PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:       

	BOARD DATE:            8 February 2001
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2000047663

	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. Jessie B. Strickland		Analyst	

The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. JoAnn H. Langston		Chairperson	
	Mr. George D. Paxson		Member	
	Mr. Donald P. Hupman, Jr.		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 that he be awarded the Army of Occupation Medal (Japan).

3.  The applicant states, in effect, that he served in the occupation of Japan and was never awarded the Army Occupation Medal (AOM) for his service in that country.  In support of his application he provides two letters he sent to his parents that are postmarked from Japan in October and December 1945.  He also provides a copy of his report of separation (WD AGO Form 53-55). 

4.  The applicant’s military records were destroyed in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center which destroyed millions of service records.  However, the WD AGO Form 53-55 provided by the applicant shows that he was inducted on 15 June 1943 in Portland, Maine.

5.  He entered active duty on 29 June 1943 and departed for the Asiatic-Pacific Theater (APT) on 25 January 1944.  He remained in the APT until he was returned to Fort Devens, Massachusetts on 24 January 1946 and was honorably discharged on 31 January 1946.  He had served 2 years, 7 months and 3 days of total active service of which 2 years was spent in the APT.  He was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Ribbon, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the War World II Victory Medal.

6.  A review of the two letters submitted by the applicant in which he authored and dispatched to his parents, shows that on 25 October 1945 he had landed with his unit in Tokyo, Japan from the Philippine Island of Leyte and he provided his parents with his new mailing address.  The letter postmarked in December 1945 is one in which he is informing his parents that he is due to rotate out of Japan shortly and that he would be returning to Fort Devens for separation.

7.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 establishes the criteria for award of the AOM.  It states, in pertinent part, that the AOM was established by War Department General Orders 32 in 1946.  It is awarded for 30 consecutive days of service at a normal post of duty while assigned to the Army of Occupation of Japan between 3 September 1945 and 27 April 1952.  Service between 3 September 1945 and 2 March 1946 will be counted only if the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for service before 3 September 1945. 

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  Although the AOM was authorized after the applicant’s separation from the service, it appears that an administrative oversight resulted in his not being subsequently awarded the AOM (Japan). 

2.  While the applicant’s records are not available for review, the Board finds that the applicant has provided sufficient evidence to show that he was in fact eligible for award of the AOM (Japan).  Accordingly, it would be in the interest of justice to do so at this time.

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 by awarding the individual concerned the AOM (Japan) and by correcting his records accordingly.

BOARD VOTE:  

___dh___  __jhl____  ___gp___  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		___JoAnn H. Langston____
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000047663	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	2001/02/08	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE		
DATE OF DISCHARGE		
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY		
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.  113	107.0067/AOM 	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.