PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:                              
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AC9807865

	I certify that hereinafter is recorded the true and complete record of the proceedings of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in the case of the above-named individual.  

	Mr. Loren G. Harrell		Director	
	M .		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. 		Chairperson	
	Mr. 		Member	
	Mr. 		Member	

	The applicant and counsel if any, did not appear before the Board.

	The Board considered the following evidence:

	Exhibit A - Application for correction of military 
                records
	Exhibit B - Military Personnel Records (including
	            advisory opinion, if any)

FINDINGS:

1.  The applicant has exhausted or the Board has waived the requirement for exhaustion of all administrative remedies afforded by existing law or regulations.

2.  The applicant requests that his military records be corrected by showing he is entitled to award of the Air Medal.  He states he believes he should have been awarded the Air Medal based on the number of combat assaults in which he participated.  He includes 19 letters to his fiancee in which he mentions his airborne combat assaults or other combat duties.

3.  The applicant’s military records show that he enlisted in the Regular Army on 30 September 1963.  He arrived in Vietnam on 17 December 1965 and was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division as a light weapons infantryman.  

4.  His letters begin on 9 January 1966, when he mentioned he was supposed to go on patrol for two days and two nights but lucked out and pulled KP instead.  He brought chow out to the troops, the ones who were on the patrol.

5.  His letter of 14 January 1966 mention they moved out by helicopter, landed OK, no engagement with the enemy.  At night a couple of mortar rounds fell within our perimeter, no one was hurt.

6.  His letter of 23 January 1966 mention the unit going into a defensive position that surrounds An Khe and that on the 25th they were supposed to go on a combat mission.  

7.  His letter of 20 April 1966 mentioned that tomorrow they move for another big operation.  His letter of 30 April 1966 mentioned they had been out in the jungle nine days now and his letter of 2 May 1966 that they left early that morning and would probably stay in the company for 5 days.  His letter of 6 May 1966 mentioned they were still in the company area.  

8.  His letter of 13 May 1966 mentioned they had moved out again, then he and about seven others were evacuated due to sun stroke.  His letter of 15 May 1966 mentioned he had gone back to the company by truck convoy.

9.  His letter of 24 May 1966 mentioned his unit was airlifted by helicopter to a landing zone and they had been out for eight days so far.  On 26 and 28 May the unit was still out.

10.  On 5 June 1966, he mentioned that they were at Pleiku guarding the airfield. He was on KP and had been on KP for the last four days now.  

11.  On 13 June 1966, the unit had apparently been flown up to where the 101st Airborne Brigade was.  Yesterday morning he woke up for KP, wasn’t feeling too well and possibly had malaria.
12.  On 17 June 1966 he mentioned he was out of the hospital and out on operation again.  On 19 June 1966, he was still there, still waiting to go out.  The reason they couldn’t bring him out was because the terrain is too rough and helicopters can’t land.  On 22 June 1966 he mentioned he didn’t go on an operation, cause the helicopters couldn’t land where the company was at.  He just laid around by the mess hall for 3 days.  They were supposed to go on operation for 5 days up by the Laotion border.  His company went out first for 5 days, then A Company for 5 days, then B Co for 5 days.  Then when they come in off that operation they get a 10 day rest.

13.  On 25 June 1966, he mentioned he was back in the hospital again.  They had moved out on the 23d to Kontum airstrip.  The following day they moved to Duc Too again.  

14.  On 10 August 1966, he mentioned he had seen the doctor who said no driving military vehicles, no firing weapons, and no combat duty, until his glasses arrive.  The glasses should arrive 2 to 4 weeks.  

15.  The applicant departed Vietnam on or about 16 September 1966.  He was relieved from active duty on 16 September 1966.  His awards and decorations included the Combat Infantryman Badge.

16.  Army Regulation 600-8-2 provides for the award of the Air Medal to any person who will have distinguished himself while participating in aerial flight.  It is primarily intended to recognize those personnel who are on current crewmember or noncrewmember flying status which requires them to participate in aerial flight on a regular and frequent basis in the performance of their primary duties.  However, it may also be awarded to personnel whose combat duties require them to fly in the attack elements of units involved in airland assaults against an armed enemy.  Involvement in such activities serves only to establish eligibility for award of the Air Medal; the degree of heroism, meritorious achievement or exemplary service determines who should receive the award.

17.  At the time, U.S. Army Vietnam Regulation 672-1 provided that individuals who traveled by aircraft from point to point for the purpose of participating in combat assaults were eligible for the award of the Air Medal for achievement after completion of 25 assault missions.  For personnel transported by aircraft, a combat assault mission was defined as a mission where friendly troops conducted the initial landings into a hostile area for the purpose of conducting combat or combat support operations.  A passenger may have received credit for one mission for each assault landing completed.

18.  Combat missions were divided into three categories.  A category I mission was defined as a mission performed in an assault role in which a hostile force was engaged and was characterized by delivery of ordnance against the hostile force, or delivery of friendly troops or supplies into the immediate combat operations area.  A category II mission was characterized by support rendered a friendly force immediately before, during or immediately following a combat operation.  A category III mission was characterized by support of friendly forces not connected with an immediate combat operation but which must have been accomplished at altitudes which made the aircraft at times vulnerable to small arms fire, or under hazardous weather or terrain conditions.

19.  To be recommended for award of the Air Medal, an individual must have completed a minimum of 25 category I missions, 50 category II missions or     100 category III missions.  Since various types of missions would have been completed in accumulating flight time toward award of an Air Medal for sustained operations, different computations would have had to be made to combine category I, II and III flight time and adjust it to a common denominator.

20.  Normally, missions flown by personnel assigned to nonaviation units would have been recorded on USARV Form 131 by the individual and signed by the certifying officer.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.

2.

3.

4.  In view of the foregoing, the applicant’s records should be corrected as recommended below.

RECOMMENDATION:

1.  That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by 

2.  That so much of the application as is in excess of the foregoing be denied 

BOARD VOTE:  

________  ________  ________  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		______________________
		        CHAIRPERSON