PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:            8 November 2001
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2001058695

	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:

	Mr. Fred N. Eichorn		Chairperson	
	Ms. Barbara J. Ellis		Member	
	Ms. Karen Y. Fletcher		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, as the widow of a deceased former service member (FSM), requests correction of the FSM’s records to show that he was captured by the German Army near Grantorto, Italy, and held as a prisoner of war from 28 April to 2 May 1945.

3.  The applicant states that her husband’s records omit the facts regarding his capture and prisoner of war status.  In support of her application, dated 24 May 2001, the widow of the FSM provided a death certificate and makes reference to the 7 June 2001 affidavit which provides the names of 52 soldiers of the 350th Infantry Regiment, 88th Division, who were captured by personnel of the German Army, on or about the 28th of April, 1945 and then freed by Italian partisans on or about 2 May 1945.

4.  The FSM’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 the FSM was inducted on 22 December 1943 and entered active duty on 12 January 1944.  He served in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations from 12 August 1944 to 21 January 1946 and was honorably discharged on 7 February 1946.

5.  The FSM’s records do not show that he was a prisoner of war and there is no indication that the applicant ever received the Prisoner of War Medal.  

6.  The Board noted that the FSM may be entitled to other decorations and awards in addition to award of the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze service stars, the Good Conduct Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal shown on his WD AGO Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation). 

7.  The Board is in possession of a copy of a 19 February 1982 document which is prepared on 88th Infantry Division Association stationary and which is purported to list the rank, name, unit of assignment of the soldiers of the 350th Infantry Regiment who “were captured near Grantorto, Italy, on the night of 
29-30 April 1945.”  The document states that this list was compiled from the notebook of the lieutenant who was the senior officer among those captured.  The FSM’s rank, name and unit is one of the 52 names listed in this document.  

8.  The Board is also in possession of unit histories which describe the capture of soldiers from the Companies B; E; Cannon; Headquarters, 1st Battalion; G; K; D; F; a medic from Headquarters, 2nd Battalion; and a couple of soldiers from the 338th Field Artillery near Grantorto, Italy, on the night of 29-30 April 1945. 

9.  The FSM’s WD AGO Form 53-55 shows that he was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, but there is no evidence that the FSM received award of the Bronze Star Medal based on award of the Combat Infantryman Badge.  
10.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides, in pertinent part, for award of the POW Medal.  The regulation states that the POW Medal was authorized on 8 November 1985 and is awarded to individuals who in past armed conflicts were taken prisoner or held captive.

11.  Army Regulation 635-5 establishes the standardized policy for preparing and distributing discharge documents.  In pertinent part, it directs that, in the case of prisoners of war, the unit of assignment, country and dates of capture and release will be entered in the “Remarks” section of the discharge document.

12.  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 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 the Combat Infantryman Badge for service during World War II. This provision did not go into effect until 10 September 1947 when Change 12 to Army Regulation 600-45 (Decorations) was published; therefore, many soldiers separated prior to this date are entitled to award of the Bronze Star Medal based on award of the Combat Infantryman Badge, but have never been awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  There is no evidence of record which lists the applicant as a prisoner of war during World War II.

2.  The Board considered the affidavit prepared on 7 June 2001 which attests the FSM and 51 other persons were captured on 28 April 1945.  In the absence of evidence of record to show the applicant was a prisoner of war, this affidavit prepared over 55 years after the event in question is not by itself sufficient as a basis for award of the Prisoner of War Medal in this specific case.  

3.  The Board reviewed the 19 February 1992 document which listed the names of 52 soldiers, including the FSM, as being captured on the night of 29-30 April 1945 near Grantorto, Italy.  The Board also reviewed the 88th Infantry Division unit histories which described the capture of these soldiers.  Based on these documents, the Board determined that the FSM was among those captured on 29 April 1945 by German soldiers.  Therefore, he is entitled to award of the Prisoner of War Medal and correction of his records to show this award.

4.  Since current regulations require discharge documents to show prisoner of war status, the Board determined that, based on these current standards, it is appropriate to correct the FSM’s records to show his prisoner of war status.  Therefore, the FSM is entitled to correction of his records to show the entry “Prisoner of War, 350th Infantry Regiment, Italy, 450429-450502.”

5.  The FSM was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge for exemplary conduct in ground combat during World War II; therefore, he is also entitled to award of the Bronze Star Medal based on award of the Combat Infantryman Badge and correction of his records to show this decoration.

6.  In view of the foregoing findings and conclusions, it would be appropriate to correct the FSM’s records, but only as recommended below.

RECOMMENDATION:

1.  That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected:

	a.  by awarding the FSM the Prisoner of War Medal and correcting his records to show the entry “Prisoner of War, 350th Infantry Regiment, Italy, 450429-450502.”; and 

	b.  by awarding him the Bronze Star Medal based on award of the Combat Infantryman Badge and correcting his records to show this decoration. 

2.  That so much of the application as is in excess of the foregoing be denied.

BOARD VOTE:  

___FNE__  __KYF__  __BJE__  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		___Mr. Fred N. Eichorn_
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2001058695	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20011106	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	(HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD, UNCHAR)	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	YYYYMMDD	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR . . . . .  	
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	(NC, GRANT , DENY, GRANT PLUS)	
REVIEW AUTHORITY	MR SCHNEIDER	
ISSUES         1.	107.0000.0000	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.