RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2013-00623 COUNSEL: NONE    HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 1.  He be awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM). 2. His DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge, from Active Duty, be corrected to reflect his participation in Operation ELF ONE. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 1. In the summer of 1982, he volunteered for a two month, active duty Air Force Temporary Duty (TDY) to Saudi Arabia with the 552nd Air Control Wing’s (ACW) deployment in support of Operation ELF ONE, providing airborne radar coverage during the dispute between Iran and Iraq. 2. In March 1988, all members of the 552 ACW were awarded the AFEM for service during the operation. The Department of Defense (DOD) Manual 1348.33, Manual of Military Decorations and Awards, states that service members attached to or detailed to a unit that participated in or engaged in direct support of the operation for 30 consecutive days are awarded the AFEM and the documentation provided in his request qualifies him for award of the AFEM. 3. There is no injustice but he is requesting the error be corrected. In support of his request, the applicant provides letters of appreciation and recommendation, mission statement and history of the 552 ACW, an excerpt from DoDM 1348.33, summary statement of points earned and various other documents associated with his request. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The AFEM may be awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who after 1 July 1958: Participate, or have participated, as members of the United States military units in a United States military operation in which service members of any Military Department participate, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in significant numbers, and encounter, incident to such participation, foreign armed opposition, or are otherwise placed, or have been placed, in such position that, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hostile action by foreign armed forces was imminent even though it did not materialize. Service members must have been permanently assigned, attached, or detailed to a unit that participated in or engaged in direct support of the operation for 30 consecutive days in a designated area of eligibility in a foreign territory, or for the full period when an operation is less than 30 days in duration, or for 60 nonconsecutive days provided the support involved entering the area of eligibility. ________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSID recommends denial. DPSID states there is no available documentation verifying the applicant served in the area of eligibility of any approved campaign for award of the AFEM. Furthermore, documentation provided by the Air Force Historical Research Agency does not show Operation ELF ONE as being approved for award of the AFEM. There is no evidence of an error or injustice and to grant the applicant relief would be contrary to the eligibility criteria established by DoD Manual 1348.33. The complete DPSID advisory is at Exhibit B. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT’S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: A copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant on 25 Apr 2013 for review and comment within 30 days (Exhibit C). As of this date, this office has not received a response. ________________________________________________________________ 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 to warrant award of the AFEM. The applicant contends that he was TDY in support of Operation ELF ONE for two months and should be authorized award of the AFEM. After a thorough review of the available evidence and the applicant’s complete submission, we find insufficient evidence which would lead us to believe the applicant should be awarded the AFEM. Therefore we agree with the opinion and recommendation of the Air Force office of primary responsibility and adopt its rationale as the basis for our conclusion that the applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice. With respect to his request to change his DD Form 214 to reflect his participation in Operation ELF ONE, we note the applicant has provided a Letter of recommendation and appreciation along with a Points Summary to corroborate his claim, however, we do not find the evidence in and of itself sufficient to substantiate his claim. Should the applicant provide official documentation, such as a travel order, travel voucher or Enlisted Performance Report to substantiate his request we would be willing to reconsider his application. In the absence of persuasive evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend favorable consideration of his application. ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified that the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of material error or injustice; that the application was denied without a personal appearance; and that 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 Docket Number BC-2013-00623 in Executive Session on 15 October 2013, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 25 January 2013. Exhibit B. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 22 April 2013. Exhibit C. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 25 April 2013. 1 2