APPLICANT REQUESTS:  That although he did not receive combat infantryman pay, he would like the record to reflect that he was entitled to the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) for service in World War II.

APPLICANT STATES:  That he was 19 years old when he left the front lines in France with trench foot.  He then spent 3 months in a hospital before it was determined that he was no longer fit for combat.  He also states that he did not know that he was due combat infantryman pay.

EVIDENCE OF RECORD:  The applicant's military records were lost or destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.  Information herein was obtained from reconstructed records.

He was inducted on 28 January 1944 and served 9 months and 5 days in the European Theater of Operations.  He was honorably discharged by reason of disability on 10 November 1945.

The applicant’s WD AGO Form 53-55, Report of Separation, lists his military occupational specialty (MOS) as 345-Auto Equipment Operator.  It does not indicate that he was an infantryman, held an infantry MOS, or that he was awarded the CIB.  His certificate for disability discharge shows that he was treated for and eventually discharged for conditions related to the trench foot injury.

Considering his statement that he had not received combat infantryman pay, the US Army Reserve Personnel Center (ARPERCEN) reviewed his pay records and confirmed that he had not received such pay.  The organizational records of his World War II units were reviewed as well, but did not show that he had been awarded a CIB.

Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides, in pertinent part, that to be eligible for the CIB, an individual must be an infantryman with an infantry MOS and must perform primary duty as an infantryman, as a member of an infantry unit of brigade or smaller size, during any period in which that unit was engaged in ground combat.  Battle participation credit alone is not sufficient.

During World War II, the CIB was awarded to enlisted men serving in military occupational specialty 604 (light machine gunner), 605 (heavy machine gunner), 651 (platoon sergeant), 653 (squad leader), 745 (rifleman), 746 (automatic rifleman), and 812 (heavy weapons noncommissioned officer).

Further, there was a special provision for badge holders to receive a $10.00 per month pay stipend, which was rescinded in 1948.

DISCUSSION:  Considering all the evidence, allegations, and information presented by the applicant, together with the evidence of record, applicable law and regulations, it is concluded:

1.  The record contains no evidence that the applicant ever possessed an infantry MOS, a precondition for award of the CIB, or was recommended for or awarded the CIB itself.

2.  The records of the organization to which he belonged during World War II do not reflect that he received combat infantryman pay probably because he had not been awarded the CIB at that time.  The Army regulation cited above, specifies that “badge holders” received a $10.00 per month stipend indicating that one had to have first been awarded the CIB in order to qualify for the stipend.

3.  While it may be argued that trench foot is a condition frequently suffered by infantrymen, particularly during World War II, it does not necessarily follow that only infantrymen sustained this malady.  Even if the injury result from combat conditions, it would not warrant award of a CIB unless the other stipulations for the badge were also satisfied.

4.  In view of the foregoing, there appears to be no basis for granting the applicant’s request.
DETERMINATION:  The applicant has failed to submit sufficient relevant evidence to demonstrate the existence of probable error or injustice.

BOARD VOTE:

                       GRANT          

                       GRANT FORMAL HEARING

                       DENY APPLICATION




						Karl F. Schneider
						Acting Director