PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:                3 August 2000
	DOCKET NUMBER:        AR2000043767

	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	
	Ms. Joyce A. Wright		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. John N. Slone		Chairperson	
	Mr. Calvin M. Fowler		Member	
	Mr. Edwin S. Castle		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, correction of his WD AGO Form 
53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation) to show his organization 
as “452nd AAA AW Bn” [Anti Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion] instead of “394th QM TRK CO” [Quartermaster Truck Company].

3.  The applicant states that he served in the Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns while assigned to the 452nd Anti Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion.  He also states that 
he was attached to the 394th Quartermaster Truck Company merely as a vehicle for his return from Europe.  In support of his application he submits a copy of 
his WD AGO Form 53-55.

4.  The applicant's military records were destroyed or lost during the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.  Records available to the Board were obtained from alternate sources and show he entered active duty on 6 May 1943. He served in the European Theater of Operations from 3 November 1943 to 17 November 1945 and was honorably discharged on 15 February 1946. 

5.  The applicant’s AGO Form Number 55 (Honorable Discharge), dated
5 May 1943, shows the applicant was discharged as a corporal of the 
Antiaircraft Artillery School to accept a commission as a second lieutenant 
in the Antiaircraft Artillery Branch. 

6.  The applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55, which was authenticated in his
own hand, shows “394th QM TRK CO” as his organization.  The applicant’s Honorable Discharge Certificate, dated 15 February 1946, shows 
394th QM TRK CO as his unit.

7.  Based on regulation in effect at the time, a service member’s unit of assignment at the time of his separation from the service was entered in Item 
6 (Organization) of the WD AGO Form 53-55.  The unit shown in item 6 was not necessarily the same unit with which the applicant served during World War II.  
If the service member was transferred to a unit at a separation center for the purpose of discharge processing, then the unit shown in item 6 was the unit 
from which the soldier was separated.  This is an important entry because it assists in locating a soldier’s military records.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The Board noted the applicant’s contention and found no reason to doubt its
merit.  Further, given the facts and circumstances of this case, the Board concludes that relief is warranted in this case.  There is sufficient evidence to conclude that he was assigned to the 452nd Anti Aircraft Artillery Weapons 
Battalion during World War II and that 394th Quartermaster Truck Company was likely a transitional unit based on the short period of time between his departure from the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations and his separation from active duty.  Therefore, he is entitled to correction of item 
6 (Organization) of his WD AGO Form 53-55 to show the entry “452nd AAA AW Bn” and correction of his Honorable Discharge Certificate to show 452nd AAA 
AW Bn as his last unit.

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 entry “452nd AAA AW Bn” in item 6 (Organization) of his WD AGO Form 53-55 and that his Honorable Discharge Certificate be corrected to show 452nd AAA AW Bn as his last unit.

BOARD VOTE:  

JNS_____  CMF____  ESC____  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		____JOHN N. SLONE________
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000043767	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20000803	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	HD	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	194500215	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR . . . . .  	
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.  1021		
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.