RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 

 

IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2012-03377 

 

 COUNSEL: NONE 

 

 HEARING DESIRED: NO 

 

 ______________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 

 

His records be corrected to reflect he was awarded the Vietnam 
Service Medal (VSM). 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 

 

His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of 
Transfer or Discharge, does not reflect his VSM or credit him 
with the two 55-day temporary duty (TDY) assignments he served 
in the Republic of Vietnam. 

 

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 21 Feb 67. 

 

The applicant’s military personnel records contain a copy of an 
order which reflects he was ordered to perform a TDY at Tan Son 
Nhut Airfield, Vietnam for approximately 55 days. In addition, 
according to the applicant’s Airman Performance Report (APR) 
rendered for the period 3 Jul 68 through 2 Jan 69, the 
COMMENTS/INDORSEMENTS section contains the following statement, 
“While TDY to Tan Son Nhut AB, Vietnam, filling a five level 
slot, he demonstrated his professional ability by repairing 
system malfunctions and enabled a minimum turn around time for 
an aircraft with three communications discrepancies.” 

 

On 11 Jan 71, he was honorably discharged at the expiration of 
his term of service and was credited with 3 years, 10 months, 
and 21 days of total active service. 

 

The VSM is awarded to all service members of the U.S. Armed 
Forces serving at any time between 4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73, in 
the areas of eligibility (AOE). The AOE is defined as: 


Vietnam, its contiguous waters, or the airspace there-over; in 
Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia, their contiguous waters, or the 
airspaces there-over, and in direct support of operations in 
Vietnam. To be eligible, a service member must have served on 
temporary duty (TDY) for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive 
days. These time limitations may be waived for personnel who 
participated in actual combat operation. 

 

The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are 
contained in the letter prepared by the appropriate office of 
the Air Force, which as attached at Exhibit C. 

 

 ______________________________________________________________ 

 

AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

AFRC/DPSIAR recommends denial, indicating they were unable to 
locate documentation in the applicant’s submission or military 
personnel records verifying his service in the AOE to qualify 
for the award of the VSM. While they could not validate the 
applicant was in the AOE, an analysis of the applicant’s record 
revealed documentation indicating that he should have been 
awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor (AFOUA 
w/V) for his service from 21 Feb 67 to 11 Jan 71. 

 

A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSIAR 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 16 Oct 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. Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to 
demonstrate the existence of error or injustice. While we note 
the comments of the Air Force office of primary responsibility 
(OPR) indicating they were unable to verify the exact dates the 
applicant served in the qualifying area of eligibility, we 
believe substantial evidence indicates that corrective action is 
warranted. In this respect, we note the applicant has provided 
copies of orders indicating he served at Tan Son Nhut AB, 


Republic of Vietnam in a temporary duty (TDY) status for a 
period of 55 days. Furthermore, his records contain a 
performance report confirming this TDY. Therefore, while the 
exact dates of the applicant’s service in the Republic of 
Vietnam could not be confirmed, we find it reasonable to 
conclude the applicant served in Vietnam for at least the 
requisite 30 days to qualify for the requested medal. 
Therefore, we recommend the applicant’s records be corrected as 
indicated below. 

 

 ______________________________________________________________ 

 

THE BOARD DETERMINES 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-2012-03377 in Executive Session on 7 February 2013, 
under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: 

 

 Panel Chair 

 Member 

 Member 

 

The following documentary evidence was considered: 

 

 Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 30 Jul 12, w/atchs. 

 Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. 

 Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 24 Sep 12. 

 Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 16 Oct 12 

 

 

 

 

 

 Panel Chair