PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:       

	BOARD DATE:            19 April 2001
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2000050334

	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. Deyon D. Battle		Analyst	

The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. John N. Slone		Chairperson	
	Ms. Barbara J. Ellis		Member	
	Mr. Carlos L. Greenway		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 Report of Separation (DD Form 214) be corrected to show the award of the Purple Heart.

3.  The applicant states that he received the Purple Heart; however, it was never included on his DD Form 214.

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

5.  He was inducted into the Army on 23 October 1950 and he successfully completed his training as an infantryman.

6.  His awards include Korean Service Medal w/two bronze service stars, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Distinguished Unit Badge.

7.  Information obtained from Hospital Admission Cards shows that on 8 June 1951, the applicant, while in Korea, underwent surgery for wounds he received to his thigh for a gun or mortar explosion.  The admission cards also show that he was hospitalized for 49 days and that his wounds were the direct result of action by the enemy.

8.  The applicant was honorably discharged on 22 July 1952.  The DD Form 214 issued to him at the time of his separation shows that he was wounded in both hips on 7 June 1951 while he was in Korea.  However, his DD Form 214 fails to show the award of the Purple Heart.

9.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides, in pertinent part, that the Purple Heart is awarded for a wound 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.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  An administrative error was made during the preparation of the applicant’s DD Form 214, which resulted in the Purple Heart being omitted.

2.  The evidence of record clearly shows that he was hospitalized after being wounded as a result of hostile action by the enemy. 

3.  His available records show that he was wounded on 7 June 1951 while in Korea.  Clearly, he was awarded the Purple Heart and his DD Form 214 should be amended accordingly.

4.  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 amending the DD Form 214 of the individual concerned to show that he was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received as a result of hostile action by the enemy on 7 June 1951, in the rank of private first class, while in Korea.

BOARD VOTE:  

___js ___  ___be ___  ___clg __  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		______John N. Slone______
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000050334	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	2001/04/17	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE		
DATE OF DISCHARGE		
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY		
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.  46	107.0000.0000	
2.  61	107.0015.0000	
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.