RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2013-04821 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ _ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: He be awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal (AFCM). ________________________________________________________________ _ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: Due to administrative errors/delays his application was not processed within the required time per AFI 36-2803 - which states “decorations must be completely processed within three years of the end date of the nomination.” He provided the awards application which shows the submission was held several months with some coordination. It was forwarded to the incorrect Group Commander in March 2012 and it was not re-routed to the correct Group Commander. In support of the applicant’s appeal, he provides email communique and a copy of his awards and decorations application. The applicant's complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ _ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant is currently serving in the Air Force Reserve in the grade of senior master sergeant. ________________________________________________________________ _ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: ARPC/DPTS recommends approval. DPTS states the governing guidance for the Air Force Commendation Medal, issuing a recommendation is found in AFI 36-2803, paragraph 3.1. Although the applicant’s decoration entered the official channel of coordination, it was not awarded prior to the required three year period. The decoration nomination entered initial coordination on 4 July 2011. The decoration needed to be submitted to Headquarters Air Reserve Personnel Center by 14 February 2012; however, it was not submitted to Headquarters Air Reserve Personnel Center until 5 April 2013. Therefore, the nomination did not meet the requirement of being awarded within the three-year time frame. The applicant submitted documentation (e-mail traffic) with his request showing that unit administrative errors led to his nomination not being processed in a timely manner. The DPTS complete evaluation is at Exhibit B. ________________________________________________________________ _ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: On 5 May 2014, a copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant for review and response within 30 days (Exhibit C). As of this date, no response has been received by this office. ________________________________________________________________ _ THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT 1. The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing law or regulations. 2. The application was timely filed. 3. Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice. After reviewing the evidence provided in support of this appeal, i.e., email communique showing that unit administrative errors led to his nomination not being processed in a timely manner and the favorable recommendation of the Air Force office of primary responsibility, we find the applicant’s record should be corrected to reflect award of the AFCM. Therefore, we recommend his records be corrected as indicated below. ________________________________________________________________ _ THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT: The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force relating to APPLICANT, be corrected to show that on 14 February 2012, he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal (AFCM) for meritorious service during the period from 16 January 2004 to 14 February 2009. ________________________________________________________________ _ The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2013-04821 in Executive Session on 3 July 2014, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: All members voted to correct the record, as recommended. The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 3 October 2013, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Letter, ARPC/DPTS, dated 11 December 2013. Exhibit C. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 5 May 2014.