PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:           15 January 2002                   
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2001063050

	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	
	Mrs. Nancy Amos		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. Irene N. Wheelwright		Chairperson	
	Mr. Hubert O. Fry, Jr.		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 his records be corrected to reflect his correct social security number (SSN) of - __-____.

3.  The applicant states that he was given the wrong SSN, -__-____, by mistake some 30 years ago.  Therefore, he was re-issued a new SSN.  He provides a letter from the Social Security Administration explaining the error.

4.  The applicant’s military records show that he was initially inducted into the Army in 1959, when service numbers rather than SSNs were used as a means  of personnel identification.  At the time of his reenlistment on 8 July 1968, his service number was still in use.  The first record of use of his SSN of -__-____ was on a general order dated 17 September 1970.  His SSN of -__-____ was used on all his documents from that time forward, to include his retirement orders and Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD Form 214, for the period ending 31 July 1980.

5.  On 26 May 1989, the Social Security Administration provided the applicant a letter verifying that he was assigned SSN -__-____ in error.  That number was assigned to another person with similar identifying information two years before it was assigned to the applicant.  They recently discovered the error and assigned the applicant the SSN -__-____.

6.  Army Regulation 635-5 prescribes the separation documents prepared for soldiers upon retirement, discharge, or release from active military service or control of the Army.  It establishes standardized policy for the preparation of the DD Form 214.  In pertinent part it states that the DD Form 214 is a synopsis of the soldier’s most recent period of continuous active duty.  It provides a brief, clear-cut record of active Army service at the time of release from active duty, retirement or discharge.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  For historical purposes, the Army has an interest in maintaining the accuracy of its records.  The data and information contained in those records should actually reflect the conditions and circumstances that existed at the time the records were created.  This Board is normally reluctant to recommend that those records be changed.

2.  However, there appears to be a material error in this case.  Although the applicant served on and was released from active duty with the SSN -__-___, the Social Security Administration verified several years after his retirement that he was erroneously issued that SSN.  Under these circumstances, it would be appropriate to correct the applicant’s records to reflect his SSN as -__-____

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 be corrected by furnishing the applicant a Notification of Change of Service Member’s Official Records, DD Form 1343, showing his correct SSN of -__-____.

2.  That the applicant’s retirement orders and his last DD Form 214, for the period ending 31 July 1980, be amended to show his SSN as -__-____.

BOARD VOTE:  

__inw___  __hof___  __dph___  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

			Irene N. Wheelwright
		______________________
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2001063050	
SUFFIX		
RECON		
DATE BOARDED	20020115	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE		
DATE OF DISCHARGE		
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY		
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	(GRANT)	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.	100.09	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.