RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2013-02369 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ___________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, be corrected to reflect: 1. He was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). 2. He served in Vietnam from 1964 to 1965. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He was in Vietnam from 1964 to 1965; however, this service is not reflected on his DD Form 214. He was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal which shows he was involved in war. In support of his request, the applicant provides e-mail correspondence and envelopes from the mailed letters. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant is a former member of the Air Force who served from 11 January 1962 to 10 January 1966. His AF Form 7, Airman Military Record, reflects he was TDY for 24 days; however, no location is listed. _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial. A review of the applicant’s master personnel record and the documentation he submitted failed to substantiate Foreign Service in Vietnam. The completed DPAPP recommendation is at Exhibit C. AFPC/DPISD recommends denial. The VSM is awarded to all service members of the Armed Forces who between 4 July 1965 and 28 March 1973 served in Vietnam and the contiguous waters and air space, Thailand, Laos or Cambodia or the airspace there-over and in direct support of military operations in Vietnam. The member must have been TDY for 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days for the award of the VSM. APFC/DPAPP was unable to verify the applicant’s Foreign Service time in Vietnam. After a thorough review of the applicant’s records, the applicant’s entitlement to the VSM could not be verified. In accordance with Executive Order 11231, service members who earned the Armed Force Expeditionary Medal for service in Vietnam between 1 July 1958 and 3 July 1965, may elect to receive the Vietnam Service Medal instead of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. However, no service member may be issued both medals for service in Vietnam. The applicant’s DD Form 214 reflects award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Unfortunately, for which operation the applicant received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, could not be verified. Therefore, the applicant is not eligible to receive the Vietnam Service Medal, in lieu of, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. There is no documentation in the applicant’s record to verify he was in the area of eligibility for the award of the VSM. The complete DPSID evaluation is at Exhibit D. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: The applicant submitted letters he sent to his wife while stationed in Vietnam. The applicant’s complete response, with attachments, is at Exhibit F. ___________________________________________________________________ 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. We took notice of the applicant's complete submission in judging the merits of the case; however, we find the evidence submitted in support of his appeal insufficient to determine he served in Vietnam. Therefore, 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 the applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting any additional relief sought in this application. ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD RECOMMENDS 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-2013-02369 in Executive Session on 16 January 2014, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 13 May 13, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 17 Jun 13. Exhibit D. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 23 Aug 13. Exhibit E. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 6 Sep 13. Exhibit F. Letter, Applicant’s Response, undated, w/atchs. 1