PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:           8 March 2001
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2000048590

	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. Michael L. Engle		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. Roger Able		Chairperson	
	Ms. Barbara J. Lutz		Member	
	Mr. William D. Powers		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 his Enlisted Record and Report of Separation, Honorable Discharge (WD AGO Form 53-55) be corrected to show in Item 6 his organization as being the Americal Division.

3.  The applicant states that he was assigned to the 132d Infantry Regiment of the Americal Division.

4.  The applicant’s military records were lost or destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.  Information herein was obtained from reconstructed personnel records.

5.  The applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55 indicates that his organization was the 132d Infantry Division and that he served in the Asiatic Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) from 28 October 1943 to 15 November 1945.  It further shows that he participated in the Northern Solomons Campaign and in the Southern Philippines Campaign.

6.  The applicant’s awards include to Good Conduct Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with bronze star, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with bronze arrowhead, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB).  In July 1999 his record was corrected to add the Bronze Star Medal on the basis of his CIB.
7.  Department of the Army Pamphlet (DA Pam) 672-1, provides assistance to commanders and personnel officers in determining or establishing the eligibility of individual members for campaign participation credit, assault landing credit, unit citation emblems, and occupation duty credit for World War II (WWII) and for the Korean War.  It does not list a unit designated as the 132d Infantry Division.  However, it does show the 132d Infantry Regiment as part of the Americal Division, and that it served in the PTO during the same time as the applicant.  Furthermore, this unit participated in the same two campaigns and received the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for the period from 17 October 1944 to 4 July 1945 and credit for the occupation of Japan from 8 September to 15 November 1945.  The unit also received a bronze arrowhead denoting assault credit.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The 132d Infantry Division, shown on the applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55, is not listed in DA Pam 672-1 as a participating unit during WWII.  However, the 132d Infantry Regiment is shown as a part of the Americal Division and that this unit participated in the same campaigns as did the applicant.  Therefore, the Board is sufficiently convinced that the applicant’s organization in Item 6 should be corrected to reflect the 132d Infantry Regiment, Americal Division.

2.  Furthermore, the applicant’s records should be corrected to add the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and the Army of Occupation Medal for Japan, based upon his assignment to the unit during the designated period of service for their award.

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

RECOMMENDATION:

1.  That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case, particularly the WD AGO Form 53-55 of the individual concerned, be corrected:

	a.  by showing in Item 6 his organization as the 132d Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, and;

	b. by showing in Item 33 that he was awarded the Army of Occupation Medal with Japan clasp and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.

2.  That he be issued the awards shown in paragraph 1b above.

BOARD VOTE:  

___RA___  __BJL___  __WDP_  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		_____Roger Able_______
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000048590	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20010308	
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.