ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 2 December 2020 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20200002807 APPLICANT REQUESTS: correction to his DD Form 214 (Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge) by adding: .awards for his service in the Republic of Vietnam .Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation .Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal First Class Unit Citation .a jungle warfare badge or tab .education and training for the .Vietnam Ranger Jungle School. APPLICANT'S SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD: DD Form 149 (Application for Correction of Military Record). FACTS: 1.The applicant did not file within the 3-year time frame provided in Title 10, UnitedStates Code, section 1552(b); however, the Army Board for Correction of MilitaryRecords (ABCMR) conducted a substantive review of this case and determined it is inthe interest of justice to excuse the applicant's failure to timely file. 2.The applicant states his discharge document should be corrected by adding hisunit’s Republic of Vietnam foreign service awards. He also requests the addition ofjungle school and a related jungle badge to his discharge document. He did not attendjungle school at Fort Benning, Georgia. He attended the Republic of Vietnam jungleschool; however, he does not have any service records showing he attended andcompleted training in the Republic of Vietnam for this badge. 3.The applicant’s record and Department of the Army Pamphlet (PAM) 672-3 (UnitCitations and Campaign Participation Credit Register) contains sufficient evidence tosupport correction to his DD Form 214 by administratively adding the – .Vietnam Service Medal with four bronze service stars .Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation .Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal First Class Unit Citation 4.The Board will only consider the part of his application pertaining to adding junglewarfare training and a jungle warfare badge to his DD Form 214. Additionally, it willconsider the criteria for awarding him the Army Good Conduct Medal for his eligibleperiod of service. 5.The applicant enlisted in the Regular Army on 11 March 1968. He completedtraining receiving military occupational specialty 11B (Infantryman). 6.The applicant served in the Republic of Vietnam with Company D, 2nd Battalion,503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade from 27 October 1968 through 28 October 1969.There are no orders within his record awarding him a badge or foreign decoration forany form of jungle warfare training. Within the applicant’s military personnel file arenumerous award orders including: .General Orders (GO) Number 12 dated 14 January 1969 issued byHeadquarters, 17th Field Hospital awarding him the Purple Heart for woundsincurred on 13 January 1969 .GO Number 99 dated 18 February 1969 issued by Headquarters,67th Evacuation Hospital awarding him a second Purple Heart for woundsincurred on 17 February 1969 7.On 4 March 1971 the applicant received Special Orders Number 63 releasing himfrom active duty, not by reason of physical disability, and transferring him to theU.S. Army Reserve. His effective date of release from active duty was 4 March 1971. 8.His DA Form 20 (Enlisted Qualification Record) contains the following pertinententries: .Item 27 (Military Education) does not show completion of a foreign jungle warfaretraining program of instruction. It shows he completed light weapons infantrymanand basic airborne schools. .Item 28 (Specialized Training) does not contain an entry showing he completedany form of authorized ranger or jungle warfare schools. .Item 39 (Record of Assignments) shows he received .excellent. conduct andefficiency ratings through his enlistment .Item 41 (Awards and Decorations) shows no entry supporting award of a rangeror jungle warfare badge. It does contain information showing he received twoPurple Hearts. 9.Upon his release from active duty he received a DD Form 214 documenting hisactive service of 2 years, 11 months and 24 days. His DD Form 214 contains thefollowing pertinent entries: a.Item 24 (Decorations, Medals, Commendations, Citations and Campaign RibbonsAwarded or Authorized) shows only one award of the Purple Heart. It does not contain entries showing his entitlement to Republic of Vietnam foreign awards or award of the Ranger Tab or jungle warfare badge or the Army Good Conduct Medal. b.Item 25 (Education and Training Completed) does not contain any entry showinghe completed an authorized course of instruction for ranger training whether authorized by the U.S. Army or the Republic of Vietnam. 10.Jungle warfare training courses are conducted by brigade and division level unitsthroughout the Army as local training courses in combat skills. The badges awardedupon completion of these courses are awarded in accordance with local policiesgoverning these training courses. These badges are not governed by the Departmentof the Army awards regulation and, as a result, they are not annotated on theDD Form 214. In accordance with Army Regulation 635-5, which governs preparationof separation documents, jungle operations training courses are not entered undereducation and training of the DD Form 214 because training courses for combat skillsare not listed on the DD Form 14. 11.By regulation the Army Good Conduct Medal is awarded for each 3 years ofcontinuous enlisted active Federal military service completed on or after 27 August1940; for first award only, 1 year served entirely during the period 7 December 1941 to2 March 1946; and, for the first award only, upon termination of service on or after 27June 1950 of less than 3 years but more than 1 year. BOARD DISCUSSION: After reviewing the application and all supporting documents, the Board found that partial relief was warranted. The Board carefully considered the applicants request, supporting documents and evidence in the records. The Board considered the applicant’s statement, his military service record and regulatory guidance. The Board determined the applicant’s record is absent sufficient evidence showing any entitlement to Republic of Vietnam foreign awards or award of the Ranger Tab or jungle warfare badge. The Board determined the applicant's service record did not reflect he was awarded the AGCM and his record shows he received "excellent" conduct and efficiency ratings throughout his service. Therefore, partial relief was granted to correct the applicant’s record and award him the Army Good Conduct Medal. Prior to closing the case, the Board did note the administrative notes below, and recommended the correction be completed to more accurately depict the militaryservice of the applicant. BOARD VOTE: Mbr 1 Mbr 2 Mbr 3 : : : GRANT FULL RELIEF XXX XXX XXX GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF : : : GRANT FORMAL HEARING : : : DENY APPLICATION BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION: The Board determined the evidence presented is sufficient to warrant a recommendation for partial relief. As a result, the Board recommends that all Department of the Army records of the individual concerned be corrected by re-issuing the applicant's DD Form 214 for the period ending 4 March 1971to show award of the Army Good Conduct Medal. The Board further determined the evidence presented is insufficient to warrant a portion of the requested relief. As a result, the Board recommends denial of so much of the application that pertains to adding the jungle warfare training and jungle warfare badge to the applicant’s DD Form 214. Revoked certificateX 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): A review of the applicant’s records shows his DD Form 214 contains administrative errors and/or omitted administrative entries. As a result, amend his DD Form 214 for the period ending 4 March 1971 by: .deleting the Vietnam Service Medal and Purple Heart .add to item 24 the following: .Purple Heart 2nd award (formerly Purple Heart first oak leaf cluster) .Vietnam Service Medal with four bronze service stars .Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation .Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal First Class Unit Citation REFERENCES: 1.Title 10, United States Code, section 1552(b), provides that applications forcorrection of military records must be filed within 3 years after discovery of the allegederror or injustice. This provision of law also allows the ABCMR to excuse an applicant'sfailure to timely file within the 3-year statute of limitations if the ABCMR determines itwould be in the interest of justice to do so. 2.Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards) provides, in pertinent part, that combatand special skill badges are awarded to denote proficiency in performance of dutiesunder hazardous conditions and circumstances of extraordinary hardship as well asspecial qualifications and successful completion of prescribed courses of training. Onlythose badges which are awarded in recognition of military activities are authorized foracceptance and permanent wear. Badges which do not meet these criteria may beauthorized for acceptance, but not for wear, and will not be entered in the official militaryrecords of the recipient. a.The Vietnam Service Medal is awarded to all members of the Armed Forces ofthe United States for qualifying service in Vietnam after 3 July 1965 through 28 March 1973. Qualifying service included attachment to or assignment for 1 or more days with an organization participating in or directly supporting military operations. This same regulation states a bronze service star will be awarded for wear on the Vietnam Service Medal for participation in each credited campaign. The applicant’s records show he served during the following four named campaigns: .Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase V (1 July - 1 November 1968) .Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase VI (2 November 1968 - 22 February 1969) .Tet 69/Counteroffensive (23 February - 8 June 1969) .Vietnam Summer - Fall 1969 (9 June - 31 October 1969) b.Army Good Conduct Medal is awarded for exemplary behavior, efficiency, andfidelity in active Federal military service. It is awarded on a selective basis to each Soldier who distinguishes himself or herself from among his or her fellow Soldiers by exemplary conduct, efficiency, and fidelity throughout a specified period of continuous enlisted active Federal military service. A specified period includes 3 years of continuous active service completed after 27 August 1941. There is no right or entitlement to the medal until the immediate commander has approved the award and the award has been announced in permanent orders. There can be no record of courts-martial. c. Jungle warfare training courses are conducted by brigade and division level units throughout the Army as local training courses in combat skills. The badges awarded upon completion of these courses are awarded in accordance with local policies governing these training courses. These badges are not governed by the Department of the Army awards regulation and, as a result, they are not annotated on the DD Form 214. In accordance with Army Regulation 635-5, which governs preparation of separation documents, jungle operations training courses are not entered under education and training of the DD Form 214 because training courses for combat skills are not listed on the DD Form 214. 3. Department of the Army (DA) Pamphlet 672-3 (Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register) lists the awards received by units serving in Vietnam. This pamphlet shows the unit to which the applicant was assigned was cited for award of the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation for the period 5 May 1965 through 26 September 1970 by DA General Order (DAGO) Number 51, dated 1971. It further shows his unit was awarded Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal First Class Unit Citation for the period 15 April 1969 through 16 March 1971 by DAGO Number 5, dated 1973. //NOTHING FOLLOWS//