RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2011-02058 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 1. His DD Form 4, Enlistment Record – Armed Forces of the United States, be corrected to reflect his race as Asian, vice Mongoloid. 2. His AF Form 7, Airman Military Record, Item 2, Foreign Service Summary be corrected to reflect Da Nang AB, South Vietnam. 3. His AF Form 445, Data Change/Suspense Notification, Item 1a, be corrected to reflect Da Nang AB, South Vietnam. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: While stationed at Cannon AFB, NM with the 474th Field Maintenance Squadron he served Temporary Duty (TDY) in Da Nang AB, South Vietnam from 28 Nov 64 to 9 Mar 65. The existing record is affecting his disability claim for diabetes mellitus, type II and erectile dysfunction due to exposure of Agent Orange while TDY at Da Nang AB, South Vietnam. In support of his request, the applicant provides copies of his DD Form 4, DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, AF Form 7, and AF Form 445. The applicant's complete submission, with attachments, is included in Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant served on active duty in the Regular Air Force from 28 Jun 63 to 28 Jun 71. His DD Form 214 reflects a total of 8 years of total active service and 3 years, 4 months, and 19 days of Foreign Service. The Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) is awarded to all service members of the Armed Forces who between 4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73, served in the following areas of Southeast Asia (SEA) in Vietnam and the contiguous waters and airspace; in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the airspace thereof and in the direct support of military operations in Vietnam. The applicant’s Airman Performance Report (APR) ending 10 Jul 65 states “He was a valuable member of the team, adding to the combat capability and to the squadron’s success in Southeast Asia”. The AF Form 445 reflects he was TDY in SEA for 104 days; however, neither the APR or AF Form 445 state exactly where in SEA he actually deployed. On 20 Sep 11, AFPC/DPSIR advised the applicant that they were unable to correct his AF Form 7, DD Form 4 and AF Form 445 because the forms are obsolete and changes to correct these forms would be inappropriate. ________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: HQ AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial. DPAPP states that based upon review of the applicant’s military records and the documentation provided they were unable to verify Foreign Service time in Vietnam. The complete DPAPP evaluation is at Exhibit C. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: On 9 Dec 11, a copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant for review and comment within 30 days. To date, a response has not been received (Exhibit D). ________________________________________________________________ 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 to warrant correcting his records to reflect service in Vietnam. 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. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting this portion of his request. Notwithstanding the above, sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice to warrant partial relief. In this respect, we note the applicant’s race as indicated in his records was appropriately entered in accordance with the governing regulation then in effect. However, according to the Enlisted Accession Office, “Mongoloid” is no longer used to record a member’s race. As such, we believe it is in the interest of justice to correct his records to reflect his race as “Asian” rather than “Mongoloid.” While we note that AFPC/DPSIR states the forms are obsolete and cannot be altered, the applicant can use the accompanying directive as the official document to effect the change in his records. Accordingly, we recommend his records be corrected to the extent indicated below. ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT: The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force relating to APPLICANT be corrected to show his race as “Asian” rather than “Mongoloid”. ________________________________________________________________ The following members of the Board considered Docket Number BC- 2011-02058 in Executive Session on 26 Jan 12, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: The Board voted to correct the record as recommended. The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 17 May 11, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant’s Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, HQ AFPC/DPAPP dated 8 Nov 11. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 9 Dec 11. AFBCMR BC-2011-02058 MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF Having received and considered the recommendation of the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records and under the authority of Section 1552, Title 10, United States Code, it is directed that: The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force relating to the APPLICANT be corrected to show his race as “Asian” rather than “Mongoloid”. Director Air Force Review Boards Agency