RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2009-00489 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, be corrected to reflect his correct enlistment date; his correct duty assignments; and all medals that are due him. In addition, he requests his headstone at the National Cemetery reflect World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. In his rebuttal to the Air Force advisory opinions, the applicant amends his appeal to include a request to have his DD Form 214 corrected to reflect he was married. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: His enlistment date was incorrectly listed on his DD Form 214 as 7 January 1947, instead of 23 December 1946. In support of his request, the applicant submits copies of his DD Form 214, discharge certificates, shot record, and retirement order. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant’s original enlistment record reflects he enlisted in the Army Air Force on 7 January 1947, at the age of 17 in the grade of private. According to his WD AGO Form 53, he separated due to demobilization in the grade of sergeant, effective 22 December 1949 having served 2 years, 11 months, and 16 days on active duty. The applicant continued military service in the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard and was subsequently called to active duty in the Regular Air Force effective 4 September 1956. He was progressively promoted to the grade of staff sergeant with a date of rank of 1 March 1957. He was permanently retired by reason of physical disability on 15 December 1965. His DD Form 214 reflects he served a total of 18 years, 10 months, and 8 days on active duty. The applicant was notified by AFPC/DPSIDR on 5 May 2009, that after a thorough review of his military personnel records, they were able to verify his entitlement to the Good Conduct Medal with two Brass Loops, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Air Force Longevity Service Award with two Oak Leaf Clusters, which were all annotated on his DD Form 214. The applicant’s DD Form 214, Block 9, reflects his marital status as “married.” _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial of the applicant’s request to change his service history. DPAPP indicates that after compiling a duty history timeline from documents in his official military service record, they find his service record currently reflects an accurate account of his military service. In regard to the applicant’s request to include World War II, Korea, and Vietnam on his National Cemetery tombstone, they state that establishing veteran status is not a function of their office; nor is it an entry on the DD Form 214. The complete AFPC/DPAPP evaluation, with attachments, is at Exhibit C. AFPC/DPSIPV recommends denial of the applicant’s request to change his date of enlistment. DPSIPV indicates that after a thorough review of his military personnel records, they find no documents or entries to substantiate his claim. His date of enlistment is correctly recorded on his separation document as 7 January 1947, as supported by his Consent for Enlistment in the United States Army, signed by his Mother, dated 26 December 1946; and, the original copy of his WD AGO Form 21, Enlistment Record Regular Army, dated 7 January 1947. The complete AFPC/DPSIPV evaluation, with attachments, is at Exhibit D. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: He is sure that after all these years, he can still remember some dates and he is sure he was swore-in in December 1946 at Keesler Army Air Field. When he was discharged at Maxwell Air Force Base, he was given a “Ruptured Duck,” which were only given to members who were in the service in 1946 or earlier. This is his last attempt to get his dates corrected. If the Board denies his request then he will feel “shafted again.” _________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT: 1. The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing law or regulations. 2. The application was not timely filed; however, it is in the interest of justice to excuse the failure to timely file. 3. Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or an injustice. We took notice of the applicant's complete submission in judging the merits of the case; however, we agree with the opinions and recommendations of the Air Force offices of primary responsibility and adopt their rationale as the basis for our conclusion the applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice. In regard to his request to correct his DD Form 214 to reflect he was married, we note the form already states his marital status as married. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no compelling basis to recommend granting the relief sought in this application. _________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified that the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of material error or injustice; that the application was denied without a personal appearance; and that the application will only be reconsidered upon the submission of newly discovered relevant evidence not considered with this application. _________________________________________________________________ The following members of the Board considered this application in Executive Session on 12 January 2010, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence was considered in connection with AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2009-00489: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 2 Feb 09, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 11 Sep 09, w/atch. Exhibit D. Letter, AFPC/DPSIPV, dated 18 Sep 09, w/atchs. Exhibit E. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 26 Sep 09. Exhibit F. Letter, Applicant, not dated. Panel Chair