RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2011-01560 COUNSEL: NONE 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 award of the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: His DFC was not awarded until after he separated from the Air Force; therefore, it was never reflected on his DD Form 214. In support of his appeal, the applicant provides copies of his DFC Certificate and Citation. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant is a former member of the Regular Air Force who served on active duty 28 March 1967 to 11 October 1970. He was progressively promoted to the grade of sergeant (E-4) with a date of rank of 1 June 1969. He was honorably discharged effective 11 October 1970 under the provisions of Air Force Manual 39-10, Chapter 3, Section B, for Convenience of the Government. He served 3 years, 6 months, and 14 days on active duty with 2 years, 8 months, and 20 days of Foreign Service. The remaining relevant facts, extracted from the applicant’s military service records, are contained in the evaluation by the Air Force office of primary responsibility at Exhibit C. _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSIDR recommends denial. DPSIDRA states the DFC, authorized by an Act of Congress on 2 July 1926, and amended by Executive Order 7786 on 8 January 1938, is awarded to any officer or enlisted person of the Armed Forces of the United States who shall have distinguished her/himself in actual combat in support of operations by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to 11 November 1918. DPSIDRA indicates that after a thorough review of the applicant’s military personnel record, they were unable to locate a special order or any other documentation verifying his award of the DFC. However, they were able to verify his entitlement to the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters (AM w/3OLCs), the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor (AFOUA w/V), the Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars (BSM w/4BSS), the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm (RVNGC w/P), and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVNCM). His record will be updated accordingly. The complete DPSIDR evaluation is at Exhibit C. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: He can honestly say that when he received the letter from the Air Force informing him of his award of the DFC in the Spring of 1971, there was no special order with the package and unfortunately, the letter of notification has disappeared over the last 40 years the same as the DFC special order has disappeared from his Air Force records. The applicant’s complete rebuttal is at Exhibit E. _________________________________________________________________ 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 warranting the award of the DFC. In this respect, we note the applicant’s chain of command recommended him for award of the DFC for his extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as a C-47 Airborne Morse Systems Operator in the Republic of Vietnam. We further note the applicant’s contention that he was not awarded the DFC until after he separated from the Air Force. Thus, he never received the DFC. Since the applicant has provided copies of the DFC award elements, we find the evidence sufficient to give him the benefit of doubt in this matter. Therefore, in view of the evidence provided and the applicant’s accomplishments in the service of the Nation, we recommend that his records be corrected as indicated below. _________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT: The pertinent military records relating to the APPLICANT be corrected to show that he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement, while participating in aerial flight with Detachment 1, 6994th Security Squadron, Phu Cat Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, on 25 August 1970. _________________________________________________________________ The following members of the Board considered Docket Number BC- 2011-01560 in Executive Session on 14 December 2011, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: All members voted to correct the records, as recommended. The following documentary evidence for AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2011- 01560 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 17 Apr 11, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSIDR, dated 26 May 11. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 17 Jun 11. Exhibit E. Letter, Applicant, dated 28 Jun 11.