RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2015-00364 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, be corrected to reflect the award of the Air Force Commendation Medal (AFCM), one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster. APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: The processing of his retirement decoration was delayed. It was completed and presented after the date his DD Form 214 was prepared. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant initially entered the Regular Air Force on 11 Jun 73. On 30 Jun 93, the applicant retired and was credited with 20 years and 20 days of active service. The applicant’s DD Form 214 reflects the following Air Force Medals and/or Ribbons: - Air Force Commendation Medal - Air Force Achievement Medal - Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and one Silver Oak Leaf Cluster - Air Force Good Conduct Medal with one Silver Oak Leaf Cluster - National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star - Southwest Asia Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters - Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Long Tour with one Oak Leaf Cluster - Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon - Air Force Training Ribbon - Kuwait Liberation Medal The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are described in the memoranda prepared by the Air Force offices of primary responsibility (OPR), which are included at Exhibits C and D. AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSID recommends approval, indicating the provided signed certificate and citation appear to be authentic. The AFCM is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States, below the grade of Colonel, and to foreign military personnel, who, while serving in any capacity with the Department of the Air Force after 28 Mar 58, distinguish themselves by outstanding achievement or meritorious service least 1 day served in each campaign phase. After a thorough review of the applicant’s official military personnel record, they were not able to verify the award of the AFCM with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster. The Special Order is the official document used to verify the award of a decoration and they were unable to locate one in this case. The applicant provided a signed Certificate and Citation with an official USAF seal. These documents appear to be authentic. Should the Board approve, a Special Order will be accomplished and the applicant’s record corrected. Based on their review they were able to determine the following Air Force Medals and/or Ribbons should have been awarded: - Kuwait Liberation Medal-Saudi Arabia - Kuwait Liberation Medal-Kuwait Upon final Board decision, administrative correction of the applicant’s official military personnel record will be completed by AFPC/DPSOR. A complete copy of the AFPC/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 8 Sep 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. While the applicant claims a date of discovery of less than three years ago, in our view, the reasonable date of discovery of the alleged error or injustice was more than three years ago and the application is therefore untimely. However, it is in the interest of justice to excuse the failure to timely file. 3. Sufficient 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 and 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 been the victim of an error or injustice. 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 the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, issued on 30 June 1993, be amended to include the Air Force Commendation Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster. The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2015-00364 in Executive Session on 20 Oct 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 pertaining to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2015-00364 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 26 Jan 15, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Memorandum, AFPC/DPSID, dated 10 Aug 15. Exhibit E. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 8 Sep 15.