PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:            10 May 2000
	DOCKET NUMBER:    AR1999032574

	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. Hubert S. Shaw, Jr.		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. Margaret K. Patterson		Chairperson	
	Mr. George D. Paxson		Member	
	Mr. Thomas B. Redfern, III		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 correction of his records to show award of the Purple Heart and to show that he was wounded in action.

3.  The applicant states that he was wounded on 7 March 1945 just outside of Shonberg, Germany and received the Purple Heart at one of the hospitals where he was treated.

4.  The applicant’s military records were lost or destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.  Records available to the Board were obtained from alternate sources and show that he entered active duty on 17 March 1943.  He completed training as an infantryman and served in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater from 23 October 1944 to 3 May 1945.

5.  The applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation) does not show the Purple Heart as an authorized award in item 33 (Decorations and Citations).  Item 34 (Wounds Received in Action) of his discharge document shows the entry “None”.

6.  The applicant’s records contain an extract of the U.S. Army Surgeon General’s Office Hospitalization File.  This document shows that the applicant was admitted to a hospital on 7 March 1945 as a battle casualty for injuries sustained when a vehicle in which he was riding struck a land mine.

7.  The Board noted that the applicant was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge during World War II.  However, there is no indication that he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal based on award of the Combat Infantryman Badge.

8.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards) provides, in pertinent part, that the Purple Heart is awarded for a wound sustained as a result of hostile action.  Substantiating evidence must be provided to verify that the wound was the result of hostile action, the wound must have required treatment, and the medical treatment must have been made a matter of official record.

9.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 also provides, in pertinent part, that the Bronze Star Medal is awarded for heroism and for meritorious achievement or service in military operations against an armed enemy.  The Bronze Star Medal is authorized for each individual who was cited in orders or awarded a certificate for exemplary conduct in ground combat between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945 or whose achievement or service, during that period, was confirmed by documents executed prior to 1 July 1947.  An award of the Combat Infantryman Badge or the Combat Medical Badge is considered to be a citation in orders.  This means, in effect, that the Bronze Star Medal is to be awarded to individuals who were authorized either badge for service during World War II.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  Evidence of record shows the applicant was wounded as a result of hostile action on 7 March 1945.  Therefore, he is entitled to correction of item 33 of his discharge document to show award of the Purple Heart and item 34 to show he was wounded on 7 March 1945 in Germany.

2.  The applicant was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge during World War II, therefore, he is entitled to award of the Bronze Star Medal based on award of the Combat Infantryman Badge.  As a result, he is also entitled to correction of his records to show award of the Bronze Star Medal based on award of the Combat Infantryman Badge. 

3.  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 Purple Heart for wounds sustained in Germany on 7 March 1945 and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal based on award of the Combat Infantryman Badge.

BOARD VOTE:  

________  ________  ________  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		______________________
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR1999032574	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20000510	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	HD	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	19451213	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR 615-361	
DISCHARGE REASON	CERTIFICATE OF DISABILITY DISCHARGE	
BOARD DECISION	GRANT PLUS	
REVIEW AUTHORITY	MR CHUN	
ISSUES         1.	107.00	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.