RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2011-05113 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His records be corrected to reflect he was awarded the following: 1. Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). 2. Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVCM). ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, does not reflect his VSM or VCM. He discovered this omission when he applied for his VA benefits. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________ ______________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant’s military personnel records indicate that he enlisted in the Regular Air Force on 10 Jun 66 and served on active duty until 9 Apr 70, when he was honorably discharged at the expiration of his term of service and was credited with three years and ten months of total active service. According to a 13 Mar 70 Flight Order and paid travel voucher contained in the applicant’s military personnel records, he was designated as a crew member on an airlift mission that flew through Vietnam. The VSM is awarded to members of the armed forces who, between 4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73, served in Vietnam, its continuous waters, or airspace there-over; or Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia and the airspaces there-over, and in direct support of operations in Vietnam. To qualify, a service member must have actually participated as a crew member in one or more aerial flights directly supporting military operations, or have served on temporary duty (TDY) for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days. The RVCM is awarded to members of the armed forces who, during the period 1 Mar 61 through 28 Mar 73, served for at least six months in South Vietnam; or served outside the geographical limits of South Vietnam and contributed direct combat support to the RVN armed forces for an aggregate of six months. Only members who meet the criteria for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Vietnam) or VSM during the period of service are considered to have contributed direct combat support to the RVN armed forces. On 24 Jul 12, AFPC/DPAPP notified the applicant that they were able to verify his foreign service at Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Andersen AFB, Guam; Clark AB, Republic of the Phillipines; Tan Son Nhut AB, Republic of Vietnam; Bangkok, Thailand; New Delhi, India; Karachi, Pakistan; and Torrejon AB, Spain and correct his records administratively. The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are contained in the letter prepared by the appropriate office of the Air Force, which is attached at Exhibit C. ________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSID recommends denial, indicating there is no evidence of an error or injustice. While the applicant’s foreign service in Vietnam and Thailand were verified, he did not perform the requisite 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days of temporary duty (TDY) in the area of eligibility for the VSM or the aggregate of six months for the RVCM. A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSID 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 10 Sep 12 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 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 an error or injustice with respect to the applicant’s request for the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVCM). After a thorough review of the evidence of record and the applicant’s complete submission, we do not find the evidence presented by the applicant is sufficient to convince us he should have been awarded the RVCM. In this respect, we note the comments of the AFPC/DPSID indicating there is no documentation contained in the applicant’s submission or his military personnel records that indicates that he served in the Republic of Vietnam for six months, or supported operations from outside the Republic of Vietnam for an aggregate of six months. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend favorable consideration of this portion of his application. 4. Notwithstanding the above, sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice with respect to the applicant’s request for the VSM. While we note the comments of AFPC/DPSID indicating the applicant did not perform the requisite 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days of temporary duty (TDY) in the area of eligibility for the VSM, we believe the applicant is entitled to the VSM due to the fact that he participated in at least one aerial flight as a crew member of an airlift mission which directly supported military operations. In this respect, we note the applicant provided a supporting statement indicating that he performed such qualifying duty and his records contain a copy of an order designating him as a member of the crew for the noted flight. Therefore, we recommend his records be corrected as indicated below. ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT: The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force relating to the APPLICANT be corrected to show that he was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). ________________________________________________________________ The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2011-05113 in Executive Session on 7 Feb 13, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2011-05113 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 27 Dec 11, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 4 Sep 12. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 10 Sep 12.