PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:      

	BOARD DATE:           18 JUNE 2002                   
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2002070728

	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. Kenneth H. Aucock		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. Karol A. Kennedy 		Chairperson	
	Mr. Melvin H. Meyer		Member	
	Mr. Allen L. Raub		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 DD Form 214 reflect award of the Purple Heart. 

3.  The applicant states that the award was not entered 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.  The applicant’s DD Form 214 shows that he entered on active duty on 6 June 1949, had 2 years and one month of foreign service, and was awarded the Combat Medical Badge, the Army of Occupation Medal (Japan), the Korean Service Medal with three bronze service stars, and the United Nations Service Medal.  He was discharged with an honorable characterization of service in the rank of Corporal on 25 August 1952.  He had 3 years, 2 months, and 20 days of service, and no days of lost time.

6.  Information from the hospital admission cards created by the Office of The Surgeon General (OTSG) shows that the applicant was wounded in action on      13 November 1950 in Korea, sustaining a bullet wound to the tarsal bone of his foot.  He was treated at the Tokyo Army Hospital in Japan.     

7.  A health record research project, commonly referred to as the "SGO Files", involved transposing the hospital admission card data from the periods of World War II and the Korean conflict onto magnetic tape.  In 1988 the National Research Council made these tape files available to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC).  The availability of the information to the NPRC received considerable publicity by the various veterans service organizations.  It was widely believed that these tapes would become a valuable substitute for the records lost in the NPRC fire of 1973.  It is estimated that the SGO files document 95 percent of all hospitalized battle casualties from World War II and the Korean war.   

8.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides that the Good Conduct Medal is awarded to individuals who distinguish themselves by their conduct, efficiency and fidelity during a qualifying period of active duty enlisted service.  This period is 3 years except in those cases when the period for the first award ends with the termination of a period of Federal military service.    

9.  The National Defense Service Medal is awarded for honorable active service between 27 June 1950 and 27 July 1954, both dates inclusive. 

10.  As a matter of information, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, the Government of the Republic of Korea issued the Korean War Service Medal to pay tribute to eligible Korean War veterans for their historic endeavors to preserve the freedom of the Republic of Korea and the free world.  On 20 August 1999, the Department of Defense approved acceptance and wear of this foreign award.  The Department of Defense has assigned responsibility to the Department of the Air Force for distribution of the Korean War Service Medal to eligible veterans of all services.  To apply, veterans must provide a copy of their discharge paper to the Awards and Decorations Section, Headquarter, Air Force Personnel Center, 550 C Street West, Suite 12, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas 78150-4714. Once the Korean War Service Medal has been authorized by the Department of the Air Force, the applicant may apply to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to add this foreign award to his DD Form 214.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The applicant was wounded in action.  He is entitled to award of the Purple Heart and that award should be reflected on his DD Form 214. 

2.  The applicant served his country faithfully and honorably as reflected in the information contained on his DD Form 214.  He is entitled to award of the Army 
Good Conduct Medal for the three year period 6 June 1949 through 5 June 1952.

3.  The applicant is entitled to award of the National Defense Service Medal.

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 showing that the individual concerned was awarded the Purple Heart, the Army Good Conduct Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.

BOARD VOTE:  

__KAK __  __MHM__  __ALR__  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		____Karol A. Kennedy____
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2002070728	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20020618	
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.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.