IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 16 February 2023 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20220009980 APPLICANT REQUESTS: correction of his DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to show award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. APPLICANT'S SUPPORTING DOCUMENT(S) 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, U.S. Code, section 1552(b); however, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR) 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 Board will not consider the applicant's request for award of the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, as this item will be addressed through an administrative correction. 3. The applicant states he was discharged from active duty before the awards were given to his unit. 4. The applicant enlisted in the Regular Army on 6 January 1998. He was honorably released from Active Duty on 29 March 2004 upon completion of his required active service. His DD Form 214 shows foreign service in block 12f (Foreign Service) and service in Operation Iraqi Freedom in block 18 (Remarks) from 14 February 2003 to 24 December 2003. It shows he was awarded or authorized the: * Army Commendation Medal (2nd Award) * Army Achievement Medal (5th Award) * Army Good Conduct Medal * National Defense Service Medal * Noncommissioned Officer's Professional Development Ribbon * Army Service Ribbon * Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge with rifle bar * Combat Infantryman Badge * Expert Infantryman Badge * Parachutist Badge 5. Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards), the governing regulation, does not list Operation Iraqi Freedom as a designated U.S. military operation of assistance for friendly foreign nations eligible for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. BOARD DISCUSSION: 1. After reviewing the application, all supporting documents, and the evidence found within the military record, the Board found partial relief is warranted. 2. The Board found no evidence indicating the applicant was deployed to an area for which the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was authorized. The Board noted that the applicant’s total foreign service is greater than his period of deployed service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Unfortunately, the available service records do not identify where his other foreign service occurred, and the Board determined there is insufficient evidence to support adding the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal to his record at this time. 3. The Board concurred with the correction described in Administrative Note(s) below. BOARD VOTE: Mbr 1 Mbr 2 Mbr 3 : : : GRANT FULL RELIEF :X :X :X GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF : : : GRANT FORMAL HEARING : : : DENY APPLICATION ? BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION: 1. 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 making the correction described in Administrative Note(s) below. 2. 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 the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. 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): Please correct the applicant's DD Form 214 for the period ending on 29 March 2004 by adding the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. REFERENCES: 1. Title 10, U.S. Code, section 1552(b), provides that applications for correction of military records must be filed within 3 years after discovery of the alleged error or injustice. This provision of law also allows the ABCMR to excuse an applicant's failure to timely file within the 3-year statute of limitations if the ABCMR determines it would be in the interest of justice to do so. 2. Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards) states: a. The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is authorized for qualifying service after 1 July 1958 in military operations within specific geographic areas during specified time periods. An individual, who was not engaged in actual combat or equally hazardous activity, must have been a bona fide member of a unit participating in, or be engaged in the direct support of, the operation for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days provided this support involved entering the area of operations. Tables 2-3, 2-4, and 2-5 address the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Operation Iraqi Freedom is not listed as an authorized operation for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. b. The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal is authorized for award to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who deployed abroad for service in Global War on Terrorism operations on or after 11 September 2001 to a date to be determined. The general area of eligibility (AOE) encompasses all foreign land, water, and air spaces outside the fifty states of the United States and outside 200 nautical miles of the shores of the United States in operations approved by the Secretary of Defense. Under no conditions will units or personnel within the United States or the general region excluded above be deemed eligible for the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Service members must be assigned, attached, or mobilized to a unit participating in designated operations for 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days in the AOE, or meet other, specified criteria. Initial award of the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal was limited to service members deployed abroad in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom in a designated specific geographic AOE, including Iraq. //NOTHING FOLLOWS// ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20220009980 1 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1