RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF: 			DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2016-00869

						COUNSEL:  NONE

						HEARING DESIRED:  NO 

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

His DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, be corrected to reflect award of the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM).  

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

He was stationed at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (Udorn RTAFB), Thailand and assigned to the 432nd USAF Hospital.  The base and hospital actively supported the evacuation of Saigon, Operation FREQUENT WIND.  It is his understanding that those USAF units in Thailand supporting the operation are eligible and due the VSM.  However, the VSM has been erroneously omitted from his DD Form 214.  

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

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant’s military personnel records indicate he was commissioned in the Regular Air Force on 6 June 1973.  

On 30 June 1997, the applicant was relieved from active duty and retired in the grade of lieutenant colonel (O5), effective 1 July 1997.  He was credited with 20 years, 4 months, and 8 days active service for retirement.  

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/DP3SP recommends denial for award of the VSM.  The applicant contends he was stationed in Thailand, in support of Operation FREQUENT WIND; however, Thailand is not in the area of eligibility for Operation FREQUENT WIND.  The applicant’s dates of service in Thailand are past the award inclusive period for award of the VSM.  

The VSM is awarded to all service members of the United States Armed Forces serving at any time after 3 July 1965 and before 28 March 1973, in the areas of eligibility (AOE).  The AOE is defined as:  Vietnam, its contiguous waters, or the airspace there over; in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia, their contiguous waters, or the airspaces there-over, and in direct support of operations in Vietnam.  To be eligible, a service member must have served on temporary duty (TDY) for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days.  These time limitations may be waived for personnel who participated in actual combat operation.  

The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is the appropriate award for participation in Operation FREQUENT WIND.  However, the area of responsibility for award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for support of Operation FREQUENT WIND is Vietnam.  After a thorough review of the applicant’s official military personnel record, there was no official documentation verifying he entered the area of responsibility and served in direct support of Operation FREQUENT WIND, which occurred in Vietnam.  

A complete copy of the AFPC/DP3SP 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 27 February 2017 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 timely filed.

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 opinion and recommendation of the Air Force office of primary responsibility (OPR) and adopt its rationale as the basis for our conclusion the applicant has not been the victim of an error of injustice.  Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting the requested relief.

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS 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-2016-00869 in Executive Session on 1 June 2017 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

	Panel Chair
	Member
	Member

The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2016-00869 was considered:

	Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 25 February 2016, w/atchs.
	Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
	Exhibit C.  Memorandum, AFPC/DP3SP, dated 25 July 2016.
	Exhibit D.  Letter, AFBCMR, dated 27 February 2017.

Pursuant to paragraph 1 of AFI 36-2603 (Title 32 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 865.1), it is certified that a quorum was present at the Board's review and deliberations, and that the foregoing is a true and complete record of the Board's proceedings in the above entitled matter.