PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:           9 May 2002
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2002068783

	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. William Blakely		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. JoAnn H. Langston		Chairperson	
	Mr. John N. Slone		Member	
	Mr. Terry L. Placek		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, in effect, that he be credited with the proper number of bronze service stars based on his campaign participation in the European Theater Operations (ETO) during World War II. 

3.  The applicant states, in effect, that he has not been credited with the correct number of bronze service stars for his European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal based on his campaign participation in the ETO during World War II.  He states that he was a member of Company C, 307th Engineer Battalion (Airborne) for 11 months until he was admitted to the hospital for jaundice.   He further states upon his released from the hospital he was reassigned back to Company C, 307th Engineer Battalion, Airborne and later reassigned to Company A, 307th Engineer Battalion (Airborne).

4.  The applicant ‘s military records were lost or destroyed in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in 1973.  The information herein was gleaned from a copy of his separation document (WD AGO Form 53-55) and the other documents submitted with the application.  

5.  The WD AGO Form 53-55 confirms that he enlisted into the Army of the United States on 21 March 1942, and that he continuously served on active duty until being honorably separated on 23 November 1945, in the rank of private first class.  

6.  The WD AGO Form 53-55 also confirms that the applicant served in the ETO, from 10 May 1943 to 7 September 1945, and that he participated in the Naples-Foggia, Sicily, Rome-Arno, Normandy, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe campaigns of World War II.  Item 33 (Decorations and Citations) verifies that he earned the following awards during his active duty tenure:  Distinguished Unit Badge; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 7 bronze service stars; Good Conduct Medal; American Theater Service Medal; and World War II Victory Medal.  

7.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards) prescribes Army policy, criteria, and administrative instructions concerning individual military awards.  Paragraph 5-12 contains guidance on the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and it states, in pertinent part, that a bronze service star is authorized for each campaign a member participated in while serving in the ETO, a silver service star is worn to denote 5 campaigns, in lieu of 5 bronze service stars, and a bronze arrowhead is authorized to denote participation in an assault landing.

8.  Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1 (Unit Campaign Participation Credit Register-World War II) establishes the eligibility of individual members for campaign participation credit, assault landing credit, foreign unit awards, occupation credit and unit citation badges awarded during World War II.  It contains a by unit listing that confirms what credit and awards every unit received during its World War II service.  This listing confirms that, during the applicant’s assignment tenure in the ETO, his unit participated in the following 8 campaigns of World War II:  Ansio, Naples-Foggia, Sicily, Rome-Arno, Normandy, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe; and that it received assault landing credit for Salerno for the period 9-10 September 1943.  

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The Board notes the applicant’s contention that his campaigns he participated in during World War II are not properly reflected on his separation document and it finds this claim has merit.  

2.  The available evidence confirms that during his assignment tenure in the ETO, the applicant’s unit participated in 8 campaigns and received assault landing credit.  Therefore, the Board concludes that the applicant is entitled to 
1 silver service star (in lieu of 5 bronze service stars), 3 bronze service stars, and a bronze arrowhead with his European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal; and it finds it would be appropriate to correct his records to reflect this entitlement at this time. 

3.  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 showing that, in addition to the 7 campaigns for which he has already been credited with and that are recorded in his record, the individual concerned participated in the Ansio campaign of World War II; that he is entitled to 1 silver service star, 3 bronze service stars, and a bronze arrowhead with his European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, based on his campaign participation and assault landing credit; and by providing him a corrected separation document that reflects these changes. 

BOARD VOTE:  

__JHL___  __JNS___  __TLP__  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		___JoAnn H. Langston__
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	2002/05/09	
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.	107.0000	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.