RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:	DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2014-04972 COUNSEL:	NONE
HEARING DESIRED:	NOT INDICATED

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:
His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer	or	Discharge,	be	corrected	to	reflect	the	following awards:

1.	Air Force Overseas Ribbon (AFOR)
2.	Honorable Discharge Medal
3.	Cold War Service Medal
4.	Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) (Administratively resolved).
His DD Form 214, be corrected to reflect the following foreign service [approximately 3 years and 3 months of foreign service]:

5.	Vietnam; 6 months
6.	Guam; 15 months.
7.	Korea; 1 year (Administratively resolved).
8.	Thailand; 6 months (Administratively resolved).

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:
Awards and foreign service credit was earned during his service from 1953 to 1973.

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

STATEMENT OF FACTS:
According to the applicant’s DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, with an effective date of 21 Jul 57, he was credited with one year, zero months and six days of foreign service.

According to the applicant’s DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, with an effective date of to 21 Jul 63, he was credited with 3 year, 11 months and
19 days of foreign service.

According to the applicant’s DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, with an effective date of to 21 Jul 67, he was credited with 8 months and 21 days of foreign service.

The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are contained in the memoranda prepared by the Air Force offices of primary responsibility (OPR), which are attached at Exhibits C, and D.

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:
AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial indicating there is no evidence of an error or an injustice. After a complete review of the applicant’s official military record and the documentation provided, the following boots on ground/foreign service time was validated:

Republic of Korea; from 22 Mar 54 to 27 Mar 55, for 1 year and
6 days.
Alaska; from 10 Jun 58 to 28 May 62, for 3 years, 11 months and
19 days.
Republic of Vietnam; from 10 Nov 66 to 2 Apr 67, for 4 months and
24 days.
Thailand; from 2 Apr 67 to 30 Oct 67, for 6 months and 29 days.
Germany; from 14 Dec 67 to 14 Dec 70, for 3 years and 1 day.
The above amount of foreign service time is correctly reflected on his various DD Forms 214; therefore, the corrective action requested has been administratively resolved and does not require referral to the Board for Correction of Military Records.

Since specific locations are not annotated on the DD Form 214, the applicant should retain a copy of the AFPC/DPAPP advisory opinion as proof of boots on ground for the Republic of Korea, Alaska, Republic of Vietnam, Thailand and Germany.

A complete copy of the AFPC/DPAPP evaluation is at Exhibit C.
AFPC/DPSID recommends denial indicating there is no evidence of an error or an injustice with regards to awarding the Air Force Overseas Ribbon (AFOR), Honorable Discharge Medal, and the Cold War Service Medal.

The AFOR is authorized for completion of an overseas tour on or after 1 Sep 80; however, only individuals serving on active duty as of 6 Jan 86 are eligible to have the AFOR applied retroactively for completion of an overseas tour. The applicant’s dates of service [1953-1973] are prior to the award dates established for the AFOR; therefore, he is ineligible for the award.

With regards to the applicant’s request for the Honorable Discharge Medal and the Cold War Service Medal, these awards are

primarily celebratory display medals rather than official awards or decorations of the United States Air Force and Department of Defense. In the event the applicant was referring to the Cold War Certificate, instead of the Cold War Service Medal, he has been provided information to help him with his request, should he elect to pursue this action.

With regards to the applicant’s request for the VSM, no action is necessary as it was determined he was previously awarded the VSM, as annotated on his DD Form 214, dated 21 Jul 67.

Additionally, based on the review of the applicant’s official military personnel record, it was determined he should have been awarded the Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars (VSM w/2BSS), Republic of  Vietnam  Gallantry  Cross  with Palm (RVNGC w/P), and Vietnam Campaign Medal (VCM), however, these awards were not reflected in his records. Upon final Board decision, the applicant’s official military personnel record will be administratively corrected.

A complete copy of the AFPC/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 15 Jul 15 for review and comment within 30 days (Exhibit E). 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.	Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice warranting correction of the applicant’s records to reflect his entitlement to the Air Force Overseas Ribbon (AFOR), the Honorable Discharge Medal, and the Cold War Service Medal. 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 Air Force offices of primary responsibility (OPR) and adopt their rationale as the basis for our conclusion the applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice.

Further, insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice warranting correction of the applicant’s foreign service time.  Specifically,

4 months and 24 days of foreign service in Vietnam is already documented in the applicant’s record, and no evidence was found to support the applicant’s request for an additional 6 months foreign service time in Vietnam. Further, the Board found no evidence in the applicant’s record to award any foreign service in Guam.

With regards to the applicant’s request for the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM), the Board took no action as it was determined he was previously awarded the VSM, as annotated on his DD Form 214, dated
21 Jul 67.
Additionally, we note AFPC/DPSID has determined the applicant’s eligibility for the Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars (VSM w/2BSS), Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm (RVNGC w/P), and Vietnam Campaign Medal (VCM) and his records will be administratively corrected. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting relief beyond that rendered administratively.

4.	The applicant’s case is adequately documented and it has not been shown that a personal appearance with or without counsel will materially add to our understanding of the issues involved. Therefore, the request for a hearing is not favorably considered.

THE BOARD DETERMINES 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-2014-04972 in Executive Session on 26 Aug 15 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

, Panel Chair
, Member
, Member

The following documentary evidence pertaining AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2014-04972 was considered:

Exhibit A.	DD Form 149, dated 14 Nov 14, w/atchs. Exhibit B.	Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C.	Memorandum, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 30 Jan 15. Exhibit D.	Memorandum, AFPC/DPSID, dated 1 Jul 15. Exhibit E.	Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 15 Jul 15.
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