PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:      

	BOARD DATE:           21 December 2000                  
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2000048015

	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. W. E. Schnupp		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. Karol A. Kennedy		Chairperson	
	Ms. Gail J. Wire		Member	
	Mr. Ernest W. Lutz, 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 (AOM) (Japan).

3.  The applicant states that he was a member of the 216th Military Police (MP) Company from 22 August 1945 to 7 December 1945 while the company was assigned for duty in Kure, Japan.  He was told by the US Army Reserve Personnel Center (ARPERCEN) in 1996 that he was not authorized the AOM (Japan) because the campaign credit register did not show that the 216th MP Company received occupation credit for Japan.

4.  The applicant’s military records show that he was inducted on 22 January 1943 and served in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations.  Assignment orders show that he was assigned to the 216th MP Company on 20 August 1945 and extract copies of that unit’s morning reports show that he was on duty with the unit at Kure Submarine Base, Honshu, Japan.  He was honorably discharged on 9 January 1946 as a private first class.

5.  His awards include the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Service Stars and Arrowhead Device, the World War II Victory Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button, the Sharpshooter Badge with Rifle Bar and the Republic of the Philippines Presidential Unit Citation Badge.  (Awards information was obtained from the applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55, Separation Document, and DA Form 1577, Authorization for Issuance of Award, prepared by the ARPERCEN on 13 December 1991.)

6.  Data provided to the applicant from the US Army Center for Military History on 4 August 1997 indicated that according to their records his unit, the 216th MP Company, arrived in Kure, Japan on 20 September 1945 and served until 31 May 1946.

7.  Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards, provides, in pertinent part, that the AOM (Japan) was awarded for service for 30 consecutive days at a normal post of duty between 3 September 1945 and 27 April 1952 in the four main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, the surrounding smaller islands of the Japanese homeland, the Ryukyu Islands and the Bonin-Volcano Islands.

8.  Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1, The Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register, lists units which have been awarded occupation 

credit during the World War II and Korean War eras.  This pamphlet does not show that the 216th MP Company was credited with occupation duty for Japan.  However, a disclaimer contained in the register states that credit for occupation duty is recorded only for those units which were in Germany, Austria, Italy, Korea or Japan at the time of the cessation of hostilities.  Units which arrived in one of those countries at later dates may not be listed.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The evidence of record shows that the applicant was assigned to the 216th MP Company from August to December 1945, and that the 216th was, in turn, assigned to duty in Japan from September 1945 to May 1946.

2.  Although the campaign credit register does not show that the 216th MP Company received occupation credit for its assignment in Japan, this is likely so because they were not assigned there at the cessation of hostilities.  However, information from the US Army Center of Military History clearly shows that the 216th MP Company performed occupation duty for more than 30 days subsequent to the termination of hostilities with Japan.

3.  Since morning reports of the 216th MP Company show that the applicant was assigned to the company for more than 30 days during its period of occupation, it would be appropriate to award the applicant the AOM (Japan) for his service there.

4.  Furthermore, since his record does not show that all of the awards to which he is entitled are reflected on his separation document, he should be issued a DD Form 215 (Correction to DD Form 214) reflecting all of his awards

5.  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:

	a.  showing that the individual concerned was awarded the AOM (Japan); and

b.  issuing to him a DD Form 215 showing all of the awards to which he is entitled.

BOARD VOTE:  

___kak__  ___gjw __  ___ewl__  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		__________Karol A. Kennedy___
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000048015	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	YYYYMMDD	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	(HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD, UNCHAR)	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	20001021	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR . . . . .  	
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	(GRANT)	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.  107.00		
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.