RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2010-02943 XXXXXXX COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 1. He be credited with five points towards promotion for his five Coast Guard Commandant Letters of Commendation (LOC). 2. The citations for the LOCs be included in his Senior Noncommissioned Officer (SNCO) Selection Record for the promotion board's consideration. 3. He be authorized wear of the ribbon denoting the LOC with his uniform (to be administratively resolved). ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He lost five points towards promotion when he entered the Air Force because the Air Force does not recognize the Coast Guard Commandant's LOC as a significant award. The award cannot be loaded into the Military Personnel Data System (MilPDS), nor can it be appropriately considered for the purpose of promotion. It is an injustice to all prior service Coast Guard members who now serve in the Air Force. In support of his request, the applicant provides copies of his DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and the aforementioned LOCs. The applicant's complete submission, including attachments, is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: Information extracted from MilPDS indicates the applicant is currently serving in the Regular Air Force in the grade of master sergeant (E-7), effective and with a date of rank of 1 Aug 07. On 21 Sep 10, AFPC/DPSIDR notified the applicant they were able to update MilPDS to indicate the applicant had been awarded the Coast Guard Commendant's Letter of Commendation (CGCLC) with four gold stars (GS), Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation w/ 3GS, the Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon, and the Secretary's Outstanding Unit Award. They noted that while the Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation w/ 3GS and the Secretary's Outstanding Unit Award will be reflected as unidentified ribbons in the virtual Military Personnel Flight (vMPF) and MilPDS, efforts were underway to resolve the discrepancy. The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are contained in the letters prepared by the appropriate offices of the Air Force and are attached at Exhibits C and D. ________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSOE recommends denial with respect to crediting the applicant with five points toward promotion for the subject awards, indicating there is no evidence of an error or injustice. Under the Weighted Airman Promotion System (WAPS), airmen are considered for promotion using personnel data elements which are converted to weighted factor scores for promotion selection purposes. Each award/decoration is assigned a specific point value based on the order of precedence and only those awards/decorations listed in AFI 36-2502, Airman Promotion/Demotion Programs, are assigned point values toward promotion and are filed in the SNCO Selection Record. Only awards for which a medal is awarded receive weighted points towards promotion; however, not all medals are used in the process. A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSOE evaluation is at Exhibit C. AFPC/PB recommends denial of the applicant's request to include the citations of the contested awards in his SNCO Selection Record, indicating there is no evidence of an error or injustice. AFI 36-2608, Military Personnel Records System, is the governing directive and allows for citations for all awarded decorations to be filed in the SNCO Selection Record. The lowest decoration the Air Force authorizes for file in the selection record is the Achievement Medal. The applicant's Coast Guard Achievement medal is on file in his SNCO Selection Record. The LOC is awarded for an act or service resulting in unusual and/or outstanding achievement, but lesser than that required for the Achievement Medal in accordance with COMDTINST M1650.25D. The Air Force complied with all governing directives in this case; thus, there is no injustice or issue for correction. A complete copy of the AFPC/PB evaluation is at Exhibit D. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: Copies of the Air Force evaluations were forwarded to the applicant on 27 Nov 10 for review and comment within 30 days. As of this date, no response has been received by this office (Exhibit E). ________________________________________________________________ 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 an error or injustice. After careful consideration of applicant's requests and the available evidence of record, we find insufficient evidence of error or injustice to warrant corrective action. The Board relies on the advisory opinions as the basis for our opinions. Absent evidence the applicant was denied rights to which he was entitled, appropriate regulations were not followed, or appropriate standards were not applied, we find no basis to disturb the existing record. ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of 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 AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2010-02943 in Executive Session on 22 Mar 11, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2010-02943 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 6 Aug 10, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSOE, dated 30 Sep 10, w/atch. Exhibit D. Letter, AFPC/PB, dated 25 Oct 10. Exhibit E. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 27 Nov 10.