PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:           

	BOARD DATE:                 14 November 2000             
	DOCKET NUMBER:         AR2000045318

	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:

	Ms. Shirley Powell		Chairperson	
	Ms. Meta Waller		Member	
	Mr. Terry L. Placek		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 WD AGO Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation) to show 1 year, 11 months and 19 days of continental service and to show 10 months and 19 days of foreign service.

3.  The applicant states that his continental service and foreign service dates are reversed on his discharge document.  In support of his application, he submits a copy of his WD AGO Form 53-55, his Honorable Discharge Certificate and a Veterans Administration Form P-80a (Award of Disability Compensation or Pension), dated 6 June 1946.

4.  The applicant’s military records were lost or destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.  Records available to the Board were obtained from alternate sources and show he was inducted in the Enlisted Reserve Center (ERC) on 22 June 1943.  He entered active duty on 6 July 1943 and completed training as an air defense machine gun crewman.  The applicant served in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations from November 1944 to October 1945 and was honorably discharged from active duty on 13 May 1946.

5.  Item 37 (Total Length of Service) of the applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55 shows he completed 0 years, 10 months and 19 days of continental service.  His discharge document also shows he completed 1 year, 11 months and 19 days of foreign service.

6.  The applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55 shows he entered active duty on 6 July 1943 and was honorably discharged on 13 May 1946.  This is a period of 2 years, 10 months and 8 days of total active service.

7.  Item 36 (Service Outside Continental United States and Return) shows he departed continental United States on 7 November 1944 and returned to the United States on 25 October 1945.  This is a period of 11 months and 19 days of foreign service.

8.  By subtracting the applicant’s foreign service from his total service shows that he served 1 year, 10 months and 19 days of continental service instead of the 10 months and 19 days shown on his discharge document.

9.  The Board noted that, based on the change in the applicant’s continental service, he is now eligible for award of the American Campaign Medal.

10.  Department of the Army Technical Manual TM 12-235 (Discharge Procedures and Preparation of Separation Forms) established the policies and procedures for completion and distribution of the WD AGO Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation) during World War II.  The regulation states, in pertinent part, that the individual’s total length of service will be entered in item 37 of the WD AGO Form 53-55.  

11.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides, in pertinent part, for award of the American Campaign Medal.  This campaign medal is awarded for qualifying service in the American Theater between 7 December 1941 and 2 March 1946.  Qualifying service includes permanent assignment outside the continental United States, duty as a crewmember aboard a vessel sailing ocean waters for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days, or duty outside the continental United States as a passenger or in a temporary duty status for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days, or active combat against the enemy and was awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by a corps commander or higher, or service within the continental United States for an aggregate period of one year.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The Board noted the applicant’s contention that he served 1 year, 11 months and 19 days of continental service, however, evidence available to the Board shows he served 1 year, 10 months and 19 days of continental service. Therefore, item 37 of the applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55 will be amended to show 1 year, 10 months and 19 days of continental service.

2.  Evidence available to the Board shows that the applicant completed 11 months and 19 days of foreign service instead of 1 year 11 months and 19 days.  Therefore, item 37 of his WD AGO Form 53-55 will be amended to show he served 11 months and 19 days of foreign service.

3.  Based on paragraph 1 above, the applicant completed a period of qualifying service for award of the American Campaign Medal.  Therefore, he is entitled to correction of his WD AGO Form 53-55 to show award of the American Campaign Medal.

4.  In view of the foregoing findings and conclusions, it would be appropriate to correct the applicant’s records, but only as recommended below.

RECOMMENDATION:

1.  That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected:

a.  by deleting the entries “0 years, 10 months and 19 days” of continental service and “1 year, 11 months and 19 days” of foreign service in item 37 of the individual concerned WD AGO Form 53-55;

b.  by adding the entries “1 year, 10 months and 19 days” of continental service and “0 years, 11 months and 19 days” of foreign service in item 37 of his WD AGO Form 53-55; and 

c.  by showing he was awarded the American Campaign Medal.

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

BOARD VOTE:  

SP______  MW_____  TLP____  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		Shirley Powell________
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000045318	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20001114	
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.	100.0000	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.