PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:      

	BOARD DATE:            22  August 2002                  
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2002072634

	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	
	Ms. Stephanie Thompkins		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. Joann H. Langston 		Chairperson	
	Mr. Raymond V. O'Connor, Jr.		Member	
	Ms. Barbara J. Ellis		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 Purple Heart be included in his records.

3.  The applicant states that his receipt of the Purple Heart is not reflected in his records.  He submits no documentation in support of his request. 

4.  The applicant’s military records were lost or destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.  Information herein was obtained from partial records and Office of The Surgeon General (OTSG) hospital admission card.  His separation document is not available.

5.  Orders dated 31 August 1951 show he was transferred for shipment to the FECOM (Far East Command).

6.  OTSG hospital admission card (page 215, microfiche 067) for the years 1950 to 1953 (Korea) show that while serving in Korea, the applicant was wounded with a compound fracture to the humerus (shaft) by a bullet, small arms, on 23 January 1952, as a direct result of action against or by an organized enemy.  The hospital admission card also shows he was evacuated to the United States in the same year.

7.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides, in pertinent part, that the Purple Heart is awarded for a wound sustained while in action against the enemy or as a result of hostile action.  Substantiating evidence must be provided to verify that the wound was the result of hostile action, the wound must have required treatment by a medical officer, and the medical treatment must have been made a matter of official record.

8.  OTSG Files, a health record research project, commonly referred to as the "SGO (Surgeon General Office) 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.  

9.  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.  In order to assist the applicant, the Board is furnishing him with a copy of the Department of the Air Force administrative instructions for requesting award of the Korean War Service Medal.  When the Department of the Air Force authorizes the Korean War Service Medal, the applicant may apply to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to add this foreign unit award to his DD Form 214.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The applicant is entitled to correction to his records to show he was awarded the Purple Heart.   

2.  OTSG hospital admission cards show he was wounded on 23 January 1952, as a result of hostile action and was made a matter of official medical record.  

3.  The Board also notes that the applicant’s service in Korea during the Korean Conflict entitles him to receive the Korean War Service Medal; however, the applicant must apply to the Department of the Air Force to be issued this award.

4.  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 showing the individual concerned was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received as a result of enemy action in Korea on 23 January 1952.

2.  That the individual concerned in this case apply for award of the Korean War Service Medal by submitting his request in accordance with the administrative instructions attached to these Proceedings.

BOARD VOTE:  

_JHJ___  _BJE____  _RVO___  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

			Joann H. Langston 
		______________________
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2002072634	
SUFFIX		
RECON		
DATE BOARDED	20020822	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE		
DATE OF DISCHARGE		
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY		
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT 	
		
ISSUES         1.	107.00	
2.	107.15	
3.	107.70	
4.		
5.		
6.