PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:       

	BOARD DATE:            30 April 2002
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2001065869

	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. Jessie B. Strickland		Analyst	

The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. Arthur A. Omartian		Chairperson	
	Mr. Hubert O. Fry, Jr.		Member	
	Mr. Thomas E. O’Shaughnessy, Jr.		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 his reports of separation, WD AGO Form 53-55 and DD Form 214 be corrected to reflect correct information.

3.  The applicant states, in effect, that his WD AGO Form 53-55 dated 10 March 1946, should show his rank as master sergeant (M/SGT) in block 3 and should reflect in block 6, that he was assigned to the 233rd Ordnance Group Headquarters at the time of his separation.  He goes on to state that his DD Form 214 dated 7 February 1951 should reflect in block 3 that he was a M/SGT and that his most significant unit of assignment in block 28 should reflect his assignment to Co. A, 511th Infantry, 11th Airborne Bn, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His award of the National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) should be included as well.

4.  The applicant’s military records were partially destroyed in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, which destroyed millions of service records.  However, information contained in the surviving records, show that he was inducted on 1 March 1943 and entered active duty on 18 March 1943, in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania.  He departed for the European Theater of Operations (ETO) on 26 December 1944 and remained there until 10 July 1945, when he was transferred to the Asiatic Theater of Operations (APT).  He was assigned to the 233rd Ordnance Group Headquarters and was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant (S/SGT) on 25 January 1946.  He remained there until he returned to the United States, was assigned to the 616th Ordnance Base Armament Maintenance Battalion and was honorably discharged at Camp Atterbury, Indiana on 10 March 1946. 

5.  At the time of his discharge, his WD AGO Form 53-55 shows that he was assigned to the 616th Ordnance Base Armament Maintenance Battalion and that his rank was that of a S/SGT.  A review of his records fails to show that he was ever promoted to the rank of M/SGT or that he was assigned to the 233rd Ordnance Group Headquarters at the time of his discharge.  The applicant subsequently enlisted in the Enlisted Reserve Corps, now known as the United States Army Reserve (USAR).

6.  He was ordered to active duty in the rank of sergeant (SGT) on 28 October 1950, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  He was assigned to Co. A, 511th Infantry, 11th Airborne Battalion and he remained there until he submitted a request for a hardship discharge, which was subsequently approved.  He was honorably discharged on 7 February 1951, in the rank of SGT.  His DD Form 214 shows that his most significant duty assignment was Co B. (CAS) 210 TK Bn, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  He was awarded the NDSM; however, it was not included on his DD Form 214 at the time of separation.  There is no indication that he served in or was promoted to the rank of M/SGT. 

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The available evidence of record fails to show that he was ever promoted to the rank of M/SGT or that he was assigned to the 233rd Ordnance Group Headquarters at the time he was separated.  While he had previously been assigned to that unit, the unit listed is the unit he was serving with at the time of separation and is properly recorded on that form.  Accordingly, there is no basis to correct his WD AGO Form 53-55.

2.  However, the available evidence does show that he did serve with Co A, 511th Infantry (Inf), 11th Airborne (Abn) Battalion (Bn) at Fort (Ft) Campbell, Kentucky (KY) and that he was awarded the NDSM for the period of service covered by his DD Form 214 dated 7 February 1951.  Although there is no evidence to show that he was ever promoted past the rank of SGT during the period he served, his DD Form 214 should be corrected to show that he was awarded the NDSM (blk 27) and that his most significant unit of assignment was Co A, 511th Inf, 11th Abn Bn, Ft Campbell, KY, in blk 28 of that form.  

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

RECOMMENDATION:

1.  That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by showing that the individual concerned was awarded the NDSM, that his most significant unit of assignment was Co. A, 511th Infantry, 11th Abn Bn, Ft. Campbell, KY, and that his DD Form 214 dated 7 February 1951 be corrected accordingly.

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

BOARD VOTE:  

__teo ___  ___hof __  __ao____  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION
________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING
________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		____Arthur A. Omartian___
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2001065869	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	2002/04/30	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE		
DATE OF DISCHARGE		
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY		
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT PARTIAL	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.  189	110.0000/CORR 214	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.