BOARD DATE: 1 December 2015 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20150004555 THE BOARD CONSIDERED THE FOLLOWING EVIDENCE: 1. Application for correction of military records (with supporting documents provided, if any). 2. Military Personnel Records and advisory opinions (if any). THE APPLICANT'S REQUEST, STATEMENT, AND EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant requests correction of her military records to show her last name as "Graves" instead of "Monnell." 2. The applicant states her maiden name is "Monnell" and her current legal married name is "Graves." She recently processed through the Fort George Meade Identification (ID) Card Section to update her Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) record. The supervisor of that section and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) told her she must submit a name change request using a DD Form 149 (Application for Correction of Military Record). 3. The applicant provides copies of the following: * Marriage Certificate and License * Driver's License * Retiree ID Card * DD Form 1172-2 (Application for ID Card/DEERS Enrollment) CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. Title 10, U.S. Code, section 1552(b), provides that applications for correction of military records must be filed within 3 years after discovery of the alleged error or injustice. This provision of law also allows the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR) to excuse an applicant's failure to timely file within the 3-year statute of limitations if the ABCMR determines it would be in the interest of justice to do so. While it appears the applicant did not file within the time frame provided in the statute of limitations, the ABCMR has elected to conduct a substantive review of the cases and, only to the extent relief, if any, is granted, has determined it is in the interest of justice to excuse the applicant's failure to timely file. In all other respects, there are insufficient bases to waive the statute of limitations. 2. With prior Regular Army (RA) enlisted service, the applicant was appointed in the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) on 22 June 2004 as a warrant officer one (WO1). Her records contain the following: * DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) for the period ending on 21 June 2004, shows in item 1 (Name (Last, First, Middle)) her last name as "Monnell." * DA Form 71 (Oath of Office) shows her last name as "Monnell" 3. She was honorably retired on 23 December 2010 and placed on the temporary disability retired list (TDRL). Item 1 of her DD Form 214 shows her last name as "Monnell." 4. She provided copies of the following: * marriage certificate and license showing she was married on 5 July 2013 and her last name as "Graves" * driver's license, issued on 16 September 2013, showing her last name as "Graves" * retiree ID card, issued on 7 November 2013, showing her last name as "Graves" * DD Form 1172-2, completed and signed on 6 May 2014, showing her last name as "Graves" 5. Army Regulation 635-5 (Separation Documents), in effect at the time, prescribed the separation documents prepared for Soldiers upon retirement, discharge, or release from active military service or control of the Army. It established standardized policy for the preparation of the DD Form 214. It stated the DD Form 214 was a synopsis of the Soldier’s most recent period of continuous active duty. It provided a brief, clear-cut record of active Army service at the time of release from active duty, retirement or discharge. The regulation stated item 1 would list the last name, first name, and full middle name or names, if any used during the period of active service. Source documents used to prepare the DD Form 214 included oaths of office, the officer record brief and the enlisted record brief. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: 1. The applicant appears to request correction of her official military personnel file and DFAS record to show her current last name. 2. While it is understood why she would want her records changed to reflect her current legal last name, the evidence of record shows she initially enlisted in the RA and was appointed in the USAR under the last name of "Monnell." On 23 December 2010, she retired and was placed on the TDRL. Her 2004 and 2010 DD Forms 214 list this last name. On 5 July 2013, she married and changed her last name to "Graves." 3. For historical purposes, the Army has an interest in maintaining the integrity of its records. The data and information contained in those records should reflect the conditions and circumstances that existed at the time the records were created. 4. Absent any evidence that the applicant has actually suffered an injustice based on the last name recorded in her military records, there appears to be no compelling reason to compromise the integrity of the Army’s records to correct her last name at this time. 5. With respect to her retired pay records, a discharged or retired service member can request a change to their official military records at any time. Changes include information such as the member's name, social security number, date and/or place of birth. The requestor can submit their request in letter format or on a Standard Form 180 (Request Pertaining to Military Records), together with supporting evidence to the Commander, U.S. Army Human Resources Command, ATTN: AHRC-PDR-V, 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Fort Knox, KY 40122. BOARD VOTE: ________ ________ ________ GRANT FULL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING __X______ ___X_____ __X__ DENY APPLICATION BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION: The evidence presented does not demonstrate the existence of a probable error or injustice. Therefore, the Board determined that the overall merits of this case are insufficient as a basis for correction of the records of the individual concerned. _______ _ X _______ ___ CHAIRPERSON I certify that herein is recorded the true and complete record of the proceedings of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in this case. ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20150004555 3 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20150004555 4 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1