RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2012-02942 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His records be corrected to reflect that he received the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) for his service in Vietnam and Thailand. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He spent over six months at Nha Trang and Cam Rahn Bay in Vietnam, but declined the combat ribbon during his out- processing because he just wanted to get home. He also spent time in Thailand supporting the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on a top secret assignment. On paper he was assigned to the 450th Field Maintenance Squadron (FMS) at Minot, ND, but he was actually in Thailand and Nha Trang, Vietnam. He had a broken nose straightened in the Cam Rahn Bay base medical unit, and he was treated for “jungle rot” in Nha Trang. He spent over 20 total months in Thailand, Vietnam, and Okinawa in 1967, 1968, and 1969. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachment, is at Exhibit A. _________________ ______________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant entered the Air Force on 8 Feb 65. The applicant’s official military records indicate he served on temporary duty (TDY) in Southeast Asia (SEA) from 20 Jan 27 to 22 Mar 27 (67 days), 2 Nov 67 to 6 Jan 68 (65 days), and 28 Oct 68 to 3 Dec 68 (36 days) for a total of 168 days TDY to SEA. The applicant’s medical records reflect that on 15 Oct 68, he sustained a “broken nose—Cam Rahn Bay,” and suffered a “fractured nose 1967 in fight.” On 9 Jan 69, was Honorably discharged and was credited with 3 years, 11 months, a 2 days of total active service, which included 1 year, 4 months, and 15 days of foreign service. On 13 Aug 12, AFPC/DPAPP notified the applicant that they could partially resolve his request through an administrative correction. They were able to verify the applicant had boots on the ground at Naha Air Base, Okinawa, Japan from 25 Aug 67 to 4 Jan 69 for 1 year, 4 months, and 11 days; and, TDY to SEA from 20 Jan 67 to 4 Jan 69, 2 Nov 67 to 6 Jan 68; and, 18 Oct 68 to 3 Dec 68 for a combined foreign total service of 1 year, 6 months, and 14 days. DPAPP provided the applicant a Boots on the Ground letter confirming his service in Okinawa and Southeast Asia at unconfirmed locations, and are administratively correcting his DD Form 214. The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are contained in the letter prepared by the appropriate office of the Air Force, which is attached at Exhibit C. ________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSID recommends denial, indicating there is no evidence of an error or injustice. After a thorough review of the applicant’s official record, no official documentation was located verifying the applicant served in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia. The AFPC Directorate of Assignments (DPA) has verified the applicant served on temporary duty in Southeast Asia for a total of 5 months and 27 days, but were unable to verify service in either Vietnam or Thailand. The VSM is awarded to all service members of the Armed Services who between 4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73, served in the following areas of Southeast Asia: Vietnam and the contiguous waters and airspace; in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the airspace thereof while attached to or directly serving for one or more days with an organization directly supporting military operations; actually participate as a crew member on one or more aerial flights directly supporting military operations; or serve on temporary duty (TDY) for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days, which may be waived for personnel participating in actual combat operations. A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSID 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 23 Oct 12 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 an injustice. After thoroughly reviewing the evidence of record and noting the applicant’s complete submission, we are not persuaded that he has met his burden of establishing an error or an injustice in his record. In this respect, we note that while the applicant’s medical records indicate that he was treated at Cam Rahn Bay, Republic of Vietnam for a fractured nose, we find no evidence to establish that he meets any of the prerequisite criteria for entitlement to the Vietnam Service Medal, i.e., attached to or directly serving for one or more days with an organization directly supporting military operations, actually participated as a crew member on one or more aerial flights directly supporting military operations, or assigned TDY for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days in the required locations. In addition, we note the Air Force OPR determined the applicant qualifies for, and furnished him with, a Boots-on- the-Ground letter for his time served in Southeast Asia. Therefore, in view of the above and 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-2012-02942 in Executive Session on 28 Feb 13, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: Panel Chair Member Member The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2012-02942 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 18 Jun 12, w/atch. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 9 Oct 12. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 23 Oct 12.