RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2011-04254 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: He be awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM). _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He served at Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, from July 1973 to July 1974. He was attached to the 8th Avionics Maintenance Squadron providing ground support for the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing F4D Phantom Bombers and the 16th Special Operations AC-130 Gunships. Both aircrafts flew missions over Cambodia during his first few months stationed at Ubon. He believes he is entitled to the AFEM for direct support of the Cambodia Support Operations. He applied for membership with the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization and was informed that overseas foreign duty including a war zone or military operations campaign is required for membership. In support of his request, the applicant submits a copy of his DD Form 214, Report of Separation from Active Duty, a newspaper article and a letter from AFPC/DPSIDRA. The applicant's complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant enlisted in the Regular Air Force on 15 November 1971. On 6 December 1976, the applicant was honorably released and transferred to the Air Force Reserve. He served a total of 5 years and 22 days on active duty and credited with 1 year, 7 months and 1 day of foreign and/or sea service. The AFEM was established on 4 December 1961, to be awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who, after 1 July 1958, have participated in a United States military operation and encountered foreign armed opposition, or were in danger of hostile action by foreign Armed Forces. _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSIDR recommends denial. DPSIDR states although the applicant was overseas in Thailand while the Cambodia Support Operation was still in progress, there is no official military documentation specifying where in Thailand he was, which unit he was assigned to, or his duty title. No official documentation was located or provided that verifies applicant being directly deployed to Cambodia in direct support of Cambodia Support Operations. Only those in direct support of the Cambodia Support Operations are considered eligible, thereby rendering the applicant ineligible for the AFEM. The DPSIDR complete evaluation is at Exhibit C. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: On 7 March 2012, a copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant for review and comment within 30 days (Exhibit D). 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 an error or injustice. The applicant’s contentions are duly noted; 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. Therefore, in the absence of evidence that he was deployed to Cambodia in direct support of Cambodia Support Operations, we find no basis to recommend granting the relief sought. _________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of an 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-2011-04254 in Executive Session on 17 April 2012, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2011-04254 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 19 October 2011, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant’s Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSIDR, dated 22 February 2012. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 7 March 2012.