IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 6 June 2018 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20160013681 BOARD VOTE: _________ _______ ________ GRANT FULL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING ____x____ ____x____ __x____ DENY APPLICATION 2 Enclosures 1. Board Determination/Recommendation 2. Evidence and Consideration IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 6 June 2018 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20160013681 BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION: The evidence presented does not demonstrate the existence of a probable error or injustice. Therefore, the Board determined that the overall merits of this case are insufficient as a basis to amend the decision of the ABCMR set forth in Docket Number AR20150008170, dated 16 February 2016. ____________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. IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 6 June 2018 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20160013681 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 reconsideration of his earlier request to correct his DD Form 214 (Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge) to show award of the Air Medal. 2. The applicant states: a. A DA Form 1577 (Authorization for Issuance of Awards), dated 21 April 1972, clearly shows the Air Medal, code number 10, is circled. Thus it appears he was awarded the Air Medal, although he never received it. b. His original record of proceedings show his assignment in Vietnam as Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Air Cavalry, but this is incorrect. He was assigned to Company C, 5th Battalion, 7th Airmobile Cavalry. c. He was actively involved in more than 25 category I air assault missions in Vietnam as a rifleman. The Air Medal should have been included due to his multiple air assaults into hostile areas under hostile fire. 3. The applicant provides: * self-authored letter, dated 19 July 2016 * DA Form 1577, dated 21 April 1972 * Purple Heart orders * Vietnam Combat Certificate CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. Incorporated herein by reference are military records which were summarized in the previous consideration of the applicant's case by the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR) in Docket Number AR20150008170 on 16 February 2016. 2. The applicant's contentions and supporting documentation were not previously considered by the Board and warrant consideration at this time. 3. The applicant was inducted into the Army of the United States on 23 September 1969. 4. His DA Form 20 (Enlisted Qualification Record) contains the following entries: a. Item 31 (Foreign Service) shows he served in Vietnam from 9 March 19070 to 16 June 1970. b. Item 38 (Record of Assignments) shows the entry “Company C, 5th Battalion, 7th Airmobile Cavalry” was crossed out and replaced by the entry “Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Air Cavalry.” During the period of this assignment he served as a light weapons infantryman in Vietnam from 9 March 1970 until he was wounded in action on 16 May 1970 and transferred to the United States on 19 June 1970 for further treatment. c. Item 41 (Awards and Decorations) does not show the Air Medal. 5. On 2 September 1971, he was honorably released from active duty. 6. His DD Form 214 does not show the Air Medal as an authorized award. 7. There are no orders awarding him the Air Medal in his available record. 8. The available records do not contain any flight records. 9. A review of the Awards and Decorations Computer-Assisted Retrieval System, an index of general orders issued during the Vietnam era between 1965 and 1973 maintained by the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, failed to reveal Air Medal orders pertaining to the applicant. 10. He provided a DA Form 1577, dated 21 April 1972, showing the code number for the Air Medal (10) was circled, indicating that his record was reviewed to see if it contains the Air Medal. However, this form did not approve or authorize his award of the Air Medal, as the awards were not directed for issuance. 11. On 16 February 2016, the ABCMR denied his request for award of the Air Medal. REFERENCES: U.S. Army Vietnam (USARV) Regulation 672-1 (Decorations and Awards) provided guidelines for award of the Air Medal. a. It stated passenger personnel who did not participate in an air assault were not eligible for the award based upon sustained operations. It defined terms and provided guidelines for the award based upon the number and types of missions or hours. Twenty-five Category I missions (air assault and equally dangerous missions) and accrual of a minimum of 25 hours of flight time while engaged in Category I missions was the standard established for which sustained operations were deemed worthy of recognition by an award of the Air Medal. However, the regulation was clear that these guidelines were considered only a departure point. b. Combat missions were divided into three categories. A category I mission was defined as a mission performed in an assault role in which a hostile force was engaged and was characterized by delivery of ordnance against the hostile force or delivery of friendly troops or supplies into the immediate combat operations area. A category II mission was characterized by support rendered a friendly force immediately before, during, or immediately following a combat operation. A category III mission was characterized by support of friendly forces not connected with an immediate combat operation but which must have been accomplished at altitudes which made the aircraft at times vulnerable to small arms fire or under hazardous weather or terrain conditions. c. To be recommended for award of the Air Medal, an individual must have completed a minimum of 25 category I missions, 50 category II missions, or 100 category III missions. Since various types of missions would have been completed in accumulating flight time toward award of an Air Medal for sustained operations, different computations would have had to be made to combine category I, II, and III flight times and adjust it to a common denominator. DISCUSSION: The applicant's DA Form 1577 shows his records were reviewed to determine if he was authorized the Air Medal, but this form did not authorize or direct the issuance of this award. His record does not contain orders for the Air Medal and the Awards and Decorations Computer-Assisted Retrieval System failed to reveal Air Medal orders pertaining to him. There is no evidence of record showing he met the criteria for award of the Air Medal. His records contain the entry “Company C, 5th Battalion, 7th Airmobile Cavalry” was crossed out and replaced by the entry “Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Air Cavalry.” This means that the applicant was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Air Cavalry, and the entry referring to “Company C, 5th Battalion, 7th Airmobile Cavalry” was made in error. //NOTHING FOLLOWS// ABCMR Record of Proceedings AR20150000953 Enclosure 1 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20160013681 2 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20160013681 4 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 2