PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:          

	BOARD DATE:               12 June 2003
	DOCKET NUMBER:       AR2002082391

	I certify that hereinafter is recorded the true and complete record of the proceedings of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in the case of the above-named individual.  

	Mr. Carl W. S. Chun		Director	
	Ms. Beverly A. Young		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. Raymond V. O'Connor		Chairperson	
	Mr. John P. Infante		Member	
	Ms. Eloise C. Prendergast		Member	

	The applicant and counsel if any, did not appear before the Board.

	The Board considered the following evidence:

	Exhibit A - Application for correction of military 
                records
	Exhibit B - Military Personnel Records (including
	            advisory opinion, if any)

FINDINGS:

1.  The applicant has exhausted or the Board has waived the requirement for exhaustion of all administrative remedies afforded by existing law or regulations.

2.  The applicant requests that his service in Bosnia be added to his DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty).

3.  The applicant states that he served in Bosnia from 10 March 1997 through 15 October 1997 but this time was not added to his DD Form 214.  He did not submit any documents in support of his application.

4.  The applicant’s military records show that he enlisted in the Regular Army on 10 November 1993.  He successfully completed basic and advanced individual training and was awarded military occupational specialty 68G (aircraft structural repairer).  The applicant was assigned to Germany from 6 August 1996 through 6 August 1998 and was honorably discharged from active duty on 6 December 1999.

5.  The applicant's DD Form 214 does not show service in Bosnia.  His discharge document shows entitlement to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Medal.

6.  The applicant's personnel records contain a DA Form 638 (Recommendation for Award), dated 8 September 1997.  This document indicates that the applicant was awarded the Army Achievement Medal for meritorious achievement while deployed to Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Guard during the period 15 March 1997 to 15 September 1997.  

7.  His records also contain an award certificate which shows he was awarded the Army Achievement Medal for meritorious achievement while deployed to Operation Joint Guard as an aircraft structural repairer from 15 March 1997 to 15 September 1997.

8.  The Board noted that the applicant was eligible for award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Armed Forces Service Medal which are not shown on his DD Form 214.

9.  Army Regulation 635-5 establishes the standardized policy for preparing and distributing the DD Form 214.  In pertinent part, it directs that foreign service performed during the period covered by the DD Form 214 will be entered in
item 12f.  The regulation also states that the amount of foreign service will be taken from the soldier’s Enlisted Qualification Record or, if necessary, verified from the soldier’s Military Personnel Records Jacket.  However, the Department of the Army issued guidance that service in a temporary duty status in that theater would not be reported as foreign service unless for a period longer than 6 months and that Southwest Asia service would be reported in 
item 18 (Remarks) of the DD Form 214.

10.  Army Personnel Command Message Number 99-100 (with a Date/Time Group of 121605Z March 1999) authorized award of both the Armed Forces Service Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, as a one-time exception to Department of Defense and Service policy, for qualifying service in support of Operations Joint Endeavor and Joint Guard in the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina.  This exception allowed both service medals to be presented to personnel deployed in Bosnia-Herzegovina, aboard naval vessels operating in the Adriatic Sea and their respective air spaces during the period 1 June 1992 to 19 December 1996 (Operation Joint Endeavor) and during the period 20 December 1996 to 20 June 1998 (Operation Joint Guard).  The exception also allowed only one award of each service medal for service in either or both Operation Joint Endeavor and Operation Joint Guard.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The Board considered the applicant's request for his service in Bosnia to be added to his military records.

2.  The applicant's DD Form 214 shows he was awarded the NATO Medal.  The Board noted that the NATO Medal is awarded to military personnel who served under NATO command or operational control in direct support of NATO operations in the former Republic of Yugoslavia (Bosnia) from 1 July 1992 through a date to be determined.

3.  The evidence of record shows the applicant was awarded the Army Achievement Medal for meritorious service in Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Guard from 15 March 1997 to 15 September 1997.

4.  Upon review of the available evidence, the Board has determined that the applicant is entitled to correction of his DD Form 214 to show the entry “Bosnia Service:  15 March 1997 to 15 September 1997.”

5.  Based on the correction in paragraph 4, above, the applicant is entitled to award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Armed Forces Service Medal for service in support of Operation Joint Guard.  Therefore, his DD Form 214 will be amended to show award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

6.  In view of the foregoing, the applicant’s records should be corrected as recommended below.

RECOMMENDATION:

That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected:

a.  by amending item 18 (Remarks) on the DD Form 214 of the individual concerned to show the entry "“Bosnia Service:  15 March 1997 to 15 September 1997”; and

b.  by showing he was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Armed Forces Service Medal.

BOARD VOTE:  

RVO____  JPI_____  ECP_____  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		Raymond V. O'Connor___
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2002082391	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20030612	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	(HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD, UNCHAR)	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	YYYYMMDD	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR . . . . .  	
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT PLUS	
REVIEW AUTHORITY	Mr. Schneider	
ISSUES         1.	100.0000	
2.	107.0000	
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.