PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF

	BOARD DATE:           24 May 2000                   
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR1999029872

	I certify that hereinafter is recorded the true and complete record of the proceedings of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in the case of the above-named individual.  

	Mr. Carl W. S. Chun		Director	
	Mr. Robert J. McGowan		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. John N. Slone		Chairperson	
	Mr. Mark D. Manning		Member	
	Ms. Meta Waller		Member	

	The applicant and counsel if any, did not appear before the Board.

	The Board considered the following evidence:

	Exhibit A - Application for correction of military 
                records
	Exhibit B - Military Personnel Records (including
	            advisory opinion, if any)

FINDINGS:

1.  The applicant has exhausted or the Board has waived the requirement for exhaustion of all administrative remedies afforded by existing law or regulations.

2.  The applicant requests that the June 1967 recommendation for award of the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service be favorably considered and that he be awarded the medal.

3.  The applicant states, in effect, that the reason he did not receive the award was because the recommendation did not use the same glowing terms found in his Officer Evaluation Report (OER) for the period.

4.  The applicant’s military records show that he was a medical doctor and an officer in the US Army Reserve (USAR).  He served on active duty as a captain from 13 July 1965 to 6 July 1967.

5.  Following an initial assignment at Irwin Army Hospital, Fort Riley, Kansas, the applicant volunteered for duty in Vietnam and was sent to the 3rd Field Hospital where he served as a general surgeon from 10 September 1966 through 30 June 1967.  Upon completion of his tour of duty in Vietnam, he was returned to Oakland Army Base, Oakland, California and separated with an Honorable Discharge on 6 July 1967.  He had 1 year, 11 months, and 24 days of creditable active service.

6.  Upon the applicant’s departure from Vietnam, his commander recommended that he be awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service from 10 September 1966 to 5 July 1967.   A USARV (US Army Vietnam) Form 157-R, Recommendation for Decoration for Valor or Merit, was completed and signed on 30 June 1967.  Per existing requirements, it was then forwarded to the applicant’s personnel officer for verification of all personal data contained in the recommendation.  In the applicant’s case, the form was sent to the Commanding Officer, US Army Transfer Station, Oakland, California.  The recommendation and all copies were placed in the applicant’s Official Military Efficiency File (The Adjutant General’s Office) and never acted upon.

7.  US Army Vietnam Regulation 672-1, Decorations and Awards, then in effect, prescribed the policies, responsibilities, and criteria for awards.  It stated, in pertinent part, that recommendations for awards will be completed utilizing USARV Form 157-R; that all personal data will be verified against the personnel records of the recommended individual; and that the recommendation will be processed through command channels to the General Officer having approving authority.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The applicant, as a surgeon in Vietnam, was recommended for award of the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service by his commanding officer.  The USARV Form 157-R was signed on the date the applicant returned to the United States.
2.  Per USARV Regulation 672-1, the Recommendation for Decoration for Valor or Merit was forwarded to the applicant’s gaining command for verification of personal data.  Unfortunately, the applicant departed Vietnam for the Oakland Army Base where he was separated with an Honorable Discharge.  The USARV Form 157-R was merely placed in his personnel file and no further action was taken.

3.  Had the applicant’s personal data been verified and the recommendation returned to Vietnam, in all probability, it would have been approved.  It would, therefore, be unjust to deny the applicant his award simply because it was never properly processed through to approval.

4.  In view of the foregoing, the applicant’s records should be corrected as recommended below.

RECOMMENDATION:

That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by showing that the individual concerned was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious conduct as a surgeon during the period 10 September 1966 to 5 July 1967.

BOARD VOTE:  

__jns___  __mdm___  __mw___  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		    __John N. Slone___
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR1999029872	
SUFFIX		
RECON		
DATE BOARDED	20000524	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE		
DATE OF DISCHARGE		
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY		
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT	
REVIEW AUTHORITY	DASA	
ISSUES         1.	107.0014	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.