BOARD DATE: 9 February 2017 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20150016374 BOARD VOTE: _________ _______ ________ GRANT FULL RELIEF _____x___ ___x_____ ___x_____ GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING ________ ________ ________ DENY APPLICATION 2 Enclosures 1. Board Determination/Recommendation 2. Evidence and Consideration BOARD DATE: 9 February 2017 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20150016374 BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION: 1. The Board determined the evidence presented is sufficient to warrant a recommendation for partial relief. As a result, the Board recommends that all Department of the Army records of the individual concerned be corrected by amending his DD Form 214 for the period ending 16 October 2012 as follows: a. Item 12f, delete "0000/00/00" replace with "0000/06/00." b. Item 13, add the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze service star. c. Item 18, add "SERVICE IN KUWAIT/AFGHANISTAN 20100701-20101231." 2. The Board further determined the evidence presented is insufficient to warrant a portion of the requested relief. As a result, the Board recommends denial of so much of the application that pertains to adding the Army Commendation Medal, the Combat Action Badge, and the NATO Medal to his DD Form 214 for the period ending 16 October 2012. _____________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. BOARD DATE: 9 February 2017 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20150016374 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 his DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to show the following previously-awarded awards: * Army Commendation Medal * Afghanistan Campaign Medal * Overseas Service Ribbon * Combat Action Badge * North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Ribbon [NATO Medal] 2. The applicant states, in effect, he was deployed to Afghanistan between July and December 2010. The requested awards were earned during his deployment to the Wardak/Ghazni provinces in Afghanistan. They were missed due to incomplete communication at Fort Bragg, NC. 3. The applicant provides no additional documentary evidence. CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant enlisted in the Regular Army on 14 October 2009. He held military occupational specialty (MOS) 12N (Horizontal Construction Engineer). At some point following initial training, he was assigned to Fort Bragg, NC. 2. In an email from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), dated 6 February 2017, an official confirmed the applicant received hostile fire pay/imminent danger pay (HFP/IDP) and combat zone tax exclusion (CZTE) for service in Kuwait from 1 July through 31 December 2010 (a period of 6 months). 3. His official military personnel file (OMPF) is void of any documents showing the awards of either the Army Commendation Medal or the Combat Action Badge, nor does it contain a NATO Medal Certificate. It does include, however, orders indicating he deployed to Afghanistan: a. Orders Number BG-159-0014, dated 8 June 2010, issued by Headquarters, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Bragg, directed him to be deployed on temporary change of station (TCS) orders in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan. He was to proceed on or about 21 June 2010. b. NATO Travel Order Number BG-159-0014, dated 8 June 2010, issued by Headquarters, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Bragg, showed the applicant was to travel on or about 21 June 2010 and return on or about 20 June 2011. Included in the list of countries to which he was authorized to travel was Afghanistan. 4. He was discharged under honorable conditions (general) due to misconduct on 16 October 2012. His DD Form 214 shows he completed 3 years and 3 days of net active creditable service. a. Item 12f (Foreign Service) is blank. b. Item 13 (Decorations, Medals, Badges, Citations and Campaign Ribbons Awarded or Authorized) of his DD Form 214 shows: * National Defense Service Medal * Global War on Terrorism Service Medal * Army Service Ribbon * Parachutist Badge c. Item 18 (Remarks) is void of any entries reflecting service in Afghanistan. REFERENCES: 1. AR 600-8-22 (Military Awards) prescribes policies and procedures for military awards. a. The Army Commendation Medal may be awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving in any capacity with the Army after 6 December 1941, distinguishes himself or herself by heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service. As with all personal decorations, formal recommendations, approval through the chain of command, and announcement in orders are required. b. The Combat Action Badge is awarded to Soldiers who were performing assigned duties in an area where hostile fire pay or imminent danger pay was authorized, were personally present and actively engaged, or were being engaged, by the enemy, and were performing satisfactorily, in accordance with the prescribed rules of engagement. (1) The award is branch and MOS immaterial, but the Soldier must not be assigned or attached to a unit that would qualify him/her for the Combat Infantryman Badge, or the Combat Medical Badge. (2) The Combat Action Badge is not intended to be awarded to all Soldiers who serve in a combat zone or imminent danger area. (3) It is authorized from 18 September 2001 to a date to be determined, and only one Combat Action Badge may be awarded during a qualifying period. (4) As with all personal decorations, formal recommendations, approval through the chain of command, and announcement in orders are required. c. The Afghanistan Campaign Medal was authorized by Public Law 108-234, dated 28 May 2004. It is awarded to members who have served in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom. A bronze service star is authorized for wear with this medal for participation in each credited campaign. d. The Overseas Service Ribbon is awarded upon successful completion of an overseas tour. According to the Awards Branch at U.S. Army Human Resources Command (HRC), Iraq and Afghanistan are considered isolated areas where tour lengths have not been established by the Department of Defense. Soldiers who serve 11 cumulative months in a 24-month period, or 9 months continuous in Iraq or Afghanistan, get credit for a completed short tour. e. The NATO Medal was authorized by the Secretary-General of NATO for specific NATO operations. The Secretary of Defense may approve acceptance and wear by U.S. service members who meet the criteria specified by the Secretary-General of NATO. (1) To add the NATO Medal to a Soldier's records, the Soldier must have the NATO certificate awarding him the medal, simply meeting the criteria is not enough. (2) In those cases where a NATO certificate was not issued during the period the Soldier was in the operational area, NATO is the approval authority, and a request must be made through the Soldier's chain of command to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) J-1. However, effective 1 January 2011, NATO revised its policy to state all NATO Medal requests must have been submitted within 2 years of leaving the operational area. Requests for medals that are submitted outside this 2-year period will not be processed. 2. AR 635-5 (Personnel Separations - Separation Documents), in effect at the time, prescribed policies and procedures for the completion of DD Form 214. Item 12f will show all foreign service completed during the period covered by the DD Form 214. Item 18 for an active duty Soldier deployed to a foreign country with his or her unit during their continuous period of active service, enter the statement "SERVICE IN (name of country deployed) FROM (inclusive dates for example, YYYYMMDD-YYYYMMDD)." DISCUSSION: 1. The applicant requests correction of his DD Form 214 by adding awards he contends he received while deployed to Afghanistan. 2. While his DD Form 214 does not reflect a deployment to Afghanistan, DFAS confirmed the applicant served in Kuwait from 1 July through 31 December 2010 (a period of 6 months). a. DFAS is considered the authoritative source when determining foreign service credit based on receipt of HF/IDP and CZTE. However, their system may not show all locations to which a Soldier has been sent during this deployment. Particularly considering his OMPF contains orders for Afghanistan, it is reasonable to presume he served in both Kuwait and Afghanistan. b. Based on the DFAS confirmation, he appears to be eligible for the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, along with one bronze service star for participation in the Consolidation III campaign (1 December 2009 to 30 June 2011). c. He does not appear eligible, however, for the Overseas Service Ribbon. To be awarded the Overseas Service Ribbon based on a deployment to Afghanistan, it is required to have served there for 9 months; he was deployed for 6 months. 3. He claims he was awarded an Army Commendation Medal and the Combat Action Badge. He does not provide, nor does his OMPF include, copies of any orders reflecting the issuance of these awards or any other documentation indicating he received either award. 4. With regard to the NATO Medal, the applicant is required to have a NATO certificate in order to add the NATO Medal to his DD Form 214. His OMPF does not contain this certificate. When a NATO certificate was not issued during the period a Soldier was deployed, approval is required from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) J-1. Effective 1 January 2011, NATO no longer accepts requests for medals submitted more than 2 years past the period of deployment; the applicant's deployment is outside this 2-year window. //NOTHING FOLLOWS// ABCMR Record of Proceedings AR20150000953 Enclosure 1 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20150016374 2 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20150016374 5 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 2