RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2010-04652 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NOT INDICATED _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: He would like service credit for his time served in the Air Force Reserve (AFR) from 18 Jul 56 to 6 Sep 61. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He served in the AFR; however, he was informed that his records were destroyed in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), and that he would not receive any credit for his service. He has been trying to correct this problem for 20 years without success. He joined the AFR in New Paltz, NY, to take a pre-commissioning course that he completed and concurrently served on annual training from 1957 to 1958 at Mitchell Field, NY, and Suffolk County AFB, as a personnelist in the grade of E-5. During his time with the AFR, he was also assigned to the Armed Forces Industrial College at Kingston, NY, and was mobilized to an un-named base in Turkey. After he finished the pre- commissioning course, he completed a number of correspondence courses and then took a physical and failed the eye examination. At that time, he was advised that if he did not have wings, the chances for good assignments in the Air Force were very limited. He did not pursue his commission and was discharged on 6 Sep 61. After being discharged from the AFR, he joined the Army Reserve and remained in the Army Reserve until joining the Washington Army National Guard. After he retired, he tried to reconstruct his records knowing that his honorable discharge from the AFR was a part of his Army Reserve records, but was horrified to find out that those records and his AFR records were destroyed in the fire at the NPRC. In support of his request, the applicant provides excerpts from his official military records. His complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The relevant facts pertaining to this application are contained in the letter prepared by the appropriate office of the Air Force. Accordingly, there is no need to recite these facts in this Record of Proceedings. _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: ARPC/DPTS recommends denial. DPTS states the applicant did not provide any documents that substantiate his claim for serving in the AFR. DPTS notes there is no course completion certificate for the pre-commissioning course; no annual training orders, no assignment order placing him at the Armed Forces Industrial College, no mobilization orders to Turkey, no correspondence course completion certificates, no medical records, nor an honorable discharge certificate. In addition, the itemized statement of earnings does not show a relationship between the periods stated in his letter. The documents provided by the applicant do not piece together any Air Force Reserve points. The ARPC/DPTS complete evaluation is at Exhibit B. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: The applicant reiterates his original contentions by explaining in further detail the events that occurred during that time. He does not have copies of orders or any other documents to substantiate his claim and states that is why he mentions the material in his Army Reserve file was destroyed in the fire. The statement provided by ARPC/DPTS that states, “The applicant has not provided any documentation to support his account of Air Force Reserve service,” is incorrect. DD Form 4, Immediate Reenlistment, shows the dates of his service and his AFR serial number. After writing to the NPRC, he was informed, “The record needed to answer your inquiry [regarding USAFR service] is not in our files. If the records were here on July 12, 1973 it would have been in the area that suffered the most damage in the fire on that date and may have been destroyed.” It is not logical to assume that because he does not have an honorable discharge certificate he never served, he would not have been allowed to enlist in the Army Reserve without an honorable discharge. He is not trying to gain something that he is not entitled to; rather, he is trying to correct an injustice. When the records were destroyed in Vietnam, the soldiers were interviewed and based on the information provided, the records were reconstructed. His records were not lost in combat, but were lost due to no fault of his own. The applicant’s complete submission is at Exhibit D. _________________________________________________________________ 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. We took notice of the applicant’s complete submission in judging the merits of the case; however, we agree with the opinion and recommendation of the Air Force office of primary responsibility and adopt its rationale as the basis for our conclusion that the applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice. Nevertheless, the Board would like to point out to the applicant that in order to grant service credit for time he asserts he served in Vietnam the exact dates must be provided. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting the relief sought in 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 AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2010-04652 in Executive Session on 30 Aug 11, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: The following documentary evidence for Docket Number BC-2010-04652 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 6 Dec 10, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Letter, ARPC/DPTS, dated 3 Jun 11. Exhibit C. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 17 Jun 11. Exhibit D. Letter, Applicant, dated 25 Jun 11.