PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF: 

	BOARD DATE:            13 June 2001      
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2000048320

	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. Deborah L. Brantley		Senior Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	June Hajjar		Chairperson	
	Harry B. Oberg		Member	
	Shirley Powell		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 the records of her spouse, a deceased former servicemember, be corrected to reflect award of the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge and three bronze service stars.

3.  Records available to the Board indicate the former servicemember entered active duty on 12 September 1940 and arrived in the European Theater of Operations on 4 November 1944 where he performed duties as an infantryman with the 365th Infantry Regiment.  He returned to the United States in May 1945.

4.  According to information contained in files maintained by the Office of The Surgeon General (SGO Files), the former servicemember was wounded as a result of an enemy artillery blast in February 1945.  He was ultimately discharged on 13 September 1945 with a certificate of disability for discharge.  His WD AGO Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation Honorable Discharge) does not reflect entitlement to the Purple Heart or the Combat Infantryman Badge and indicates entitlement to only one bronze service star.

5.  The former servicemember's WD AGO Form 100 (enlisted qualification record) does, however, indicate the applicant was awarded the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge as well as three bronze service stars.

6.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides, in pertinent part, that the Purple Heart is awarded for wounds sustained as a result of hostile action.  Substantiating evidence must be provided to verify that the wound was the result of hostile action, the wound must have required treatment by a medical officer, and the medical treatment must have been made a matter of official record.

7.  There are basically three requirements for award of the Combat Infantryman Badge.  The soldier must be an infantryman, assigned to an infantry unit during such time as the unit is engaged in active ground combat, and must have actively participated in such ground combat.

8.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 also provides, in pertinent part, that the Bronze Star Medal is awarded for heroism and for meritorious achievement or service in military operations against an armed enemy.  The Bronze Star Medal is authorized for each individual who was cited in orders or awarded a certificate for exemplary conduct in ground combat between 7 December 1941 and 
2 September 1945 or whose such achievement or service, during that period, was confirmed by documents executed prior to 1 July 1947.  An award of the 

Combat Infantryman Badge or the Combat Medical Badge is considered to be a citation in orders.  This means, in effect, that the Bronze Star Medal is to be awarded to individuals who were authorized either badge for service during World War II.  Awards of the Bronze Star Medal under these circumstances are commonly referred to as conversion awards.

9.  A review of Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1 (Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register) notes the former servicemember’s unit (365th Infantry Regiment) was credited with participating in three designated campaigns during the applicant’s period of assignment (Rome-Arno, North Apennines, Po Valley).  The unit was also awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation during his tenure with the organization.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The evidence confirms the former servicemember was wounded as a result of enemy action in February 1945 and as such is entitled to an award of the Purple Heart.  

2.  The evidence also confirms he met requirements for award of the Combat Infantryman Badge and as such should be awarded that badge.

3.  Based on his award of the Combat Infantryman Badge the former servicemember is entitled to a Bronze Star Medal as a conversion award.

4.  The former servicemember is also entitled to three bronze service stars denoting participation in three designated campaigns (Rome-Arno, North Apennines, Po Valley) and a Meritorious Unit Commendation.

5.  In view of the foregoing, the former servicemember’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 awarding the individual concerned the Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman Badge;

b.  by awarding him the Bronze Star Medal as a conversion award based on the Combat Infantryman Badge; and

c.  by showing that he is entitled to three bronze service stars (Rome-Arno, North Apennines, Po Valley) and a Meritorious Unit Commendation.

BOARD VOTE:  

__jh____  __hbo___  ___sp___  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		______________________
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000048320	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20010213	
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.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.