RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2012-03847 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His DD Form 214, Report of Separation from Active Duty, be corrected to reflect award of the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVCM). _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He served at Ubon Airfield, Thailand during the Vietnam Conflict from May 1973 to May 1974. He flew combat missions over Cambodia. The applicant's complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant’s records reflect he commenced his active duty service on 20 Jan 71. The applicant's performance reports reflect he was stationed at Ubon Airfield, Thailand from 14 Apr 73 through 28 Apr 74. On 30 Apr 76, the applicant was released from active duty and credited with 5 years, 3 months, and 11 days of total active service, which included 1 year of foreign service. _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSID recommends denial, indicating there is no evidence of an error or injustice. After reviewing the applicant’s official military personnel record, DPSID was unable to verify his entitlement to the VSM or the RVCM. There was no evidence to verify the applicant served in the area of responsibility (AOR) during the inclusive period for either award. However, DPSID was able to verify the applicant was entitled to Air Force Good Conduct Medal (AFGCM). DPSOY will administratively correct his records to reflect the AFGCM. The VSM is awarded to all members of the U. S. Armed Forces serving at any time between 4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73 in the area of eligibility (AOE). The AOE is defined as: Vietnam, its contiguous waters, or 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 TDY for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days. These time limitations may be waived for personnel who participated in actual combat operations. A bronze service star denotes campaign participation and is awarded for at least 1 day served in each campaign phase. The RVCM is awarded to members of the US armed forces who, during the period 1 Mar 61 through 28 Mar 73, served for six months in South Vietnam, or served outside the geographical limits of South Vietnam, and contributed direct combat support to the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) Armed Forces for an aggregate of six months. Only those who meet the criteria established for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) (Vietnam) or the VSM during the period of service are considered to have contributed direct combat support the RVN Armed Forces. The complete AFPC/DPSID evaluation is at Exhibit C. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: A copy of the Air Force evaluations was forwarded to the applicant on 10 Dec 12, for review and comment within 30 days. As of this date, no response has been received by this office. _________________________________________________________________ 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 Vietnam Service Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. 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 its rationale that relief beyond that already granted administratively is not warranted. 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-2012-03847 in Executive Session on 23 Apr 13, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Forms 149, dated 15 Aug 12, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 19 Nov 12. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 10 Dec 12.