PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:      

	BOARD DATE:            17 August 2000
	DOCKET NUMBER:    AR2000035521

	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. Carl W. S. Chun		Director	
	Mr. Walter Avery, Jr.		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. Sherri V. Ward		Chairperson	
	Mr. Melvin H. Meyer		Member	
	Ms. Linda D. Simmons		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 records be corrected by reflecting his award of the Prisoner of War (POW) Medal.

3.  The applicant states that he was a POW for three days in World War (WW) II.

4.  The applicant's military records were lost or destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.  Information herein was derived from documents provided by the applicant.

5.  His WD AGO Form 53-55 (separation document) indicates he was inducted on 5 February 1943, trained as rifleman and served in the Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France and Central Europe campaigns.  The awards reflected are the Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB).

6.  A WD AGO Form 100 (Separation Qualification Record) reflects that the applicant was a Prisoner of War for 5 months.

7.  Provided also is a copy of a post card that was sent by the applicant to his family in 1944 providing them with his prisoner number.

8.  A DA Form 1577 (Authorization for Issuance of Awards) dated 12 December 1988 reflects that a POW Medal was ordered for the applicant at that time.

9.  Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards, provides that subsequent to the cessation of hostilities during WWII the regulation governing the award of the Bronze Star Medal was changed, in part, to provide for the award of this decoration to those individuals who had been awarded the CIB for meritorious achievement in ground combat against the armed enemy between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945.

10.  The same regulation, provides, in pertinent part, that the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal was awarded for service for 30 consecutive days at a normal post of duty while assigned to the Army of Occupation of Germany (exclusive of Berlin) between 9 May 1945 and 5 May 1955.  Service between 9 May and 8 November 1945 would be counted only if the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for service prior to 9 May 1945.

11.  The awards regulation also provides, that the American Campaign Medal is awarded for qualifying service in the American Theater between 7 December 1941 and 2 March 1946 and the WWII Victory Medal awarded for service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The applicant’s record substantiates the he was awarded the POW Medal and is therefore entitled to have the award reflected on his discharge document.

2.  Additionally, evidence of record shows that the applicant is authorized the following awards: the WW II Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal and the American Campaign Medal. 

3.  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:

a.  showing that the individual concerned was awarded the POW Medal; the Bronze Star Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal, and the American Campaign Medal; and

b.  issuing to him a correction to his WD AGO Form 53-55 reflecting the above mentioned changes.

BOARD VOTE:  

_svw_____  ___mhm_  __ids__  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

__         __  __         _  ___     ___  DENY APPLICATION

		_______Sherri V. Ward___
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR1999034435	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20000817	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	(HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD, UNCHAR)	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	YYYYMMDD	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR . . . . .  	
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.	107.00	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.