RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2011-03062 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: He be awarded the following awards: 1. The Purple Heart (PH). 2. The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC). ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: On 28 Feb 68, while he was a member of the 3rd Civil Engineering Combat Support Group with the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing at Bien Hoa Air Base Vietnam, he received the PH and PUC. His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, was updated and his PH and PUC are now missing from his updated DD Form 214. The applicant’s complete submission is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: According to the applicant’s military personnel records, he served on active duty from 9 Jan 67 to 5 Aug 76 and was credited with 9 years, 6 months, and 27 days of total active service. His service is documented on three separate DD Forms 214, none of which indicate he was awarded the PH or PUC. The PH is awarded for wounds received as a direct result of enemy actions. The PUC is awarded is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and cobelligerent nations, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 Dec 41. The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application, extracted from the applicant’s master personnel records, are described in the letter prepared by the Air Force office of responsibility which is included at Exhibit C. ________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: HQ AFPC/DPSIDRA recommends denial, indicating there is no evidence of an error or injustice. The applicant has not provided any documentation to support his claim. There was no official documentation within the applicant’s official military record verifying he was recommended for or awarded the PH. The applicant has not provided a detailed personal account, medical documentation verifying he received an injury as a direct result of enemy action that required medical treatment, or eyewitness statements to support his claim. The applicant is only credited with Foreign Service in the Philippines and Thailand, with no verifiable service in Vietnam. A thorough review of his records failed to reveal any evidence of his service with the 3rd Civil Engineering Combat Support Group, or any other unit that was awarded the PUC. Therefore, the applicant is ineligible for entitlement to the PUC. A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSIDRA evaluation is at Exhibit C. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: A copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant on 4 Nov 11 for review and comment within 30 days. As of this date, no response has been received by this office (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 an 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 (OPR) and adopt their rationale as the basis for our conclusion the applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting the relief sought in the application. ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of material error or injustice; the application was denied without a personal appearance; and 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-2011-03062 in Executive Session on 22 February 12, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 28 Jul 11. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, HQ AFPC/DPSIDRA, dated 5 Oct 11. Exhibit D. Letter, Applicant Response, dated 4 Nov 11.