RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2012-02467 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His DD Form 214, Report of Separation from Active Duty, be corrected to reflect he was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVCM). _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He was on temporary duty (TDY) to Korat, Thailand and was assigned to Udorn Royal Thai Air Base (RTAB), Thailand during the Vietnam Conflict. Also, he knows other veterans who served in Thailand during the same time period and were not in-country; yet, they received both medals. The applicant's complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant’s records reflect he commenced his active duty service on 7 Sep 71. The applicant's performance report for the period ending 21 Feb 73, indicates he was TDY to Korat, Thailand. The applicant’s performance report for the period ending 30 Mar 75 reflects he was assigned to Udorn RTAFB, Thailand. On 11 Jun 75, the applicant was released from active duty and credited with 3 years, 9 months, and 5 days of total active service, 6 months and 23 days of which was foreign service. The VSM is awarded to all members of the U. S. Armed Forces serving at any time between 4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73 in the area of eligibility (AOE). The AOE is defined as: Vietnam, its contiguous waters, or airspace there-over; in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia, their contiguous waters, or the airspaces there-over, and in direct support of operations in Vietnam. To be eligible, a Service member must have served on TDY for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days. These time limitations may be waived for personnel who participated in actual combat operations. A bronze service star denotes campaign participation and is awarded for at least 1 day served in each campaign phase. The RVCM is awarded to members of the US armed forces who, during the period 1 Mar 61 through 28 Mar 73, served for six months in South Vietnam, or served outside the geographical limits of South Vietnam, and contributed direct combat support to the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) Armed Forces for an aggregate of six months. Only those who meet the criteria established for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) (Vietnam) or the VSM during the period of service are considered to have contributed direct combat support the RVN Armed Forces. _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSID recommends denial, indicating there is no evidence of an error or injustice. Although the applicant’s performance report for the period of 10 Apr 72 to 21 Feb 73 states he was deployed TDY to Korat, Thailand, it does not indicate the length of the TDY. Furthermore, his performance report for the inclusive period 1 Oct 74 to 30 Mar 75, reflects he was assigned to Udorn RTAFB, Thailand; however, this time-frame is outside of the closeout period for award of the VSM and RVCM. The applicant does not meet the award criteria for the VSM or RVCM for the time-period in question. There was no official documentation located in his military personnel record verifying he served in Thailand for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days during the inclusive period for the VSM. Also, there is no official documentation verifying he served in Thailand for an aggregate of 6 months for award of the RVCM. There is no evidence in the applicant’s records which indicates he was eligible or met the criteria for award of the VSM or RVCM. The complete AFPC/DPSID evaluation is at Exhibit C. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: Upon review of his actual service dates and time requirements he understands he does not qualify for award of the RVCM, however, he qualifies for award of the VSM. He was sent TDY to Korat from 13 Oct 72 to on or about 7 Apr 73 in support of the Vietnam War effort. This TDY was not to exceed 179 days because anything over that time period would be considered a permanent change of station (PCS) move. In support of his responses, the applicant provides a copy of a 1973 calendar where he was counting every day leading up to his return home to his wife and daughter. _________________________________________________________________ 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, including his rebuttal response, 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. 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 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-2012-02467 in Executive Session on 28 Feb 13 and 14 Mar 13, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Forms 149, dated 28 May 12, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 7 Aug 12. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 28 Aug 12. Exhibit E. Letters, Applicant, dated 2 Sep 12 and 26 Oct 12.