ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS BOARD DATE: 11 April 2019 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20170017779 APPLICANT REQUESTS: in effect, correction of his DD Form 214 (Report of Separation from Active Duty) to show he had foreign service in Enewetak Atoll (an island in the Pacific Ocean, which is part of the Marshall Islands). APPLICANT'S SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD: * DD Form 149 (Application for Correction of Military Record) * DD Form 214 for the period ending on 13 December 1978 FACTS: 1. The applicant did not file within the three year time frame provided in Title 10, United States Code (USC), section 1552 (b); however, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records conducted a substantive review of this case and determined it is in the interest of justice to excuse the applicant's failure to timely file. 2. The applicant states he wants his DD Form 214 to reflect his foreign service in Enewetak Atoll. He believes that this foreign service was not recorded because his mission was a top secret, classified mission. He states the government is hiding something from the 265 out of 8,033 people alive, which is why the government does not want to help. 3. A review of the applicant’s service record shows his DA Form 2-1 (Personnel Qualification Record) item 25 (Record of Assignments), which lists that he was assigned to Company A, 19th Engineering Battalion, Fort Knox, KY from 10 April 1976 to 12 December 1978. It does not show any documentation that he served or was assigned to a duty station in Enewetak Atoll. 4. On 13 December 1978, the applicant was honorably released from active duty due to the completion of his required service. His DD Form 214 shows he completed 2 years, 11 months, and 9 days of active duty service. Item 18f (Foreign and/or Sea Service This Period) of his DD Form 214 contains the entry "00 00 00." 5. Army Regulation 635-5 (Separation Documents) states that the total amount of foreign service completed during the period covered by the DD Form 214 will be entered in item 12f. Additionally, this regulation did not provide for the entry of foreign service in item 27 (Remarks). 6. A website, titled, "Atomic Cleanup Vets Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Mission Survivors," (https://www.atomiccleanupvets.com/) contains a list of military personnel who participated in the cleanup mission. The applicant's name appears on the list but the list does not include the dates the applicant supported the cleanup effort. BOARD DISCUSSION: After review of the application and all evidence, the Board determined there is insufficient evidence to grant relief. The applicant’s contentions were carefully considered. The Board agreed his record is absent evidence, and he did not provide any evidence, that shows he was deployed to the area requested. 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 for correction of the records of the individual concerned. 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): Not Applicable REFERENCES: 1. Title 10, USC, section 1552(b), provides that applications for correction of military records must be filed within three years after discovery of the alleged error or injustice. This provision of law also allows the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR) to excuse an applicant's failure to timely file within the three-year statute of limitations if the ABCMR determines it would be in the interest of justice to do so. 2. Army Regulation 635-5 (Separation Documents), in effect at the time, states, the purpose of a separation document is to provide the individual with documentary evidence of his initial service. It is a vital record for interested Government agencies, which assist the Veteran in obtaining the rights and benefits to which he in entitled. It is important that information entered thereon is complete and accurate. Accordingly, local procedure will be established to insure that entries on the forms are verified against source documents for completeness and accuracy. a. Item 18 (Record of Service) of the DD Form 214 states, in 18f (Foreign and/or Sea Service) enter the total amount of foreign service completed during the period covered in item 18c (Total Active Service (a+b)). b. Item 27 (Remarks) does not provide for the entry of foreign service. 3. Wikipedia states, "In 1977, the United States military began decontamination of Enewetak Atoll and other islands. During the three-year, US $100 million cleanup process, the military mixed more than 100,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and debris from the islands with Portland cement and buried it in an atomic blast crater on the northern end of the atoll's Runit Island. The material was placed in the 30 feet deep, 360 feet wide crater created by the May 5, 1958, ‘Cactus’ nuclear weapons test. The United States government declared the southern and western islands in the atoll safe for habitation in 1980 and residents of Enewetak returned that same year. The military members who participated in that cleanup mission are suffering from many health issues, but the U.S. Government is refusing to provide health coverage." 4. A website, titled, "Atomic Cleanup Vets Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Mission Survivors," (https://www.atomiccleanupvets.com/) contains a list of military personnel who participated in the cleanup mission. The applicant's name appears on the list but the list does not include the dates the applicant supported the cleanup effort. //NOTHING FOLLOWS// ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20170017779 2 1