ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 13 December 2019 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20170006797 APPLICANT REQUESTS: reconsideration of his earlier request for the award of the Air Medal. APPLICANT'S SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD: * Congressional correspondence * Standard Form 180 (Request Pertaining to Military Records), dated 18 October 2016 * letter, National Personnel Records Center, dated 8 February 2017 FACTS: 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 AR20110024679 on 14 June 2012 and AR20160015864 on 11 July 2018. 2. The applicant provided new arguments that were not previously considered by the Board that warrant consideration at this time. 3. The applicant states: a. He did not receive his Air Medal after leaving Delta Company, 2d Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, while serving in Vietnam. b. Each Soldier was to receive one Air Medal. He has requested the award from the Army twice but has been denied the award. 4. On 19 March 1969, the applicant was inducted into the Army of the United States. 5. He served in the Republic of Vietnam from 17 August 1969 through 15 August 1970. 6. His DA Form 20 (Enlisted Qualification Record) shows in: a. item 38 (Record of Assignments) – he was assigned to Company D, 2d Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, and he held the duty military occupational specialty 11B (Light Weapons Infantryman). b. item 41 (Awards and Decorations) – he was awarded or authorized the: * National Defense Service Medal * Vietnam Service Medal * Combat Infantryman Badge * Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device (1960) * two overseas service bars * Bronze Star Medal * Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge with Rifle Bar (M-14) * Sharpshooter Marksmanship Qualification Badge with Machine Gun Bar (M-60) * Marksman Marksmanship Qualification Badge with Rifle Bar (M-16) 7. On 18 March 1971, he was honorably released from active duty. His DD Form 214 (Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge) for the period ending 18 March 1971 shows in item 24 (Decorations, Medals, Badges, Commendations, Citations, and Campaign Ribbons Awarded or Authorized) – he was awarded or authorized the: * Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze service stars * National Defense Service Medal * Combat Infantryman Badge * Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device (1960) * Bronze Star Medal * Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge with Rifle Bar (M-14) 8. 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 Military Awards Branch, failed to reveal any orders for award of the Air Medal pertaining to the applicant. 9. On 14 June 2012 and in ABCMR Docket Number AR20110024679, the ABCMR denied his request for award of the Air Medal. 10. On 11 July 2018, and in ABCMR Docket Number AR20160015864, the ABCMR granted his application for award of the Army Good Conduct Medal and Valorous Unit Award. In consideration of his request and the evidence of record, the Board also granted additional awards and decorations for which he was authorized that were not listed on his DD Form 214 for the period ending 18 March 1971. The Air Medal was not included. As a result, a DD Form 215 (Correction to DD Form 214), dated 7 August 2018, was subsequently issued to show his additional awards. 11. His records are void of evidence showing he was recommended for or awarded the Air Medal. BOARD DISCUSSION: 1. The Board carefully considered the applicant’s request, supporting documents, evidence in the records and the policy for award of the Air Medal. The Board considered the applicant’s statement, his record of service, his MOS and duty in Vietnam and the awards and decorations on his DD Form 214. The Board found insufficient evidence to determine that the applicant met the criteria for award of the Air Medal. 2. After reviewing the application and all supporting documents, the Board found that relief was not warranted. BOARD VOTE: Mbr 1 Mbr 2 Mbr 3 : : : 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 to amend the decision of the ABCMR set forth in Docket Numbers AR20110024679 on 14 June 2012 and AR20160015864 on 11 July 2018. 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. ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE(S): N/A. REFERENCES: 1. Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards) prescribes Army policy, criteria, and administrative instructions concerning individual and unit military awards. a. The Air Medal Award is primarily intended to recognize those personnel who are on current crewmember or non-crewmember flying status which requires them to participate in aerial flight on a regular and frequent basis in the performance of their primary duties. b. The Air Medal may also be awarded to certain other individuals whose combat duties require regular and frequent flying in other than a passenger status, or individuals who perform a particularly noteworthy act while performing the function of a crew- member, but who are not on flying status as prescribed in Army Regulation 600-106 (Flying Status for Nonrated Army Aviation Personnel). These individuals must make a discernible contribution to the operational land combat mission or to the mission of the aircraft in flight. b. Examples of personnel whose combat duties require them to fly include those in the attack elements of units involved in air-land assaults against an armed enemy and those directly involved in airborne command and control of combat operations. Involvement in such activities, normally at the brigade and/or group level and below, serves only to establish eligibility for award of the Air Medal; the degree of heroism, meritorious achievement, or exemplary service determines who should receive the award. c. Awards will not be made to individuals who use air transportation solely for the purpose of moving from point to point in a combat zone. d. As with all personal decorations, formal recommendations, approval through the chain of command, and announcement in orders are required. 2. U.S. Army Vietnam Regulation 672-1 (Decorations and Awards), in effect at the time, provided guidelines for award of the Air Medal and defined terms for the award based upon the number and types of missions or hours. a. 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. Combat missions were divided into three categories. (1) 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. (2) A category II mission was characterized by support rendered a friendly force immediately before, during, or immediately following a combat operation. (3) 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. b. To be recommended for award of the Air Medal, an individual must have completed a minimum of 25 hours of category I missions, 50 hours of category II missions, or 100 hours of 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. //NOTHING FOLLOWS//