RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2010-00577 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: YES _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His records be corrected to reflect the following: 1. His previous period of active service (Administratively Corrected). 2. That he was deployed overseas (Will be administratively corrected). 3. Award of the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (SAEMR). 4. Award of the Air and Space Campaign Medal (ASCM). 5. Award of the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOT-E) (Will be administratively corrected). 6. Award of the Air Force Overseas Short Tour Ribbon (AFOR-S) (Will be administratively corrected). _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: His DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, contains errors and he was unable to review and sign the form prior to his separation. In support of the appeal, the applicant provides excerpts from his military personnel records, and other documentation related to his request. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant enlisted in the Regular Air Force on 3 Aug 04 for a term of six years. On 24 Aug 04, he was discharged under the provisions of AFI 36-3208, Administrative Separation of Airmen, for Personality Disorder, with uncharacterized service. On 7 Feb 06, he enlisted in the Regular Air Force for a term of four years, and was progressively promoted to the grade of airman first class. On 24 Mar 09, he was discharged in the grade of airman basic under the provisions of AFI 36-3208, for Misconduct (Minor Infractions). His DD Form 214, issued in conjunction with his 24 Mar 09 discharge reflects that he served a total of 3 years, 1 month, and 18 days of active service. On 19 Aug 10, the applicant was notified by HQ AFPC/DPSIDRA of his entitlement to the GWOT-E, the Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Boarder (AFESR w/GB), and the AFOR-S. His record was also corrected to reflect that he had “boots on ground” Foreign Service time at Al Udeid, Qatar, from 14 Aug 07 to 16 Feb 08, for six months and three days. He was also notified that the Joint Chiefs of Staff has not designated Operation ENDURING FREEDOM or Operation IRAQ FREEDOM as an approved operation for the ASCM, and he is not entitled to the award. On 9 Dec 10, his records were administratively corrected to reflect his previous period of active service. The SAEMR is awarded to all US Air Force service members who after 1 Jan 63, qualify as expert in small arms marksmanship with either the M-16 rifle or issue handgun. On 24 Apr 02, the Secretary of the Air Force approved the ASCM to recognize personnel who are not eligible for the Kosovo Campaign Medal or other Operation ALLIED FORCE (OAF) DoD Campaign Medals, and provided direct support of combat operations at home station or from outside the geographic area of combat. The ASCM may be awarded to members of the Air Force who, after 24 Mar 99, supported a significant US military operation designated by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force as qualifying for the ASCM. Military operations that qualify are Operations ALLIED FORCE (24 Mar - 10 Jun 99), JOINT GUARDIAN (11 Jun 1999 - Date to Be Determined (DTBD)), ALLIED HARBOUR (4 Apr – 1 Sep 99), SUSTAIN HOPE/ SHINING HOPE (4 Apr - 10 Jul 99), NOBLE ANVIL (24 Mar – 20 Jul 99), and Kosovo Task Forces HAWK (5 Apr - 24 Jun 99), SABER (31 Mar - 8 Jul 99), FALCON (11 Jun 99 - DTBD), and HUNTER (1 Apr - 1 Nov 99). Members who provided direct support for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days to one of the designated operations, at home station, or from outside of the geographic area of combat qualify for the ASCM. "Direct support" is defined as deploying in support of an ASCM approved operation or if performing functions at home station or from outside the geographic area of combat which historically were deployed forward, or entirely new and future missions, which due to technological advances are no longer constrained by geographic location. This includes, but is not limited to, sortie generation, intelligence, surveillance, targeting, computer network attack operations, etc. Squadron Commanders may determine other functions that meet the intent of this award. _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSIDRA recommends denial regarding the applicant’s request for award of the SAEMR. DPSIDRA indicates they were unable to locate an AF Form 522, USAF Ground Weapons Training Data, or any official documentation to verify his entitlement to the SAEMR. The complete AFPC/DPSIDRA evaluation is at Exhibit C. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: A copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant on 1 Oct 10, for review and comment within 30 days. As of this date, no response has been received by this office (Exhibit D). _________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT: 1. The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing law or regulations. 2. The application was timely filed. 3. Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of error or injustice regarding his request for award of the SAEMR and the ASCM. We note the applicant’s records will be administratively corrected to reflect that he served six months and three days of Foreign Service, award of the GWOT-E Medal, the AFOR-S, the AFESR w/GB. Further, his records were administratively corrected to reflect his previous period of service. We took notice of the applicant's complete submission in judging the merits of the case; however, we agree with the opinion and recommendation of the Air Force office of primary responsibility (OPR) and adopt its rationale as the basis for our conclusion the applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice regarding the SAEMR. Additionally, regarding the applicant’s request for award of the ASCM, we note the Joint Chiefs of Staff has not designated Operation ENDURING FREEDOM or Operation IRAQI FREEDOM as an approved operation for award of the ASCM and he is not entitled to this award. In view of the above, and in the absence of sufficient evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting his request for award of the SAEMR and the ASCM. 4. The applicant's case is adequately documented and it has not been shown that a personal appearance with or without counsel will materially add to our understanding of the issues involved. Therefore, the request for a hearing is not favorably considered. _________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified that the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of a material error or injustice; the application was denied without a personal appearance; and the application will only be reconsidered upon the submission of newly discovered relevant evidence not considered with this application. _________________________________________________________________ The following members of the Board considered Docket Number BC- 2010-00577 in Executive Session on 4 Nov 10, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 10 Dec 09, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSIDRA, dated 19 Aug 10. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 1 Oct 10.