PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:      

	BOARD DATE:           19 SEPTEMBER 2002
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2002072208

	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. Joann H. Langston		Chairperson	
	Ms. Melinda M. Darby		Member	
	Mr. Ronald E. Blakely		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 award of the Purple Heart. 

3.  In effect, the applicant states that his DD Form 214 shows that he was slightly wounded in action (SWA), but that he was not awarded the Purple Heart. 

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 (Report of Separation from the Armed Forces of the United States) shows that he had over 3 years of service when he entered on active duty on 8 March 1948.  He served in Korea and was awarded the Korean Service Medal with three bronze service stars, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, and the Distinguished Unit Emblem (now the Presidential Unit Citation).  That form shows that he was slightly wounded in action (SWA) in Korea on 28 November 1950.  It does not show award of the Purple Heart.  The applicant was discharged with a general characterization of service on 15 February 1952.  He had a total of 7 years,         4 months, and 19 days of service, and 1 day of lost time.

6.  Information from the hospital admission cards created by the Office of The Surgeon General shows that he was wounded in action on 28 November 1950, sustaining a bullet wound to his left hand. 

7.  The United Nations Service Medal is awarded to members of the armed forces of the United States dispatched to Korea on behalf of the United Nations in the action in Korea.  Personnel awarded the Korean Service Medal automatically establish eligibility for the United Nations Service Medal.

8.  The National Defense Service Medal is awarded for honorable active service for any period between 27 June 1950 and 27 July 1954.

9.  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 to eligible US veterans of the Korean War, or their surviving next of kin.  The medal is provided at no cost to the veterans.

10.  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 or their surviving next of kin.  To apply, veterans must provide a copy of their discharge paper (DD Form 214) to the Awards and Decorations Section, Headquarters, Air Force Personnel Center, 550 C Street West, Suite 12, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas 78150-4714.  A sample request form is being provided to the applicant.  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. 

2.  The applicant is also entitled to award of the United Nations Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. 

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 the individual concerned was awarded the Purple Heart, the United Nations Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. 

BOARD VOTE:  

__JHL __  __MMD__  __REB __  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		____Joann H. Langston______
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2002072208	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20020919	
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.