PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:           

	BOARD DATE:                17 October 2000            
	DOCKET NUMBER:        AR2000044556

	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. Beverly A. Young		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. Raymond V. O’Connor, Jr.		Chairperson	
	Ms. Barbara J. Ellis		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 correction of his DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to show his service in Southwest Asia (SWA).

3.  The applicant states that he is being denied Veterans Administration (VA) benefits for his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because he can not establish that he served in the Persian Gulf.

4.  The applicant’s military records show that he served in the Air Force National Guard prior to his enlistment in the Regular Army on 1 November 1989.  He completed training as an ammunition specialist and was assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington.  The applicant was discharged from active duty on 30 September 1992.

5.  The applicant’s DD Form 214 does not show that he served in SWA or was awarded any SWA medals.

6.  The Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) compiled the Desert Shield/Storm Data Base.  The primary Desert Shield/Storm file contains one record for each active duty member who participated in-theater between 2 August 1990 and 31 July 1991.  A Phase II file lists active duty personnel who served in-theater between 1 August 1991 and 31 December 1993.  This document shows that the applicant served in SWA from 15 February 1991 to 18 April 1991. 

7.  Army Regulation 635-5 establishes the policies and procedures for completion and distribution of the DD Form 214.  In pertinent part, it states that item 18 (Remarks) is used for entries required by Headquarters Department of the Army for which a separate block is not available and for completing entries that are too long for their blocks.  Department of the Army issued guidance to report service in Southwest Asia in item 18 (Remarks) of the DD Form 214.

8.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides that service in the Persian Gulf War is to be recognized by award of the Southwest Asia Service Medal (SWASM) to Army members who participated in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm in the designated area on or after 2 August 1990.  A bronze service star is authorized for the Defense of Saudi Arabia (2 August 1990 to 16 January 1991) and the Liberation and Defense of Kuwait (17 January to 11 April 1991), and the Cease-fire Campaign (12 April 1991 to 30 October 1995).

9.  The Kuwait Liberation Medal awarded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KLM-SA) was approved on 3 January 1992 and is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who participated in the Persian Gulf War between 17 January 1991 and 28 February 1991.

10.  The Kuwait Liberation Medal awarded by the Government of Kuwait 
(KLM-K) was approved on 9 November 1995 and is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who participated in the Persian Gulf War between 2 August 1990 and 31 August 1993.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  Evidence of record shows that the applicant served in SWA from 15 February 1991 to 18 April 1991; therefore, he is entitled to correction of item 18 (Remarks) to show the entry “SWA:  15FEB91–18APR91”.

2.  Based on the applicant’s service in SWA as stated in paragraph 1, he is entitled to correction of his DD Form 214 to show the Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze service stars, the Kuwait Liberation Medal awarded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kuwait Liberation Medal awarded by the Government of Kuwait.

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:

a.  by amending item 18 (Remarks) of the individual concerned DD Form 214 to show the entry “SWA:  15FEB91–18APR91; and

b.  by showing he was awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze service stars, the Kuwait Liberation Medal awarded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KLM-SA) and the Kuwait Liberation Medal awarded by the Government of Kuwait (KLM-K).

BOARD VOTE:  

RVO____  BJE_____  LDS____  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		Raymond V. O’Connor, Jr.
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000044556	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20001017	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	(HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD, UNCHAR)	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	YYYYMMDD	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR . . . . .  	
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT PLUS	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.	100.0000	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.