RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2014-03518 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: Her late husband’s record be corrected to reflect his service in Thailand and the Republic of Vietnam. APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: A Statement of Service reflects he served 12 months; however, the period from 17 Jan 73 to 16 Aug 73 is only six months. His Special Order (SO) AB-478 reflects a Transfer Effective Date (TED) of 15 Aug 72 to Tan San Nhut AFB Vietnam with a reassignment to Thailand in Jan 73. The former member tried to have this action corrected prior to his death; however, there is no indication that any action was taken. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. STATEMENT OF FACTS: On 4 Mar 57, the former service member initially entered the Regular Air Force for a period of four years. He was progressively promoted to the grade of Technical Sergeant (TSgt/E- 6) with at Date of Rank (DOR) of 1 Sep 76. According to DD Form 214, issued 12 Apr 74, the former service member was credited with 1 year of foreign service, including 365 days in Indochina. On 1 Mar 78, the former service member retired from active duty and was credited with 20 years, 11 months, and 27 days of active service. AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial of the applicant’s request that her late husband’s record reflect service in Vietnam. DPAPP notes the original DD Form 149 (dated 24 Aug 14) requested the former member’s DD Form 214 be corrected to reflect his service in Vietnam and Thailand. However, DPAPP was only able to confirm and verify foreign service boots on ground at Udorn Air Base, Thailand, but they were unable to verify any foreign service in Vietnam. The complete DPAPP 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 23 Jan 15 for review and comment within 30 days (Exhibit D). 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 in regards to the applicant’s request for boots on ground in Vietnam. 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 as the basis for our conclusion the applicant has not been the victim of an error of injustice. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting the requested relief. 4. Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice warranting corrective action to award boots on ground in Thailand. We took notice of the applicant's complete submission in judging the merits of the case and agree with the determination of AFPC/DPAPP that the applicant’s record indicates he served in Thailand. Therefore, in view of this finding, and based on documentation in the applicant’s record, e.g, Airman Performance Reports (APRs) closing in May and Aug 73, we believe the applicant should be awarded boots on ground in Thailand for the period 15 Jan 72 – 6 Aug 73. Therefore, we recommend the applicant's 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 Thailand from 15 Jan 72 to 6 Aug 73. The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2014-03518 in Executive Session on 7 May 15 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 24 Aug 14, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 4 Dec 14. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 23 Jan 15.