PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:           21 November 2000
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR200004587

	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. William Blakely		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. Thomas A. Pagan		Chairperson	
	Mr. Roger Able		Member	
	Mr. Thomas E. O’Shaughnessy		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 his separation document be corrected to reflect his correct unit of assignment and the Presidential Unit Citation.

3.  The applicant states that item 6 (Organization) of his separation document should show that he served in the Service Battery, 14th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Armored Division.  He claims that all his overseas combat service in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) was performed with the Service Battery, 14th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Armored Division.  He indicates that he was only assigned to the Headquarters Battery 195th AAA Battalion for separation processing.

4.  The applicant’s military records show that the applicant was inducted into the Army on 19 June 1942 and served on active duty until his honorable discharge on 10 October 1945 in pay grade E-3.

5.  The evidence of record includes a War Department (WD) Adjutant General Office (AGO) Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and report of Separation), which was issued to the applicant at discharge.  The form indicates that the applicant’s unit at the time of separation was Headquarters Battery 195th AAA Battalion.

6.  The WD AGO Form 53-55 also shows that the applicant arrived overseas in the ETO on 24 December 1942 and that he served there until his returned to the United States for separation on 24 September 1945.  During his overseas service the applicant participated in the following campaigns of World War II: the Ardennes; Central Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; and Sicily.  In addition, the form shows that he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the Distinguished Unit Badge (Currently known as the Presidential Unit Citation). 

7.  The applicant provided as evidence of his unit of assignment one V-mail form that was sent to him by his father while serving Europe.  The form indicated the applicant’s address as Service Battery, 14th Field Artillery Battery, 2nd Armored Division.

8.  Technical Manual 12-235, which prescribed the policy and procedure for the preparation and distribution of separation documents during the period in 
question, states that the last unit or similar element to which the individual was assigned, rather than the element of which he was part while moving to a separation activity will be entered in item 6 (Organization) of the WD AGO Form 53-55.  It also notes that assignments to units for the purpose of transfer from a theater to the United States is considered part of the movement to a separation activity.

9.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides, in pertinent part, that the Presidential Unit Citation (known as the Distinguished Unit Citation until 3 November 1966) is awarded for extraordinary heroism in action.  A unit must display such gallantry, determination and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission as would warrant award of the Distinguished Service Cross to an individual.  Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1 (Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register) indicates that the Service Battery, 14th Battery Field Artillery, 2nd Armored Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The Board noted the applicant’s contentions and found no reason to doubt their merit.  Further, given the facts and circumstances of this case, the Board concludes that relief is warranted.  There is sufficient evidence to conclude that he was assigned to the Service Battery, 14th Field Artillery Battery, 2nd Armored Division while serving in the ETO and that Headquarters Battery 195th AAA Battalion was likely a transitional unit based on the short period of time between his departure from the ETO and his release from active duty.

2.  The Presidential Unit Citation is correctly shown on the applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55 as the Distinguished Unit Badge.

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

RECOMMENDATION:

1.  That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected to show in item 6 of the applicant’s separation document that he was assigned to Service Battery, 14th Field Artillery Battery, 2nd Armored Division.

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

BOARD VOTE:  

__TAP   _  ___RA___  __TEO__  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		___Thomas A. Pagan____
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000045897	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20001121	
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.	107.00	
2.	110.00	
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.