RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:	DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2015-01733 COUNSEL:	NONE
HEARING DESIRED:	NO

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:
Her DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, be amended to reflect he served in Saudi Arabia during Operation DESERT STORM, and that an applicable expeditionary medal be awarded.

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:
Her deployment orders from 1999 justify her request.
The	applicant’s	complete	submission,	with	attachments,	is	at Exhibit A.

STATEMENT OF FACTS:
On 19 Jun 96, the applicant entered the Regular Air Force.
According to documentation provided by the applicant, her name is listed on special mission travel orders, in support of Operation DESERT STORM, from Florida, to Prince Sultan SA (Saudi Arabia), and return to Florida, with a proceed date on/about
5 Aug 99, for a period of 120 days.
On 21 Apr 00, the applicant was furnished an honorable discharge, and was credited with 3 years, 10 months, and 3 days of active service, which includes no (zero) 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 of the applicant’s request for foreign service in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, indicating there is no evidence of an error or an injustice. A review of her Master Personnel Records, and documentation submitted the applicant, failed to provide any documents to substantiate foreign service time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

A complete copy of the AFPC/DPAPP evaluation is at Exhibit C.
AFPC/DPSID recommends denial of the applicant’s request for an expeditionary medal for service in Saudi Arabia in 1999, indicating there is no evidence of an error or an injustice. The Armed Forces  Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who, after 1 Jul 58, participated in United States Military operations, United States operations in direct support of the United Nations, or United States operations of assistance for friendly foreign nations. The AFEM may be awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who after 1 Jul 58: Participate, or have participated, as members of United States Military units in a United States Military operation in which service members of any Military Department participate, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in significant numbers; encounter, incident to such participation, foreign armed opposition, or are otherwise placed, or have been placed, in such position that, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hostile action by foreign armed forces was imminent even though it did not materialize. Service members must have been permanently assigned, attached, or detailed to a unit that participated in or engaged in direct support of the operation for 30 consecutive days in a designated area of eligibility in a foreign territory (or for the full period when an operation is less than 30 days duration) or for
60 non-consecutive days provided the support involved entering the area of eligibility or met the following criteria: Was engaged in actual combat, or duty that was equally as hazardous as combat duty, during the operation with armed opposition, regardless of time in the area of eligibility, or was wounded or injured and required medical evacuation from the area of eligibility while participating in the operation, regardless of time in the area of eligibility.

After a thorough review of the applicant’s official military personnel record and with the assistance of AFPC/DPAPP, we were unable to verify award of the AFEM.

It is noted AFPC/DPAPP was unable to verify the applicant’s foreign  service  time  in  Saudi  Arabia.   The  applicant’s DD Form 214, section 12f reflects no foreign service credit was awarded to the applicant during her active duty service.

The applicant provided Special Order   for temporary duty in Saudi Arabia in support of Operation DESERT STORM with a proceed on or about date of 5 Aug 99; however, the travel voucher verifying the deployment was carried out (to include the exact dates and location) was not provided.

The applicant’s AF Form 910, Enlisted Performance Report (EPR) covering 1 Dec 98 through 30 Nov 99 states the applicant volunteered for deployment to support Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, enhancing her wartime skills.

It is recommended to disapprove award of the AFEM. As of 1999, Operation DESERT STORM had been over for several years; however, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH was an active operation during 1999.

Therefore, if it can be verified (or the Board determines) deployment to Saudi Arabia was carried out per Special Order for at least 30 days then the deployment would have been in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, as the applicant’s EPR states, and not Operation DESERT STORM as Special Order TE-0262 and the applicant would then be eligible for the AFEM.

Unfortunately with AFPC/DPAPP being unable to verify foreign service to Saudi Arabia, the applicant’s DD Form 214 showing no foreign service credit, no travel voucher authenticating Special Order and the applicant’s AF Form 910 not stating where the applicant deployed to in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, there is not enough  documentation to conclusive state the applicant deployed to the area of eligibility in support of an operation for which the AFEM is authorized. 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.

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 5 Nov 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 applicant was not timely filed. While the applicant claims a date of discovery of less than three years ago, in our view, the reasonable date of discovery of the alleged error or
1.	

injustice was more than three years ago and the application is therefore timely.

3.	Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice. 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 the 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 of injustice. Specifically, the Board found  insufficient evidence of service in Saudi Arabia, such as a completed travel voucher, to grant the applicant’s request. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting the requested relief.

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-2015-01733 in Executive Session on 19 Dec 15 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

, Panel Chair
, Member
, Member
The following documentary evidence was considered:
Exhibit A.	DD Form 149, dated 24 Apr 15, w/atchs. Exhibit B.	Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C.	Memorandum, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 31 Jul 15. Exhibit D.	Memorandum, AFPC/DPSID, dated 6 Oct 15. Exhibit E.	Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 5 Nov 15.