RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

 AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 

IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2010-03144 

 

 COUNSEL: NONE 

 

 HEARING DESIRED: NO 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

THE APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 

 

He be entitled to the award of the Purple Heart (PH) Medal. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

THE APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 

 

He was injured while serving in Turkey, on 4 May 1963, during an 
attack. He received a scalp wound from a machete and believes 
his injury meets the criteria and guidelines to be awarded the 
PH. 

 

In support of his appeal, the applicant provides a copy of his 
DD Form 214, Report of Transfer or Discharge, issued in 
conjunction with his 21 July 1964 release from active duty. 

 

The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at 
Exhibit A. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

STATEMENT OF FACTS: 

 

The applicant enlisted in the Regular Air Force, on 
30 November 1960, for a period of four years. He was released 
from active duty under the provisions of AFR 39-14, with 
Separation Designator (SDN) 411 (early separation of overseas 
returnee), and with service characterized as honorable. He was 
credited with 3 years, 7 months, and 22 days of active duty 
service, including one year, six months, and seven days of 
foreign service. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

THE AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

AFPC/DPSIDRA recommends denial, stating, in part, although it 
can be confirmed that the applicant received scalp injury on or 
around 4 May 1963, there is no documentation confirming the 
applicant was attacked by an armed enemy of the United States 
while serving in Turkey between 1963 and 1964. The applicant 
has not provided any documentation to support his claim. 


 

According to the applicant's record, he served at Cigli Air 
Base, Turkey, from 11 January 1963 to 17 July 1964. The 
applicant previously submitted request for entitlement to the PH 
through Congressional Inquiry in 2005. The Purple Heart Review 
Board (PHRB) considered the applicant’s case for his entitlement 
to the PH and on 7 June 2005; the PHRB disapproved his request. 
The applicant again submitted a request for entitlement to the 
PH through Congressional Inquiry in 2006 and on 11 May 2006, he 
was again informed that the PHRB disapproved his claim, as there 
was not enough documentation to support that the claim was a 
direct result of enemy action. The attack appeared to be a 
disgruntled Turkish national; it could not be determined that 
the man who attacked the applicant was an international 
terrorist or an armed enemy of the United States. 

 

The PH is awarded for wounds received as a direct result of 
enemy actions (i.e., gunshot or shrapnel wounds, hand-to-hand 
combat wounds, forced aircraft bail out injuries, etc.). In 
addition, it is necessary that the wound required or received 
treatment by medical personnel. Indirect injuries do not meet 
the criteria for the award of the PH. These include, but are not 
limited to, injuries received while seeking shelter from mortar 
or rocket attacks, aircraft bombings, grenades, and injuries 
incurred while serving as an aircraft member in a passenger 
status as a result of the aircraft's evasive measures against 
hostile fire or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, the 
Purple Heart Review Board (PHRB) has the authority, on behalf of 
the Secretary of the Air Force, to determine a veteran's 
entitlement to the PH. Each request is considered based on the 
policies and criteria in use at the time the veteran was 
injured, and the determination is dependent on the documentary 
evidence presented. 

 

The complete AFPC/DPSIDRA evaluation is at Exhibit C. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF THE AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

The applicant notes, that on 4 May 1963, he was attacked. His 
records maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) 
supports his claim. While the court records in Izmir, Turkey 
have been destroyed, they reflect a find by the Turkish court of 
an unprovoked attack with intent to kill his entire group in 
escort. The attacker received two life sentences. The 
applicant believes this incident entitles him to the award of 
the PH. 

 

In support of his appeal, the applicant provides a personal 
statement and a copy of his congressional representative’s 
response from the National Personnel Record Center (NPRC), 
St. Louis, MO. 

 


The applicant’s complete response, with attachments, is at 
Exhibit E. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

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. 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 and adopt 
their rationale as the basis for our conclusion that the 
applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice. The 
acts of heroism and personal sacrifice the applicant endured for 
our nation is noted; however, based on our review of the 
evidence of record and the documentation submitted in support of 
the appeal, we do not find it sufficient to recommend award of 
the PH. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, 
we find no basis to recommend granting the relief sought in this 
application. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

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-2010-03144 in Executive Session on 16 June 2011, under 
the provisions of AFI 36-2603: 

 

The following documentary evidence was considered: 

 

 Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 27 Aug 10, w/atchs. 

 Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. 

 Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSIDRA, dated 20 Oct 10. 

 Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 5 Nov 10. 

 Exhibit E. Letter, Applicant, dated 19 Nov 10.