RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2012-04995 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His military personnel records and DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, be corrected to reflect he was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM). ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He should be awarded the AFEM based on his time served with the Elf One Command in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant’s military personnel records indicate he enlisted in the Regular Air Force on 4 Sep 81 and served on active duty until 2 Apr 87, when he was honorably discharged at the expiration of his term of service and was credited with 5 years, 6 months, and 29 days of total active service. The AFEM is awarded to members of the armed forces of the United States who after 1 Jul 58 participate, or have participated as members of the U.S. military units in a military operation in which Service members of any Military Department participate, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in significant numbers. The members must encounter during such participation foreign armed opposition, or are otherwise placed, or have been placed, in such a position that, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hostile action by foreign armed forces was imminent even though it did not materialize. The members must be engaged in direct support for 30 consecutive days in the area of operations (or the full period if the operation is less than 30 days) or 60 nonconsecutive days provided this support involves the area of operations. 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. ________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSID recommends denial, indicating the applicant has not provided any official documentation verifying he served in the area of eligibility of any approved campaign for the AFEM. Furthermore, the documentation provided by the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) does not show Operation ELF- One as being approved for award of the AFEM. The applicant provided an unofficial Certificate of Recognition that indicates he was deployed to ELF-One Command, Saudi Arabia, during the period of 17 Mar 83 to 19 May 83. His Airman Performance Reports (APR) make no mention of deployments. He also provided a copy of the official history of the 552nd Air Control Wing indicating on page 30 that the 552nd Air Warning and Control Wing was awarded the AFEM for their efforts during Operation ELF-One. Additionally, he provided e-mail traffic with the Organizational Historian at Maxwell AFB, AL, stating that the 552nd Air Warning and Control Squadron was awarded the AFEM for their participation in operations in Grenada and Panama and indicated that all other awards of the AFEM were to individual members. Furthermore, the AFHRA provided a complete listing of all AFEM streamers awarded to date and no streamer has been awarded for Operation ELF-One. The applicant has not provided any supporting documentation that shows he is eligible for the requested award. 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 11 Jan 13 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 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. ________________________________________________________________ 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-2012-04995 in Executive Session on 9 Jul 13, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 24 Oct 12, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 3 Jan 13. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 11 Jan 13.