RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS. IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2015-00615 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, be corrected to reflect any and all eligible Air Force Medals and/or Ribbons for: a. His participation in Operation URGENT FURY and the invasion of Grenada. b. His service in Puerto Rico. APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He was involved in Operation URGENT FURY and participated in the invasion of Grenada. He also served in Puerto Rico. In support of his request, the applicant provided a statement from his shop supervisory dated 3 Dec 14. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant initially entered the Regular Air Force on 18 Jun 81. On 30 Dec 83, the applicant was furnished a General (Under Honorable Conditions) discharge, and was credited with 2 years, 6 months, and 13 days of active service. The applicant’s DD Form 214 does not reflect any Foreign Service. The following Air Force Medals and/or Ribbons are authorized: - Air Force Training 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/DPSID recommends denial indicating there is no evidence of an error or an injustice. Although the applicant provided an eyewitness statement wherein it stated the applicant deployed to Grenada (nothing was provided listing Puerto Rico); no specific dates were provided. Additionally, they were not able to locate any official documentation, nor were any provided to verify the applicant was in the area of eligibility and engaged in direct support of the operation for 6 consecutive or 12 non-consecutive days. The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) may be awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who, after 1 July 1958, participate, or have participated, as members of United States military units in a United States Military operation in which service members of any Military Department participate, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in significant numbers; encounter, incident to such participation, foreign armed opposition, or are otherwise placed, or have been placed, in such position that, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hostile action by foreign armed forces was imminent even though it did not materialize. Service members must be bona fide members of a unit participating in or be engaged in the direct support of the operation for 30 consecutive days in the area of operations (or for the full period when an operation is less than 30 days duration) or for 60 nonconsecutive days provided this support involved entering the area of operations or meet one or more of the following criteria: Be engaged in actual combat, or duty which is equally as hazardous as combat duty, during the operation with armed opposition, regardless of time in the area; Is wounded or injured and requires medical evacuation from the area of eligibility while participating in the operation, regardless of time; Accumulate 15 days service (consecutive/nonconsecutive) while participating as a regularly assigned crewmember of an aircraft flying sorties into, out of, within, or over the area in direct support of the military operation. The AFEM was awarded for service in Grenada in support of Operation URGENT FURY from 23 Oct 83 to 21 Nov 83. The area of eligibility consists of the islands of the nation of Grenada, including Grenada, Carriacou, Green Hog, Calivigny, and other outlying island and territorial seas of Grenada, waters adjacent to Grenada in which Atlantic fleet ships operated in direct support of operations in Grenada, the airspace above Grenada and the adjacent sea areas where the operations were conducted, and the Grantley Adams International Airport, Barbados. Per Air Force Military Personnel Center memo dated April 1984 concerning Operation URGENT FURY, member must have been engaged in direct support of the operations for 6 consecutive or 12 non- consecutive dates; or participated as a regularly assigned crew member of an aircraft flying into, out of, within or over the area in support of military operations. Direct support is defined as providing services to the forces concerned, providing it entails entering the area of eligibility. After a thorough review of the applicant’s official military personnel record, they were unable to verify award of the AFEM. They were also not able to verify awards for service in Puerto Rico. There is no official documentation in the applicant’s record to verify he deployed to Puerto Rico or Grenada in support of operations. The applicant provided an eyewitness statement from a United States Air Force, Retired, Master Sergeant dated 3 Dec 14. According to the information he provided he assigned, processed and deployed the applicant to Grenada in October of 1983; however, the eyewitness was unable to provide specific dates or length of service in Grenada. They were able to verify the eyewitness was the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge and was assigned with the applicant at England Air Force Base, Louisiana. Per Record of Individual Counseling (AC Form 27), dated 18 Nov 83, located within the applicant’s official military personnel record, the eyewitness counseled the applicant on 18 November 1983 for not reporting to duty and stated the applicant was previously counseled on 8 November 1983 for also not reporting to duty. Located within the applicant’s record is another AC Form 27 which indicates on 28 Oct 83, the applicant was late for duty, while assigned to England Air Force Base. A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSID evaluation is at Exhibit C. APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: In response to the Air Force Advisory, the applicant responded with a one page hand written letter in which he contends to have been on temporary duty to Roosevelt Rhodes Naval Air Station during Operation URGENT FURY. He does not understand why the Air Force cannot verify his deployment. He seeks correction of his DD Form 214 so that he can join his local V.F.W. The applicant’s complete rebuttal is at Exhibit E. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS OF THE BOARD: After careful consideration of applicant’s request and the available evidence of record, we find the application untimely. Applicant did not file within three years after the alleged error or injustice was discovered as required by Title 10, United States Code, Section 1552 and Air Force Instruction 36-2603. Applicant has not shown a plausible reason for the delay in filing, and we are not persuaded that the record raises issues of error or injustice which require resolution on the merits. Thus, we cannot conclude it would be in the interest of justice to excuse the applicant’s failure to file in a timely manner. THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The application was not timely filed and it would not be in the interest of justice to waive the untimeliness. It is the decision of the Board, therefore, to reject the application as untimely. The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2015-00615 in Executive Session on 20 Oct 15 and 19 Nov 15 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2015-00615 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 8 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 9 Sep 15. Exhibit E. Letter, Applicant, undated.