MEMORANDUM OF CONSIDERATION

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:  31 August 2000
	DOCKET NUMBER:  AR2000037359

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

	Mr. Carl W. S. Chun		Director	
	Mr. Paul A. Petty		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. Samuel A. Crumpler		Chairperson	
	Mr. Joe R. Schroeder		Member	
	Ms. Barbara J. Ellis		Member	

	The Board, established pursuant to authority contained in 10 U.S.C. 1552, convened at the call of the Chairperson on the above date.  In accordance with Army Regulation 15-185, the application and the available military records pertinent to the corrective action requested were reviewed to determine whether to authorize a formal hearing, recommend that the records be corrected without a formal hearing, or to deny the application without a formal hearing if it is determined that insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of probable material error or injustice.

	The applicant requests correction of military records as stated in the application to the Board and as restated herein.

	The Board considered the following evidence:

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

APPLICANT REQUESTS:  In effect, that he be promoted to pay grade E-7.

APPLICANT STATES:  That he was promotable but was not promoted due to lack of a promotion quota.  He served with distinction as Chief of Firing Battery from February to October 1971 for which he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal (BSM).

EVIDENCE OF RECORD:  The applicant's military records show:

That he enlisted in the Regular Army on 12 February 1952.  Except for one break in service of 1½ months in 1957, he served continuously until his retirement on 30 June 1972 with 20 years, 4 months, and 12 days service.  He advanced in rank until he was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSG), pay grade E-6, on 25 September 1967.  In addition to serving at several posts in the United States, he also served in Germany, Korea, and Vietnam.  He worked in the military occupational specialties in wire communications, artillery, and supply.  He did receive the BSM for meritorious achievement in connection with military operations against an armed hostile force for the period 8-27 April 1970 while in Vietnam.

There is no evidence in the record that the applicant was selected for promotion to Sergeant First Class (SFC).  The U.S. Army Total Personnel Command enlisted promotion board records show that the applicant was considered for promotion to SFC by the first centralized promotion board conducted in 
February 1972 but he was not selected for promotion.

Prior to 1 June 1970, SFC promotion boards were conducted at brigade or comparable level at military installations.  These were called Field Promotion Selection Boards or local selection boards.  If a Field Promotion Selection Board recommended a soldier for promotion, such soldiers were then put on a local recommended list for promotion (also called a standing list or an order of merit list) by military occupational specialty and in order of the total promotion points they received.  In order for a soldier on the local recommended list to then be promoted, there had to be a vacancy in his military occupational specialty at the next higher grade to which the soldier was to be promoted and there had to be a promotion allocation from the Headquarters, Department of the Army (DA).  The DA promotion allocations were supplied monthly but there usually were not enough allocations to promote everyone on the list.  Those not promoted remained on the local recommended list waiting for a vacancy and an allocation. In the mean time, more local promotion boards were held and more recommended soldiers were added to the local recommended list in order of their promotion points.  In this manner, a soldier on the top of the local recommended list one month could be lower on the next local recommended list, moved down by other soldiers who received higher promotion points.

Promotion boards for SFC were centralized at the HQDA, effective 1 June 1970. The cut off date for promotion to Sergeant First Class from local recommended lists was 31 May 1970.  If a soldier had not been promoted from a local recommended promotion list by that date, they were consolidated at HQDA for reconsideration for promotion by HQDA centralized promotion boards.  Soldiers who were on a local recommended promotion list were not necessarily selected for promotion by the HQDA centralized promotion board.  The centralized promotion board considered the files of all the eligible soldiers Army-wide, ranked the selected soldiers by order of merit, and then promoted based on Army-wide promotion allocations.  The first SFC centralized promotion board was conducted in February 1972.

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.  The applicant was not promoted from the field merit list and he was considered but not selected for promotion to SFC by the February 1972 centralized promotion board.

2.  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

__sc___  ___js_____  __be______  DENY APPLICATION

		    Carl W. S. Chun
		    Director, Army Board for Correction
    of Military Records

INDEX

CASE ID	AR200037359	
SUFFIX		
RECON		
DATE BOARDED	20000831	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE		
DATE OF DISCHARGE		
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY		
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	DENY	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.		
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.