RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2010-02356 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 1. He be awarded the Air Medal (AM). 2. He be awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal (AFAM). 3. He be authorized the Valor device for his Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (AFOUA) – administratively corrected to reflect AFOUA with One Oak Leaf Cluster (AFOUA w/1OLC). 4. He be awarded the Air Force Longevity Service Award (AFLSA). _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He recently found reference to the award criteria for each medal on the internet. He believes he is entitled to each of these medals for the following reasons: a. He flew 40 sorties on 30 consecutive days while transporting and treating his fellow wounded comrades. He should be awarded the AM for his service. While assigned on temporary duty to the 57th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Clark AB, Philippines, he flew into and out of Da Nang, Cam Rahn Bay, and Tan Son Nhut Air Bases. He qualified for his Air Crew Member Badge. b. He received Certificates of Recognition and Academic Achievement while assigned to the Air Training Command at Sheppard AFB and he should be awarded the AFAM for his service. He feels he met the requirements to be awarded the AFAM; however, the AFAM was not established until 1980 and he was discharged from the Air Force in 1970. The internet did not indicate whether the award would be retroactive or not. c. He entered the Air Force under the Delayed Enlistment Program in Oct 66 and was discharged in Dec 70; however, he did not enter active duty until 11 Jan 67. He should be awarded the AFLSA for serving a total of over 4 years. d. He would like to know if he is authorized to wear the bronze “V” for his service with the 57th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from 15 Apr 69 to 10 Jul 69. He served as a medical technician primarily aboard a C-141 transporting members in and out of Vietnam. In support of his request, the applicant provides a copy of his travel orders, a copy of his DD Form 214 (Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge), copies of training certificates, a copy of a newspaper article, and several other documents extracted from his military records. His complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant entered the Delayed Enlistment Program and took his oath of enlistment on 12 Oct 66. His enlistment in the Regular Air Force began on 11 Jan 67. He received an honorable discharge on 9 Dec 70 after serving 3 years, 10 months, and 29 days on active duty. The AM is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the Armed Forces of the United States, subsequent to 8 September 1939, distinguishes himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement while participating in an aerial flight. The AFAM is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States and foreign military personnel, below the rank of O-6, after 30 September 1981, who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Air Force, distinguishes themselves by meritorious service or achievement. The AFLSA shall be awarded to all service members of the U.S. Air Force who complete four continuous years of honorable active or Reserve military service. Active and Reserve military service cannot be combined for a total of four years service. DPSIDR verified the applicant’s entitlement to the AFOUA w/1 OLC. DPSIDRA informed the applicant that his unit did not receive the AFOUA w/V. The applicant’s record will be updated by the appropriate office accordingly. _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: DPSIDRA recommends denial of the AM, AFAM, and AFLSA. DPSIDRA states IAW the governing law, the original or reconstructed written award recommendation is required for the recommended individual. The recommendation must be made by someone, other than the member himself, preferably the commander or supervisor at the time of the act of achievement, with firsthand knowledge of the member’s accomplishments. The recommendation must include the name of the decoration (i.e., AM), reason for recognition (heroism, achievement, or meritorious service), inclusive dates of the act, and a narrative description of the act. The recommending official must sign the recommendation. Also, a proposed citation is required and chain of command endorsements are encouraged. Statements from fellow comrades, eyewitness statements attesting to the act, sworn affidavits, and other documentation substantiating the recommendation should be included with the package. DPSIDR states the applicant has not provided any documentation for entitlement to the AM and the AFAM. Furthermore, the applicant cannot recommend himself for a decoration. As for the applicant’s entitlement to the AFLSA, DPSIDRA notes the active duty time and inactive Reserve time cannot be combined to meet the award criteria of four years Active or Reserve service. Therefore, the applicant is ineligible for entitlement to the AFLSA. The DPSIDRA complete 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 24 Sep 10 for review and comment within 30 days. As of this date, this office has received no response. _________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT: 1. The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing law or regulations. 2. The application was not timely filed; however, it is in the interest of justice to excuse the failure to timely file. 3. Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of error or injustice with regard to the applicant’s request for the AM, AFAM, AFOUA w/V, and AFLSA. In this respect, we note that the AFAM did not exist when the applicant served in the military and the AFOUA Valor device was not awarded to his unit of assignment for the period in question. After a thorough review of the evidence of record and applicant's submission, we agree with the opinion and recommendation of the Air Force office of primary responsibility and adopt its rationale as the basis for our conclusion that relief beyond that already granted administratively is not warranted. Therefore, we find no basis to favorably consider this application. _________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified that the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of material error or injustice; that the application was denied without a personal appearance; and that 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 AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2010-02356 in Executive Session on 3 Mar 11, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 27 Jun 10, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSIDRA, dated 3 Aug 10. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 24 Sep 10.