PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:       

	BOARD DATE:            7 December 2000
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2000042361

	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. Joseph A. Adriance		Analyst	

The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. Raymond V. O’Connor, Jr.		Chairperson	
	Mr. Ernest W. Lutz, Jr.		Member	
	Mr. John P. Infante		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, in effect, that two awards of the French Croix de Guerre, the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre, and the French Fourragere be added to his separation document.  

3.  The applicant states, in effect, that these awards were not properly included in his record of separation.  In support of his application he provided the following enclosed documents:  a copy of his War Department (WD) Adjutant General Office (AGO) Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation-Honorable Discharge); an extract of the 4th Armored Division Association Newsletter, which includes a photo that is captioned “Award of Croix de Guerre Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, 6 June 1993”; and a citation pertaining to the French Fourragere with no source reference. 

4.  The applicant’s military records were not available to the Board for review.  A fire destroyed approximately 18 million service members’ records at the National Personnel Records Center in 1973.  It is believed that the applicant’s records were lost in that fire.  

5.  The evidence or record does include a WD AGO Form 53-55 provided by the applicant, which was issued to him on the date of his separation.  This document verifies that he enlisted in the Army of the United States (AUS) on 20 November 1942.  It also confirms that he served on active duty until being honorably discharged, in the rank of Technician Fifth Grade (TEC 5), on 29 October 1945.

6.  The applicant’s honorable discharge also verifies that he was serving with Troop A, 25th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 4th Armored Division at the time of his separation.  The WD AGO Form 53-55 also documents that he arrived in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) on 10 January 1944 and served there until his departure for the United States on 6 October 1945.  

7.  The separation document also shows that while serving in the ETO during World War II the applicant participated in the Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe campaigns of World War II and that he earned the Good Conduct Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon, the Distinguished Unit Badge, and the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster during his tenure in service.  It also shows that in 1947, subsequent to his separation, he was awarded the World War II Victory Medal.

8.  The applicant provided an extract from the 4th Armored Division Association Newsletter.  This extract contains an article which indicates that on 6 June 1993 the Secretary of State of Luxembourg awarded the Croix de Guerre to the 
37th Tank Battalion of the 4th Armored Division and to all attached units who participated in the liberation of Luxembourg.  There was no direct reference to the applicant’s unit in this story.  
9.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards) prescribes Army policy, criteria, and administrative instructions concerning individual military awards.  Chapter 9, section IV provides a description of approved foreign unit awards and paragraph 
9-21 describes the French Fourragere.  It indicates that it may be awarded by the French Government when a unit has been cited twice for the Croix de Guerre.  Further, it comments that the award of the Fourragere is not automatic and requires a specific decree of the French Government. 

10.  Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1 (Unit Campaign Participation Credit Register-World War II) establishes the eligibility of individual members for campaign participation credit, assault landing credit, and unit citation badges awarded during World War II.  

12.  The award listing contained in this source publication for Troop A, 
25th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 4th Armored Division, the applicant’s unit, confirms that it was awarded the French Fourragere, via WD General Order (GO) 54-45, based on having been cited with two French Croix de Guerre, for the periods 22 July-11 August 1944 and 12-29 September 1944.  The Unit Register makes no reference to the applicant’s unit having been awarded the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The Board noted the applicant’s desire to have French Croix de Guerre with palm, the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre, and the French Fourragere added to his separation document and finds that partial relief is warranted in this case. 

2.  The regulatory source publication confirms that the applicant’s unit earned two awards of the French Croix de Guerre which resulted in the award of the French Fourragere.  Thus, the Board finds that it would be appropriate to add these awards to the list of decorations contained on the applicant’s separation document.  

3.  After carefully examining all the available evidence, the Board finds that the applicant’s request to have the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre listed in his separation document is not warranted.  The applicant’s supporting evidence only confirms that members of the 37th Tank Battalion earned this award and this article makes no specific reference to his unit.  Further, the official source publication is also void of any indication that the applicant’s unit is entitled to this award.  

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

RECOMMENDATION:

1.  That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by adding two awards of the French Croix de Guerre and the French Fourragere to the list of awards contained on the separation document of the individual concerned.  

2.  That so much of the application as is in excess of the foregoing be denied.

BOARD VOTE:  

__jpi____  __ewl ___  ___rvo __  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		__Raymond V. O’Connor, Jr.__
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000042361	
SUFFIX		
RECON		
DATE BOARDED	2000/12/07	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	HD	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	1945/10/29	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR 615-365	
DISCHARGE REASON	Demobilization	
BOARD DECISION	GRANT PARTIAL 	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.  46	107.0000	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.