RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2014-00951 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His records be corrected to reflect military service in Vietnam. APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He was part of a mobility medical team that was sent to Clark AFB, PI in June 1965. In August of 1965 he was sent on a temporary duty (TDY) assignment to Vietnam to take care of wounded military and get them ready to send back to the hospital at Clark AFB. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant initially entered the Regular Air Force on 10 Nov 60. According to the applicant’s military personnel records, he performed a TDY assignment to “SEA” for 140 days during the period 19 Aug 65 through 2 Jan 66. On 30 Nov 80, the applicant was relieved from active duty and retired, effective 1 Dec 80, and was credited with 20 years, and 21 days of active service, which included 2 years, 11 months, and 2 days of foreign service. According to his DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, the applicant was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVCM). The VSM is awarded to service members of the Armed Forces who served at any time between 4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73, in Vietnam, its contiguous waters, or airspace thereover; or in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia, or the airspaces thereover. To be eligible, a service member must be: (1) attached or regularly serving for one, or more, days with an organization participating in or directly supporting ground (military) operations, (2) attached to or regularly serving for one, or more, days aboard a naval vessel directly supporting military operations, (3) actually participate as a crew member in one or more aerial flights directly supporting military operations, or (4) serve on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days, time limitations which may be waived for personnel participating in actual combat operations. The RVCM is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who: 1) Served for six months in South Vietnam during the period 1 Mar 61 and 28 Mar 73; or served outside the geographical limits of South Vietnam and contributed direct combat support to the RVN Armed Forces for an aggregate of six months. Only members of the Armed Forces of the United States who meet the criteria established for the AFEM (Vietnam) or VSM during the period of service required are considered to have contributed direct combat support to the RVN Armed Forces. AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial indicating there is no evidence of an error or an injustice. A review of the Master Personnel Records and documentation submitted failed to provide any documents that substantiate foreign time in Vietnam. A complete copy of the AFPC/DPAPP 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 25 Jul 14 for review and comment within 30 days (Exhibit D). 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 not timely filed; however, it is in the interest of justice to excuse the failure to timely file. 3. Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an injustice. After a thorough review of the evidence of record and the applicant’s complete submission, we believe that corrective action is warranted. While we note the comments of AFPC/DPAPP indicating that relief should be denied because the applicant’s records do not contain documentation indicating the location of his TDY assignment to “SEA” from Aug 65 to Jan 66, we believe it is more likely than not the applicant served in the Republic of Vietnam. In this respect, we note the applicant was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVCM). While it is certainly possible for the applicant to have earned these awards by serving in other areas of Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, in view of the fact that the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) granted the applicant “agent orange” exposure, we find it reasonable to conclude the applicant served in the Republic of Vietnam as he contends. Therefore, we recommend the applicant’s records be corrected as indicated below. THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT: The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force relating to the APPLICANT be corrected to show that he had boots-on-the-ground in the Republic of Vietnam. The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2014-00951 in Executive Session on 18 Dec 14, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: All members voted to correct the records as recommended. The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 3 Mar 14, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Memorandum, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 14 Apr 14. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 28 Jul 14.