IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 17 November 2011 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20110010965 THE BOARD CONSIDERED THE FOLLOWING EVIDENCE: 1. Application for correction of military records (with supporting documents provided, if any). 2. Military Personnel Records and advisory opinions (if any). THE APPLICANT'S REQUEST, STATEMENT, AND EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant requests correction of her military records to show her married surname. 2. The applicant states, in effect, she recently married and her surname is now "R____." 3. The applicant provides a copy of her marriage certificate. CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant's DD Form 4 (Enlistment Record – Armed Forces of the United States) shows she enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve on 6 December 1988 and she further enlisted in the Regular Army (RA) on 27 December 1988. Item 1 (Last Name – First Name – Middle Name) shows the entry "P____, D____ A____." 2. On 15 August 1991 based on her request, the applicant's name was changed in her official records to "A____, D____ A____." 3. Two DD Forms 4, dated 24 November 1993 and 1 April 1996, show the applicant reenlisted in the RA as "A____, D____ A____." 4. On 22 September 1998 based on her request, the applicant's name was again changed in her official records, to "S____, D____ A____." 5. A DD Form 4, dated 9 July 1999, shows the applicant reenlisted in the RA as "S____, D____ A____." 6. The applicant's Enlisted Record Brief (ERB), dated 7 May 2009, shows her name as "S____, D____ A____." 7. A DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) shows the applicant was honorably retired from active duty on 30 September 2009. She completed 20 years, 9 months, and 4 days of total active service. Her DD Form 214 shows: a. in item 1 (Name – Last, First, Middle) – "S____, D____ A____" and b. in item 21 (Signature of Member Being Separated) – the applicant signed the document. 8. The applicant provides a Commonwealth of Virginia Marriage Register and Certificate issued on 14 April 2011 that shows R____ L____ R____ and D____ A____ S____ [the applicant] were married on 14 April 2011. The document also shows the signature and stamp of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Stafford, Virginia. 9. Army Regulation 635-5 (Separation Documents) prescribes the separation documents that must be prepared for Soldiers on retirement, discharge, or release from active duty service or control of the active Army. It also establishes standardized policy for preparing and distributing the DD Form 214. a. Chapter 2 contains guidance on the preparation of the DD Form 214. It states that the source documents for entering information on the DD Form 214 will be the ERB, separation approval authority documentation, separation orders, or any other document authorized for filing in the official military personnel file (OMPF). b. Paragraph 2-4 contains item-by-item instructions for completing the DD Form 214. The instructions for item 1 simply state to enter the name in all capital letters. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: 1. Records show the applicant's military service records consistently reflected her then current official name of record throughout her entire period of military service. 2. The applicant provides a copy of a marriage certificate that shows she married R____ L____ R____ on 14 April 2011, approximately 18 months after she retired from active duty. As such, the document provided by the applicant is insufficient evidence to warrant a change to the name in her official military service records. 3. The applicant is advised that a copy of this decisional document will be filed in her OMPF. 4. If it is the applicant's retired pay records that she wishes to update, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) has stated in previous cases that its policy is to refer retirees to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command to approve a name change. The applicant should therefore provide officially authenticated supporting documentation to the: Commander, U.S. Army Human Resources Command, ATTN: AHRC-PDR-VI, 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Fort Knox, KY 40122, requesting approval of her name change and informing DFAS when it has been approved. 5. In view of the foregoing, there is no basis for granting the applicant's requested relief. BOARD VOTE: ________ ________ ________ GRANT FULL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING ___X___ ___X____ ___X____ DENY APPLICATION BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION: The evidence presented does not demonstrate the existence of a probable error or injustice. Therefore, the Board determined the overall merits of this case are insufficient as a basis for correction of the records of the individual concerned. _______ _ X_____ ___ CHAIRPERSON I certify that herein is recorded the true and complete record of the proceedings of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in this case. ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20110010965 3 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20110010965 2 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1