ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS BOARD DATE: 2 April 2019 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20180011114 APPLICANT REQUESTS: Reconsideration of his earlier request for the Air Medal. APPLICANT'S SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD: * DD Form 149 (Application for Correction of Military Record) * Personal Statement * Buddy Statement * Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Letter * DD Form 214 (Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge) * DD Form 215 (Correction to DD Form 214) 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 AR20150004577 on 8 December 2015. 2. The applicant provided new evidence that warrants consideration by the Board. 3. The applicant states: a. He feels that he qualified and should have earned an Air Medal (Army) with his service in the 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Air Cavalry in Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry in Quan Loi, Vietnam. b. His tour of duty with Bravo Troop was from 15 January to 15 July 1970 as the Combat Medic for Bravo Troop BLUES Platoon. His total tour of duty in Vietnam was for almost 14 months from 12 January 1970 to 5 March 1971. He transferred from Bravo Troop, 1st Battalion, 9th Air Cavalry in Quan Loi to the 1st Battalion, 9th Squadron, Air Cavalry Aid Station in Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam and he continued to serve in this location for the remainder of his tour. c. They conducted daily search and destroy missions flying out on UH-1 Huey Lift choppers to LZ's [landing zones] into the jungles of Vietnam. They also went out on Helicopter "SCRAMBLE" missions whenever a chopper was shot down including (Cobras, Light Observation Helicopter light observation choppers and Chinooks). d. He did everything that all the Bravo Troop BLUES did on these missions plus tended to the wounded. They flew out every day to LZs and were picked up after their daily missions were completed at PZ's [pick-up zones]. e. He was drafted on 31 July 1969, completed basic training at Fort Dix, NJ, and completed his Army medical training at Fort Sam, Houston in 1969. On 12 January 1970, he arrived in Vietnam and was sent to the 1st Air Cavalry Division, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Aid Station in Phuoc Vin, Vietnam. f. Upon arrival to the Aid Station, he was sent to his first ride in a Bell UH-1 Huey chopper to Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry's Army base camp in Quan Loi, Vietnam. He was assigned as the BLUE platoon's combat jungle medic that accompanied them from 15 January /1970 to the middle of July 1970 into the jungles of Vietnam on numerous daily missions. g. After 6 months, he was pulled out of the jungles of Vietnam. He spent the remainder of his time in-country at the Squadron Aid station in Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam until 3 March 1971. He returned to the United States on 5 March 1971 and was honorably discharged on 6 March 1971. He extended his 12-month tour of duty for almost 2 months to get a 5-month Honorable early out. h. He went on all daily missions with the BLUE team to the jungles while he was in Quan Loi. He flew in Huey choppers to sometimes hot LZ's with the Bravo Bravo TroopLUE team (the BLUES). Also, he was in the jungles with his weapons and carried other items. He dismounted from Huey on many occasions to provide first aid to the shot down aircraft crews. i. He questioned why was he ineligible for the Air Medal. He wondered whether it was because he was not in an 11B (Light Weapons Infantryman) military occupational specialty (MOS) but was a 91B20 (Medical Specialist) MOS. He did everything that the BLUES platoon 11B sky troopers did. He even received a Combat Medical Badge rather than a Combat Infantry Badge (which he was not eligible for). j. He strongly feels that even though he was a combat medic, he also earned the Army's Air Medal by flying every single day from January through July 1970 with the fully armed BLUES platoon team members on their daily missions into the jungles of Vietnam. He had his job to do too. k. He provided a 'buddy witness' statement from a member of the BLUES platoon that flew with him on the Huey chopper the day that they were shot down. His name is Sergeant D_____ D____, one of their M-60 men who was on the chopper with him and the rest of the sky troopers when they got hit. l. He and Sergeant D were shot down in their Huey chopper with 5 other Blues sky troopers plus 2 pilots and 2 door gunners by M-51 caliber machine guns maned by an enemy force with the intent of killing them all. He discussed the events of the day the Huey chopper was shot down. m. They took the hit to the belly of their chopper on the side where they were sitting on the floor. Their UH-1 Huey was returning back to base camp with 3 other Huey's full of Blues after a mission, when they got hit. An interpreter on the chopper got hit by shrapnel and he applied first aid to his wound. A ground force of Army "grunts" later rescued them. n. There has to be a record somewhere of this UH-1 Bravo troop Huey chopper getting shot down. He does not remember the exact date the event occurred but it took years off of his life. They were also one of the lead forces that went in the Invasion of Cambodia that began on 1 May to 30 June 1970. 4. The applicant was inducted into the Army of the United States on 31 July 1969. He completed initial entry training was awarded MOS 91B. 5. He served in the Republic of Vietnam from 12 January 1970 to 5 March 1971 while assigned to Troop B, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. 6. His DA Form 20 (Enlisted Qualification Record) does not show he was awarded the Air Medal. 7. On 6 March 1971, he was released from active duty and transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve Control Group (Annual Training). His DD Form 214 does not show the Air Medal. 8. A review of the Awards and Decorations Computer-Assisted Retrieval System (ADCARS), 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 awarding the applicant the Air Medal. 9. U.S. Army Vietnam Regulation 672-1 provided guidelines for award of the Air Medal. It established that passenger personnel who did not participate in an air assault were not eligible for the award based upon sustained operations. The regulation stated that 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. 10. His service record does not contain orders awarding him the Air Medal or flight records to show he participated in 25 air assaults and 25 hours of flight time. 11. On 9 November 2012, he was issued a DD Form 215 (Correction to DD Form 214) that added the Combat Medical Badge, along with other awards. 12. He provided a letter, dated 21 January 2013 from the VA who informed him of his benefits. The letter indicates he was granted service connected disability at 90 percent disability rating. 13. He provided a buddy statement from a former fellow Soldier, a Blues team member. He recalled that there was a loud bang and a round came up through the floor of the chopper. A round hit the Army Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) interpreter. He flipped backwards and he looked over and saw a 6-inch hole ripped through the floor a foot away from him. At the time it happened they were circling around drawing fire so the white or red teams could locate the direction of the fire. Afterwards, they headed to the nearest Firebase and they landed safely. He could not remember any more after this incident. BOARD DISCUSSION: After review of the application and all evidence, the Board determined there is insufficient evidence to grant relief. The applicant’s contentions and witness statement was carefully considered. Other than the witness statement, the Board had no information to consider showing he participated in aerial flights to meet regulatory criteria to receive the Air Medal. In addition, regulatory guidance provides service members cannot recommend themselves for awards; this was explained in his previous ABCMR case. Without orders showing he was recommended for the award, or approved for the award, the Board agreed to deny his request. 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 Number AR20150004577 on 8 December 2015. 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: U.S. Army Vietnam Regulation 672-1 provided guidelines for award of the Air Medal. It established that 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. //NOTHING FOLLOWS// ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20180011114 4 1