RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2015-00150 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, be corrected to reflect that he was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM). APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He was on the Joint Task Force SUPPORT HOPE in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya from Jul to Oct 94. He is unsure why the HSM is not reflected on his DD Form 214 other than it may not have been authorized at the time he separated. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. STATEMENT OF FACTS: According to the applicant’s DD Form 4/1, Enlistment/Reenlistment Document Armed Forces of the United States, on 19 Feb 92, the applicant entered the Regular Air Force. On 18 Feb 96, the applicant received an honorable discharge, and was credited with four years of active service. AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSID recommends denial indicating they were unable to verify the applicant participated in direct support of Joint Task Force SUPPORT HOPE. The HSM may be awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States and their Reserve components who, subsequent to 1 Apr 75, distinguished themselves as individuals or as members of United States military units or ships by meritorious, direct participation in a significant military act, or operation of a humanitarian nature. Direct participation is defined as being physically present at the designated location, having directly contributed to and influenced the action. Designated location is the immediate site(s) of the humanitarian operations as defined by the Presidential request for assistance in the United States or the Department of State for overseas areas. When appropriate, the local commander in his or her recommendation may propose specific clarification of designated boundaries based on the intent of the Presidential or Department of State request. Specifically excluded from eligibility are service members or elements remaining at geographically separated locations or who were assigned to the location but did not make a direct contribution to nor influenced the action. Award of the HSM does not prevent or conflict with other medals or ribbons awarded on the basis of unit achievement, or of individual valor, achievement, or meritorious service. No service member shall be entitled to more than one award of the HSM for participation in the same military act or operation of a humanitarian nature. The HSM was awarded for qualifying participation in Rwanda in direct support of Operation Joint Task Force SUPPORT HOPE from 20 Jul 94 to 7 Oct 94. The HSM was awarded for qualifying participation in Commonwealth of Independent States in direct support of Operation PROVIDE HOPE from 1 Aug 92 to 31 Aug 92 and from 1 Oct 92 to 30 Apr 93. The applicant's Enlisted Performance Report (AF Form 910) with inclusive dates 19 Oct 93 to 18 Oct 94, indicates he "Assisted in troubleshooting a fuel indication problem on an Operation PROVIDE HOPE, famine relief, mission launch to Somalia, and helped change a bad fuel transmitter, preventing delay of the mission.” Additionally, "On an Operation PROVIDE HOPE, Somalia famine relief, mission launch, he troubleshot a top hydraulic pump that would not depressurize, and quickly found and repaired a bent pin in a cannon plug to the pump, which allowed the aircraft to depart ahead of schedule. The applicant's dates for Operation PROVIDE HOPE were after the inclusive dates for award of the HSM. The complete DPSID 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 31 Jul 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. 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. 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-2015-00150 in Executive Session on 3 Sep 15 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 9 Jan 15. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 1 Jul 15. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 31 Jul 15.