RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 

 

IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2012-04187 

 

 COUNSEL: NONE 

 

 HEARING DESIRED: NO 

 

 

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APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 

 

He be awarded the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). 

 

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APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 

 

He was a crew chief doing combat refueling missions in Southeast 
Asia (SEA). He received combat pay for every month he was 
stationed in the overseas area. Because he was on orders to be 
on the missions and in harm’s way, he deserves the same 
recognition as the flight crews he accompanied. 

 

The applicant’s complete submission is at Exhibit A. 

 

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STATEMENT OF FACTS: 

 

The applicant’s military personnel records indicate he enlisted 
in the Regular Air Force on 20 Aug 65 and served on active duty 
until 14 Jan 69 when he was honorably discharged and was 
credited with 3 years, 4 months, and 25 days of total active 
service, which included 5 months and 15 days of foreign service. 

 

On 28 Jul 68, 22 Aug 68, and 30 Sep 68, the applicant 
participated in combat air refueling missions in the SEA hostile 
fire area as a non-crew member. 

 

The VSM is awarded to members of the armed forces who, between 
4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73, served in Vietnam, its continuous 
waters, or airspace there-over; or Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia 
and the airspaces there-over, and in direct support of 
operations in Vietnam. To qualify, a service member must have 
actually participated as a crew member in one or more aerial 
flights directly supporting military operations, or have served 
on temporary duty (TDY) for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive 
days. 

 



The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are 
described in the letter prepared by the Air Force office of 
primary responsibility (OPR) which is attached at Exhibit C. 

 

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AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

AFPC/DPSID recommends denial, indicating that after a thorough 
review of the applicant’s official military personnel record and 
documentation provided, they were unable to verify the applicant 
met the criteria for award of the VSM. There is no official 
documentation verifying the applicant served in the eligible 
areas and his participation in the three documented flights were 
as a non-crew member and do not meet the criteria for the award. 

 

A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSID evaluation is at Exhibit C. 

 

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APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

A copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the 
applicant on 11 Jan 13 for review and comment within 30 days. 
As of this date, no response has been received by this office 
(Exhibit D). 

 

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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 its 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 this 
application. 

 

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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. 

 

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The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket 
Number BC-2012-04187 in Executive Session on 14 May 13, under 
the provisions of AFI 36-2603: 

 

 , Panel Chair 

 , Member 

 , Member 

 

The following documentary evidence was considered: 

 

 Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 20 Sep 12. 

 Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. 

 Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 4 Jan 13. 

 Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 11 Jan 13.