RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2013-00222 COUNSEL: NONE    HEARING DESIRED: NO _______________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 1. Her DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, be corrected to reflect service and awards and decorations entitled for support of Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM. 2. Her Air Force Commendation Medal (AFCM) and Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) be included on her DD Form 214. _______________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: The corrections are required for resume purposes and admittance to the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. In support of her request, the applicant provides copies of her citations, special orders and DD Form 214. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _______________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant entered active duty on 11 February 1980 and was honorably discharged on 1 July 1992. She served 12 years, 4 months and 21 days of active service, with 3 years, 10 months and 28 days of foreign service. Her DD Form 214 includes comment, “Served 2 August 1990 to 23 February 1991 in support of Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM.” This comment shows her military service during Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM but does not infer boots on ground for award of the Southwest Asia Service Medal. The Southwest Asia Service Medal is awarded to any member of the United States Armed Forces for service in support of Operations DESERT SHIELD, DESERT STORM, PROVIDE COMFORT, or the Cease Fire Campaign in one or more of the following areas from 2 August 1990 through 30 November 1995: The Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, that portion of the Arabian Sea that lies north of 10 degrees North latitude and west 68 degrees East longitude, as well as the total land areas of Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Individuals serving in Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, and Jordan. The Southwest Asia Service Medal is not authorized for award to those Service members who performed home station service during the Gulf War, such as support personnel in the United States. The Southwest Asia Service Medal is also not authorized for those who supported the Gulf War from European or Pacific bases. Her DD Form 215, Correction to DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, dated 7 July 1992, shows her DD Form 214 was amended to include the AFCM, with two devices. _______________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial of the applicant’s request to amend her DD Form 214 to reflect service in support of Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM. Although the applicant’s military service includes overseas assignments, DPAPP states a review of her military service records and the documentation submitted failed to substantiate foreign service in direct support of Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM. The complete DPAPP advisory is at Exhibit C. AFPC/DPSID recommends denial of the Southwest Asia Service Medal. She is ineligible for award of the Southwest Asia Service Medal based on the established criteria which excludes support from home station, to include support from European or Pacific bases. DPSID recommends denial of the MSM. DPSID states that a review of her service records failed to substantiate the applicant was awarded the MSM. In reviewing the inclusive dates of the unsigned MSM citation provided by the applicant, it appears the MSM was downgraded to an AFCM and that her records, as evidenced by the DD Form 215, were previously corrected to reflect award of the AFCM with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters; and further correction is not required. To award the MSM would constitute dual recognition and would not be in accordance with the Department of Defense Manual, 1348.33, Manual of Military Decorations and Awards, and Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-2803, The Air Force Awards and Decorations Program. The complete DPSID evaluation is at Exhibit D. _______________________________________________________________ APPLICANT’S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: Copies of the Air Force evaluations were forwarded to the applicant on 3 May 2013 for review and comment within 30 days (Exhibit E). As of this date, this office has not received a 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 error or injustice. We took notice of the applicant's complete submission in judging the merits of the case; however, we agree with the opinions and recommendations of the Air Force offices of primary responsibility and adopt their rationale as the basis for our conclusion that, 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 that the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of material error or injustice; that the application was denied without a personal appearance; and that 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 Docket Number BC-2013-00222 in Executive Session on 29 Oct 2013, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following pertinent evidence was considered in Docket Number BC-2013-00222. Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 11 Jan 2013. Exhibit B. Applicant’s DD Form 215, dated 7 Jul 1992. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 21 Feb 2013. Exhibit D. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 22 Apr 2013. Exhibit E. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 3 May 2013. 1 2