PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:     

	BOARD DATE:           5 September 2002                   
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2002069017

	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. W. E. Schnupp		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. Celia L. Adolphi		Chairperson	
	Mr. Melvin H. Meyer		Member	
	Mr. John T. Meixell 		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 date of his arrival overseas shown on his separation document be corrected.

3.  The applicant states that his separation document shows that he was in a travel status enroute to Iran for over a year.  His date of arrival should actually be 25 January 1943 instead of 25 December 1943.

4.  In support of his request, he submits a copy of his WD AGO Form 53-55, Enlisted Record and Report of Separation.

5.  The applicant’s military records were lost or destroyed in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center.  Information herein is based on documentation furnished by the applicant and that obtained from other sources.

6.  His WD AGO Form 53-55 shows that he was inducted on 16 July 1942 and was awarded the military occupational specialty of military policeman.  His unit of assignment is listed as Company B, 727th Military Police (MP) Battalion.  Item 36 (service outside continental U.S. and return) shows that he departed the continental United States on 8 December 1942 and arrived in Iran on 25 December 1943.  He departed Iran for the United States on 22 September 1945 and arrived on 28 October 1945.  He was honorably separated at demobilization on 1 November 1945 in the rank of private first class.

7.  Awards shown on the WD AGO Form 53-55, are the American Theater Service Ribbon, the European-African-Middle Eastern Ribbon, the Good Conduct Medal, the World War II Victory Ribbon, the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button and the Driver and Mechanic Badge.  The Purple Heart is not listed as an authorized award.

8.  Block 34 (wounds received in action) of his separation form contains the entry “none.”

9.  Information obtained from hospital admission cards created by the Office of The Surgeon General for the year 1944, show that the applicant was admitted to a medical treatment facility as a battle casualty on 4 September 1944 with artillery shell fragments wounds to the arm.  

10.  Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1, Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register, contains no listing for the 727th MP Battalion.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The applicant’s separation document shows that he departed the United States for Iran on 8 December 1942 and arrived on 25 December 1943, 382 days later.  Conversely, he departed Iran enroute to the United States on 22 September 1945, and arrived on 28 October 1945, a trip of 36 days.  Comparing the departure and arrival dates to and from Iran clearly shows that some combination of the two is incorrect.  It would appear that his arrival date in Iran is in error since it is doubtful that it took over a year to travel there from the United States even given the world’s circumstances at that time.

2.  The applicant suggests using 25 January 1943 as his arrival date.  Using that date would indicate that his travel time to Iran took 47 days.  While less than the 382 days reflected on his separation document, it is also 11 days more than the 36 days it took him to return to the United States in 1945.  Nonetheless, the applicant’s suggested date may be as good as any other because of the lack of records available to establish the correct date.  In actuality, any date selected at this time will be purely arbitrary.

3.  While the Board may agree with the applicant that his date of arrival in Iran is probably wrong, and that it didn’t take him over a year to get there, there is insufficient evidence available to establish an appropriate date.  However, considering that the event in question occurred some 59 years ago and any impact of changing the date now would seem to have been lost over the years, and that the correction is obviously important to the applicant, the Board will concede all doubts in his favor and correct his arrival date in Iran (block 36 of WD AGO Form 53-55), to show 25 January 1943.

4.  Additionally, while reviewing the casualty records obtained from the Office of The Surgeon General, it was found that the applicant suffered a wound as a result of enemy action on 4 September 1944, for which it appears, he was never awarded the Purple Heart.  It would be appropriate therefore to award the Purple Heart to him.

5.  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:

a.  showing that the applicant’s arrival in Iran (Block 36 of WD AGO Form 53-55) was 25 January 1943; and

b.  showing that he was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received on 4 September 1944.

BOARD VOTE:  

___mhm_  ___jtm___  ___cla__  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		__________Celia L. Adolphi____
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2002069017	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20020905	
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.		
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.