RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 

IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2012-03707 

 

 COUNSEL: NONE 

 

 HEARING DESIRED: NO 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 

 

His record be corrected to reflect he served in the Republic of 
Vietnam (RVN). 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 

 

His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of 
Transfer or Discharge, does not reflect that his Southeast Asia 
(SEA) service was in Vietnam. Although he was awarded the 
Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) and it is annotated on his DD Form 
214, the Veteran Administration does not recognize his service 
in 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 June 1967 and served on 
active duty until 20 August 1971, when he was honorably released 
from active duty. 

 

On 11 October 2011, AFPC/DPSOR notified the applicant that a DD 
Form 214 is only corrected when the information listed was 
incorrect at the time of separation. However, due to Air Force 
Directives and Department of Defense Guidance, there are no 
authorized statements or blocks that would allow specific TDY or 
deployments to be recorded on his DD Form 214. Additionally, 
there was no Permanent Change of Station (PCS) to Vietnam. 

 

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

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

 

 



AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

AFPC/DPAA recommends denial, indicating that based on the 
evidence provided, a temporary duty (TDY) assignment to the RVN 
cannot be confirmed. The applicant’s military records show he 
was overseas from 21 July 1968 to 22 December 1968 and during 
that period he performed TDY to Southeast Asia (SEA) from 
12 August 1968 to 2 September 1968 (a total of 22 days); 
however, the exact location cannot be verified. While the 
applicant has also provided two supporting statements from 
former comrades, their presence in the RVN could not be verified 
as well. 

 

A complete copy of the AFPC/DPAPP evaluation is at Exhibit C. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

The applicant re-affirms that he was awarded the VSM due to his 
service in Vietnam. He was credited with Foreign or SEA Service 
because he was deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas to 
Japan in support of SEA, which was to fly missions from Cam Rahn 
Bay, RVN. All Foreign Service and temporary duties are not 
always noted in a service member’s record, making it difficult 
to accurately reflect their service. 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. Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to 
demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice to warrant 
corrective action. We took notice of the applicant’s complete 
submission, to include his response to the Air Force evaluation, 
in judging the merits of the case. While we cannot verify the 
specific dates the applicant was actually in Vietnam, we believe 
a totality of the evidence presented supports that he did have 
boots-on-the-ground in the RVN. In this respect, we note the 
official history of the applicant’s former unit details their 
TDY to Japan and subsequent flights in and out of Cam Ranh Bay 
AB, RVN. In addition, the statements from two former members of 
the applicant’s unit attest to his participation in the rotation 
system during the TDY and were witnesses to the fact that he 
indeed spent time in Cam Rahn Bay AB. 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 had 
boots-on-the-ground in the Republic of Vietnam. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket 
Number BC-2012-03707 in Executive Session on 23 April 2013, 
under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: 

 

 Panel Chair 

 Member 

 Member 

 

All members voted to correct the records as recommended. The 
following documentary evidence was considered: 

 

 Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 1 August 2012, w/atchs. 

 Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. 

 Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 2 October 2012. 

 Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 30 October 2012. 

 Exhibit E. Letter, Applicant, dated 2 November 2012.