APPLICANT REQUESTS:  That he be awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB).

APPLICANT STATES:  While he was a member of the 32d Infantry Regiment in Korea, he participated in all the actions of the 32d Regiment.  Everyone in his unit was awarded the CIB, including himself.  Upon separation, it was not included on his DD Form 214.  He includes a partial set of Special Orders 198 dated 14 October 1950 awarding the CIB to members of the 32d Infantry Regiment.

COUNSEL CONTENDS:  In effect, that all, repeat all, members of the 32d Infantry were awarded the CIB per Special Order 198.  He states that information in his hometown newspaper regarding his award could only have come through official Army channels.

EVIDENCE OF RECORD:  The applicant’s military records were lost or destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.  Information herein was obtained from alternate sources.

The applicant enlisted in the Regular Army on 20 September 1946.  He served   2 years, 11 months and 26 days overseas with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 32d Infantry Regiment.  His military occupational specialty was cook.  He was separated on 4 January 1952.  He had earned the Army of Occupation Medal (Japan) and the Korean Service Medal with two bronze service stars.

Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides for the award of the Combat Infantryman Badge to a soldier who is an infantryman satisfactorily performing infantry duties, who is assigned to an infantry unit during such time as the unit is engaged in active ground combat, and must actively participate in such ground combat.  Campaign or battle credit alone is not sufficient for award of the CIB.

DISCUSSION:  Considering all the evidence, allegations, and information presented by the applicant, together with the evidence of record, applicable law and regulations, it is concluded:

1.  In order to justify correction of a military record the applicant must show to the satisfaction of the Board, or it must otherwise satisfactorily appear, that the record is in error or unjust.  The applicant has failed to submit evidence that would satisfy the aforementioned requirement.

2.  The applicant was not an infantryman.  He is not eligible for award of the CIB. If anyone who was included in Special Orders 198 was not an infantryman, that individual was erroneously awarded the CIB.  Under wartime conditions with little or no administrative oversight, units often make the mistake of awarding decorations they are not authorized to give or to give awards to individuals not eligible by regulation to receive them.

3.  In view of the foregoing, there is no basis for granting the applicant’s request.

DETERMINATION:  The applicant has failed to submit sufficient relevant evidence to demonstrate the existence of probable error or injustice.

BOARD VOTE:

                       GRANT          

                       GRANT FORMAL HEARING

                       DENY APPLICATION

						Loren G. Harrell
						Director