RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2014-04866 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, be corrected to reflect service in Thailand and Vietnam. APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He was assigned to Naha Air Base, Okinawa and traveled on Temporary Duty (TDY) to Ubon, Thailand and North Vietnam. In support of his request, the applicant provided a copy of his DD Form 214, a certificate which authorized the applicant receive hostile fire pay, a copy of AF Form 626, Temporary Duty Order - Military, dated 22 Nov 67, directed the applicant travel on or about 8 Dec 67 from Naha AB, Okinawa to Ubon, Royal Thailand Air Force Base, Thailand for approximately 60 days, and a copy of AF Form 973, Request and Authorization for Change of Administrative Orders, dated 19 Feb 68; which amended the total number of days TDY from 60 to 68 on the previous mentioned orders. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant initially entered the Regular Air Force on 14 Apr 64. The applicant’s AF Form 7, Airman Military Record, Section 2, Foreign Service, lists two entries: an unaccompanied assignment to Okinawa between 23 Mar 68 and 26 Sep 66 and a temporary duty to Southeast Asia between 8 Dec 67 and 13 Feb 68, totaling 68 days. On 3 Oct 68, the applicant was furnished an Honorable discharge, and was credited with 4 years, 5 months, and 29 days of active service. The applicant’s DD Form 214 reflects 1 year, 6 months and 27 days of Foreign Service and the following Air Force Medals and/or Ribbons: - National Defense Service Medal - Air Force Good Conduct Medal - Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are contained in the memorandum prepared by the Air Force office of primary responsibility (OPR), which is attached at Exhibit C. AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial indicating there is no evidence of an error or an injustice. After a thorough review of the applicant’s official military personnel record they were able to verify and confirm Foreign Service at Naha Air Base, Okinawa. Although the records indicated a temporary duty assignment to Southeast Asia, they were unable to determine the exact location. A complete copy of the AFPC/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 29 May 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 related to his service 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 (OPR) 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 injustice related to his service in Thailand. After a thorough review of the evidence of record and the applicant’s complete submission, we believe the applicant is the victim of an error or injustice. While we note the comments of AFPC/DPAPP indicating relief should be denied because the applicant’s records contain no documentation substantiating the applicant served in Thailand, we believe a preponderance of the evidence substantiates that corrective action is warranted. In this respect, we note the applicant’s Certificate which authorized him to receive Hostile Fire Pay and a travel order with subsequent amendment. We are persuaded that since an amendment was published three months after the original order’s “proceed on or about” date which extended the length of duty in Thailand from 60 to 68 days, we find it more likely than not, the applicant served in Thailand. 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 between 8 December 1967 and 13 February 1968 he served with “Boots on the Ground” in the country of Thailand. The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2014-04866 in Executive Session on 25 Aug 2015 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member All members voted to correct the records as recommended. The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2014-04866 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 20 Nov 14, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Memorandum, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 28 Jan 15. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 29 May 15.