RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2011-03365 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ _ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His records be corrected to reflect entitlement to the following medals: 1. The Southwest Asia Service Medal (SWASM). 2. The Kuwait Liberation Medal – Saudi Arabia (KLM-SA). ________________________________________________________________ _ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He served in Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM from Dec 90 thru Jun 91. He was assigned or had temporary duties in Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during this period. His brother who was in the Army, and served on this same tour, received these two medals for his service. He served his country during a time of war and would like to share his pride and service with his children and family. In support of his request, the applicant provides a copy of his DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. The applicant's complete submission, with attachment, is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ _ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant served on active duty from 15 Sep 87 to 14 Sep 91. His DD Form 214 reflects he was credited with six months, and nine days of Foreign Service. ________________________________________________________________ _ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSIDRA recommends denial. DPSIDRA states they were unable to locate any official documentation to verify the applicant served in the AOR in direct support of Operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM during the award inclusive period of 2 Aug 90 to 30 Nov 95. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) verified the applicant was credited with Foreign Service from 1 Jan 91 to 30 Jun 91; however, they were unable to determine what country the applicant served in during this time frame. Therefore, without official documentation verifying the applicant deployed to the AOR in direct support of Operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM they are unable to verify his entitlement to the SWASM. DPSIDRA was unable to locate official documentation verifying the applicant served in the AOR in direct support of Operation DESERT STORM during the award inclusive period of the KLM-SA; therefore, rendering him ineligible for entitlement to the KLM- SA. The complete DPSIDRA evaluation is at Exhibit B. ________________________________________________________________ _ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: On 26 Oct 11, a copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant for review and comment within 30 days. To date, a response has not been received (Exhibit C). ________________________________________________________________ _ 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. Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of error or injustice. We note after verification with DFAS’s records it could not be determined in what country the applicant was credited with Foreign Service. Given the statement on the applicant’s DD Form 214, “Served in Desert Shield/Storm area of responsibility 27 Dec 90 to 23 Feb 91,” we believe that any doubt in this matter should be resolved in the applicant’s favor. Accordingly, we believe the applicant is entitled to the following medals for his service in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; the Kuwait Liberation Medal – Saudi Arabia (KLM-SA) and the Southwest Asia Service Medal (SWASM). Therefore, we recommend the records be corrected as indicated below. ________________________________________________________________ _ THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT: The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force relating to APPLICANT, be corrected to show that he was awarded the Kuwait Liberation Medal – Saudi Arabia (KLM-SA), and the Southwest Asia Service Medal (SWASM). ________________________________________________________________ _ The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2011-03365 in Executive Session on 1 Dec 11, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: All members voted to correct the records, as recommended. The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 28 Aug 11, w/atch. Exhibit B. Letter, AFPC/DPSIDRA, dated 27 Sep 11. Exhibit C. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 26 Oct 11.