RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2015-00529 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 Joint Service Commendation Medal (JSCM). APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He flew missions in the evacuation of Vietnam, some of which were classified. He knows he was submitted to receive the JSCM; however, he was transferred stateside and never received it. In support of his request, the applicant has provided a copy of a recommendation for the award of the JSCM and a copy of a travel voucher in which he claims shows the evacuation flights between April 23 and 24, 1975. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant initially entered the Regular Air Force on 5 Jun 73. On 31 Jul 75, the applicant’s AF Form 707, Officer Effectiveness Report (OER) closed out. The report reflected he was assigned to the 21st Tactical Airlift Squadron (MAC), Clark AB, Philippines in the grade of 1st Lieutenant. On 1 Jul 80, the applicant was furnished an Honorable discharge, and was credited with 7 years and 26 days of active service. The applicant’s DD Form 214 reflects the following Air Force Medals and/or Ribbons: - Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon - National Defense Service Medal - Combat Readiness Medal - Air Force Commendation Medal - Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and one Oak Leaf Cluster - Air Force Longevity Service award with one Oak Leaf Cluster 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/DPSID recommends denial indicating there is no evidence of an error or an injustice. The request was not made in a timely manner. The JSCM may be awarded in the name of the Secretary of Defense to members of the United States Armed Forces who, while assigned to a joint activity after 1 Jan 63, distinguished themselves by meritorious achievement or service. Award for meritorious service is generally for a period of time greater than 12 months and encompassing an individual’s entire joint assignment, including extensions. Service members assigned and/or attached to a Joint Task Force as individuals (not as members of a service unit) may also be eligible for the JSCM. Members of service-unique units assigned and/or attached to a Joint Task Force retain eligibility for award of personal decorations from their parent services. They may not be awarded Defense/Joint decorations. The JSCM will not be awarded for any period of service for which a Military Department medal is awarded. After a thorough review of the applicant’s official military personnel record, they were not able to verify the award of the JSCM. They were not able to locate any official documentation, such as a Special Order; which is the only official source documentation for verification of a decoration. The applicant provided a proposed citation; he also provided documentation that he states is the application for citation, dated 6 Feb 79, unfortunately the documentation is illegible and was not located in the applicant’s official military personnel record. In order to reasonably consider the applicant’s request, he will need to submit a signed recommendation from someone with first-hand knowledge of the act/achievement preferably from someone within his chain of command. 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 11 Aug 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 (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. 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-2015-00529 in Executive Session on 20 Oct 15 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2015-00529 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 5 Feb 15, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Memorandum, AFPC/DPSID, dated 1 Jul 15. Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 11 Aug 15.