PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:           15 November 2001                  
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2001059561

	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. Irene N. wheelwright		Chairperson	
	Mr. Stanley Kelley		Member	
	Ms. Karen A. Heinz		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 award of the Good Conduct Medal 

3.  The applicant states, in effect, that he is entitled to the first award of the Good Conduct Medal for his service from 3 January 1997 through 2 January 2000. 

4.  The applicant’s military records show that he entered active duty on 3 January 1997 and completed training as a petroleum supply specialist.  He was honorably separated in the rank of specialist/pay grade E-4 from active duty at expiration of his term of service on 2 January 2000 and transferred to the Michigan Army National Guard.  The applicant is currently serving in the Michigan Army National Guard.

5.  The Michigan Army National Guard provided the applicant’s active duty service personnel records and his Army National Guard personnel records.  

6.  There is no indication in the applicant’s active duty personnel records that he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal.  There also is no evidence the applicant was disqualified during his active duty service by his unit commander for award of the Good Conduct Medal.   There is no indication of indiscipline in the applicant’s records and there is no indication of lost time in the personnel records available to the Board.  The applicant received the Army Achievement Medal at the end of his active duty service.

7.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides that the Good Conduct Medal is awarded to individuals who distinguish themselves by their conduct, efficiency and fidelity during a qualifying period of active duty enlisted service.  This period is 3 years except in those cases when the period for the first award ends with the termination of a period of Federal military service.  Although there is no automatic entitlement to the Good Conduct Medal, disqualification must be justified.  

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  There are no orders awarding the applicant the first award of the Good Conduct Medal.  There is no indication that, during the applicant’s active duty, he was disqualified by the chain of command for award of the Good Conduct Medal. There is no indication in the applicant’s records of indiscipline or lost time.  

2.  The applicant received a personnel decoration for his service.

3.  Based on the foregoing, the Board finds no basis to deny award of the Good Conduct Medal in this case.  

4.  Therefore, the Board determined that the applicant is entitled to the first award of the Good Conduct Medal for the period 3 January 1997 through 2 January 2000 based on completion of three years of qualifying service.  As a result the applicant is entitled to correction of his records to show the first award of the Good Conduct Medal.

5.  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 awarding the individual concerned the first award of the Good Conduct Medal for the period 3 January 1997 through 2 January 2000.

BOARD VOTE:  

__SK___  __INW___  __KAH__  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		Ms. Irene N. Wheelwright
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR201059561	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20011115	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	(HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD, UNCHAR)	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	YYYYMMDD	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR . . . . .  	
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT	
REVIEW AUTHORITY	MR SCHNEIDER	
ISSUES         1.	107.0000.0000	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.