PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:            22 December 1999
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR1999023522

	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. W. W. Osborn, Jr.		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. Raymond V. O’Connor, Jr. 		Chairperson	
	Mr. Arthur A. Omartian		Member	
	Mr. Ernest W. Lutz, Jr.		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 reconsideration of his previous application to correct his military records by awarding him the Prisoner of War (POW) Medal.

3. The applicant forwards copies of an a late 1994 exchange of letters with a wartime comrade and copy of what he calls a letter diary that he kept while a POW and mailed to his wife after his repatriation.  He did not think sending the letter diary because it was mentioned in July 1944 newspaper article. 

4.  In the exchange of letters, the applicant had written that he could not recall seeing his comrade since they were POWs together in a German hospital in Normandy in 1944.  In the return letter, the comrade corrects the applicant by explaining when he returned to the unit and recalling various events that they shared after they had both rejoined the unit.  The comrade explained that they became separated at the hospital by the Germans because the comrade could walk.  He does not question the basic premise that they were POWs together.

5.  The Memorandum of Consideration of the Board’s 10 December 1998 review of his request is incorporated herein by reference as if wholly set forth.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The exchange of letters taken together with the official notification that the applicant was missing in action and the other available evidence demonstrates that the applicant was a POW and is entitled to the POW Medal.

2. In view of the foregoing findings and conclusions, correcting  the applicant’s records as recommended below would rectify an injustice.

RECOMMENDATION:

That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by that the individual concerned was awarded the POW Medal.  

BOARD VOTE:

__RVO__  __AAO__  __EWL__  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		 _Raymond V. O’Connor, Jr._
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR1999023522	
SUFFIX		
RECON		
DATE BOARDED	19991222	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE		
DATE OF DISCHARGE		
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY		
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	Grant	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.	107.00	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.