RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:	DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2014-04096 COUNSEL:	NONE
HEARING DESIRED:	NO

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:
His DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, be amended to reflect the following awards:

1.	Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (SAEMR).

2.	Global	War	on	Terrorism	Expeditionary	(GWOT-E)	Medal.	
(Administratively	Resolved)			

3.	Global	War	on	Terrorism	Service	(GWOT-S)	Medal.	
(Administratively	Resolved)				

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:
Omission of the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon must have been an oversight and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal did not exist at the time of his discharge.

The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A.

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

On 5 Apr 00, the applicant entered the Regular Air Force.
According to AF Form 900, Enlisted Performance Report (EPR), for the period 13 Nov 00 to 5 Dec 01, the applicant deployed to Kuwait in support of Operations SOUTHERN WATCH/ENDURING FREEDOM.

According to an undated certificate of recognition, the applicant’s performance was commended by the commander of Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan.

On 24 Oct 02, the applicant was furnished an under honorable conditions general) discharge, and was credited with 2 years,
5 months, and 20 days of active service, which included 1 year and
16 days of foreign service.

The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are contained in the memorandum prepared by the Air Force office of primary responsibility (OPR), which is attached at Exhibit C.

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:
AFPC/DPSID defers to the Board for final determination if there is evidence of an error or an injustice regarding award of the SAEMR. The SAEMR is awarded to all Air Force members who, after 1 Jan 63, qualify as “expert” in small-arms marksmanship with either the
M-16 rifle or issue handgun. Qualification as “expert” in both weapons after 22 Jun 72 shall be denoted by a bronze service star worn on the service ribbon.

The applicant provided an AF Form 522, USAF Ground Weapons Training Data, showing one attempt at qualifying with the M-16, once with a M9, and M203. The first entry is for the M-16 with date trained of 17 Jan 02. The AF Form 522 shows status “E” and score of”35;” however, both blocks appear they have been changed from something else. The other two weapons show a status of “Q.”

After a review of the applicant’s official military personnel record, we were unable to verify award of the SAEMR. It was not possible to identify any official documentation in the applicant’s record, without question of authenticity, such as an AF Form 522, verifying he qualified as expert with either the M-16 rifle or issue handgun. If the board finds in favor of the applicant, his official military record will be updated to show award of the SAER. To grant relief would be contrary to the  criteria established by DoDM 1348.33, Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff, and/or the War Department.

Based on our review of the applicant’s official military personnel record, and the information submitted with this request, it was determined the GWOT-E Medal and GWOT-S Medal should have been awarded during the applicant’s service from 6 Apr 00 to 24 Oct 02 and were not reflected in his records.

The applicant provided Special Order (SO) TE-516 to Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, a certificate awarding him the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal while assigned to the       Air Expeditionary Group in Kuwait, and a paid travel voucher for SO     annotated and a notice of paid. The travel voucher also shows a departure date of 19 Sep 01 and report date of 15 Dec 01. Further, he provided a certificate from the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander, Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, as well as SO  to Kyrgyzstan with a proceed on or about date of 1 Jul 02. Additionally, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service verified he received Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger pay for Kuwait from 20 Sep 01 to 14 Dec 01 and for Kyrgyzstan from 4 Jul 02 to 26 Aug 02.

Upon	final	board	approval,	the	applicant’s	official	military personnel record will be administratively corrected.

A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSID evaluation is at Exhibit C.

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:
The applicant contends the lack of clarity of the text on his AF Form 522 is because he highlighted the areas of concern to aid the Board members. He resubmits the AF Form 522, without highlight marks.

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 a thorough review of the evidence of record and the applicant’s complete submission, we believe the applicant is the victim of an error. While we note the comments of AFPC/DPSID indicating that relief should be denied because the applicant’s records contain inconclusive documentation substantiating his contention he be awarded the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (SAEMR), we believe a preponderance of the evidence substantiates that corrective action is warranted. In this respect, we note the AF Form 522 submitted with the applicant’s rebuttal response appears to be unaltered. The Board believes the issues noted in the advisory were due to artifacts associated with highlighting and photocopying the AF Form 522 when the copy was submitted with the application, and these issues were resolved when the applicant submitted a better copy with the rebuttal. The Board members conclude the authenticity of this document substantiates award of the SAEMR. 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 be awarded the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (SAEMR).

The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2014-04096 in Executive Session on 30 Jun 15 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

, Panel Chair
, Member
, Member
All members voted to correct the records as recommended. The following documentary evidence was considered:

Exhibit A.	DD Form 149, dated 15 Sep 14, w/atchs. Exhibit B.	Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C.	Memorandum, AFPC/DPSID, dated 31 Dec 14. Exhibit D.	Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 17 Feb 15.
Exhibit E.	Letter, Applicant, dated 24 Feb 15, w/atchs.