PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF: 

	BOARD DATE:               10 December 1998
	DOCKET NUMBER:       AC98-12377

	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	
	Mr. Hubert S. Shaw, Jr.		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. JoAnn H. Langston		Chairperson	
	Mr. James M. Alward		Member	
	Mr. Stanley Kelley		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 correction of his records to show award of the Prisoner of War (POW) Medal.

3.  The applicant states his POW status has been acknowledged, but that it does not appear on his discharge.

4.  The applicant’s military records were lost or destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.  Records available to the Board were obtained from alternate sources and show he was inducted on 10 March 1943.  He served in the European Theater of Operations from 29 October 1944 to 1 June 1945 and was honorably discharged on 16 November 1945. 

5.  The applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation) does not show the POW Medal as an authorized award or that he was a POW.   

6.  Records in the applicant’s personnel file show that the applicant was a POW.  Informal coordination with the Prisoner of War Branch of the Total Army Personnel Command revealed that the applicant’s name was on the list of World War II POW’s, that he was a member of the 106th Division, and that he was a prisoner of Germany from 16 December 1944 to 22 April 1945.

7.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides, in pertinent part, for award of the POW Medal.  The regulation states that the POW Medal was authorized on 8 November 1985 and is awarded to individuals who in past armed conflicts were taken prisoner or held captive.

8.  Regulations in effect establish the standardized policy for preparing and distributing discharge documents.  In pertinent part, it directs that the unit of assignment, country and dates of capture and release will be entered in the “Remarks” section of the discharge document.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The applicant was a POW during World War II; therefore, he is entitled to award of the POW Medal and correction of his records to show his POW status.

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

RECOMMENDATION:

That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by showing the individual concerned was awarded the POW Medal and by showing the entry “Prisoner of War, 106th Division, Germany, 441216-450422” in item 55 (Remarks) of his WD AGO 53-55.

BOARD VOTE:  

JHL_____  JMA____  SK______  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		______________________
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AC98-12377/AR1998012725	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	1998/12/10	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	(HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD)	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	YYYYMMDD	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR . . . . .  	
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.	107.00	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.