of 18 and was progressively promoted to the grade of airman second class (E-3) with a date of rank of 1 October 1962. The applicant was honorably discharged on 7 July 1965. He served a total of 3 years, 11 months, and 25 days on active duty with 1 year, 3 months, and 23 days of foreign service. The applicant’s DD Form 214 reflects he was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (AFOUA), Air Force Good Conduct Medal (AFGCM), and the AFEM. ________________________________________________________________ _ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial of the applicant’s request. DPAPP states the applicant’s DD Form 214 does reflect his award of the AFEM, but there are no documents in his records that confirm any Vietnam service. His records also reflect that he served an overseas tour from 10 March 1964 through 22 April 1965 in Okinawa, assigned to the XXXXX Air Police Squadron (APS), and then the XXXX APS when the XXXXX was deactivated. Since the temporary duty (TDY) in question would have been served while he was already overseas, it would not affect the amount of Foreign Service reflected on his DD Form 214. In addition, the actual overseas location is not an authorized entry for the DD Form 214. Since there was no documentation confirming his Vietnam service, DPAPP wrote him on 4 February 2008, requesting that he make one last check of his personal documents to see if he had anything that would verify his Vietnam service. He responded on 13 February 2008; however, he provided no documents of verification. The Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) was created on 8 July 1965. Those members that served in Vietnam prior to that date received the AFEM. Based on his award of the AFEM and the locations and time frames for which it had been awarded, it certainly appears that the applicant served in Vietnam, but this cannot be confirmed with 100% certainty nor can the location or the number of days served. The DPPPR evaluation is at Exhibit C. AFPC/DPSIDR recommends denial of the applicant’s request. DPSIDR states the AFEM is awarded to military personnel for operations approved by the Department of Defense or the Joint Staff. To confirm entitlement to the AFEM, an applicant must provide a source document (travel voucher, TDY orders, etc.) to verify their participation in an operation approved for the AFEM. DPSIDR states that after a thorough review of the applicant’s record, they were unable to locate documents to verify he was deployed to Vietnam. Additionally, the applicant did not provide documentation to substantiate his claim. The DPSIDR evaluation is at Exhibit D. ________________________________________________________________ _ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: Copies of the Air Force evaluations were forwarded to the applicant on 23 May 2008, for review and comment within 30 days (Exhibit E). As of this date, this office has received no response. ________________________________________________________________ _ THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT: 1. The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing law or regulations. 2. The application was not timely filed; however, it is in the interest of justice to excuse the failure to timely file. 3. Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of error or injustice. After a thorough review of the available records, we found no evidence that the applicant served in Vietnam. We note he was awarded the AFEM; however, his records do not contain, nor has the applicant provided, any documentary evidence to substantiate his claim that the AFEM he received was awarded for time he served in Vietnam. However, due to the unique situation of the applicant, we would be inclined to reconsider his request should he be able to provide any additional evidence to verify “boots on the ground,” including service medical records or eyewitness accounts of his service in Vietnam. Without evidence to the contrary, we agree with the opinions and recommendations from the Air Force offices of primary responsibility that the applicant is not a victim of an error or injustice. In view of the above, we find no basis to favorably consider this application. ________________________________________________________________ _ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified that the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of material error or injustice; that the application was denied without a personal appearance; and that the application will only be reconsidered upon the submission of newly discovered relevant evidence not considered with this application. ________________________________________________________________ _ The following members of the Board considered this application in Executive Session on 17 July 2008, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: XXXXXXXXXXXX, Panel Chair XXXXXXXXXXXX, Member XXXXXXXXXXXX, Member The following documentary evidence was considered in connection with AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2008-00162: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 29 Dec 07, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Letter, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 4 Feb 08. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 29 Apr 08. Exhibit D. Letter, AFPC/DPSIDR, dated 13 May 08. Exhibit E. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 23 May 08.