IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 26 May 2011 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20100025682 THE BOARD CONSIDERED THE FOLLOWING EVIDENCE: 1. Application for correction of military records (with supporting documents provided, if any). 2. Military Personnel Records and advisory opinions (if any). THE APPLICANT'S REQUEST, STATEMENT, AND EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant requests correction of her DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) for the period ending 12 December 2008 to show her character of service as "honorable" instead of "uncharacterized." 2. The applicant further requests correction of her DD Form 214 for the period ending 27 August 2009 to show her place of entry into active duty as Dallas, TX, instead of Shoreline, WA and entitlement to the Afghanistan Campaign Medal 3. The applicant states that item 7a of her DD Form 214 should read Dallas, TX, not Shoreline, WA, because she entered the military at Dallas, TX. She further states that when she received her DD Form 214, she didn't have a copy of her Afghanistan order, so they didn't include the medal [presumed to mean the Afghanistan Campaign Medal] on her DD Form 214. 4. The applicant provides: * her DD Form 214 for the period ending 12 December 2008 * a DD Form 214 belonging to Private W--, S------, presumed to be her brother * Orders 09-071-00001, dated 12 March 2009 * Orders 08-150-01, dated 30 May 2009 * a memorandum, dated 13 July 2009 CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) on 28 March 2008 for a period of 6 years. Item 3 (Home of Record (HOR)) of her DD Form 4 (Enlistment/Reenlistment Document - Armed Forces of the United States) shows her HOR in Shoreline, WA. Item 4 (Place of Enlistment/Reenlistment) of her DD Form 4 shows she enlisted in Dallas, TX. 2. On 19 August 2008, she entered initial active duty for training (IADT). She completed basic training (BT) and advanced individual training (AIT) and she was awarded military occupational specialty 68J (Medical Logistics Specialist). She was released from IADT on 12 December 2008 and transferred to a unit in Seagoville, TX. Her DD Form 214 shows in: * Item 7a (Place of Entry into Active Duty) the entry Dallas, TX * Item 7b (HOR at Time of Entry) the entry Shoreline, WA * Item 12c (Net Active Service This Period) the entry 3 months and 24 days * Item 23 (Type of Separation) the entry Release from Active Duty Training * Item 24 (Character of Service) the entry Uncharacterized * Item 25 (Separation Authority) the entry Self-Terminating Orders 3. On 12 March 2009, she was ordered to active duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On 27 August 2009, she was released from active duty and returned to the control of her USAR unit. Her DD Form 214 shows in: * Item 7a the entry Shoreline, WA * Item 7b the entry Shoreline, WA * Item 12c the entry 5 months and 16 days * Item 18 (Remarks) the entry Service in Iraq 20090422 - 20090727 * Item 23 the entry Release from Active Duty * Item 24 the entry Honorable * Item 25 the entry Army Regulation 635-200 (Enlisted Separations), chapter 4 4. Item 13 of her DD Form 214 for the period ending 27 August 2009 does not show award of the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. 5. She provides: a. Orders 09-071-00001, issued by the 331st Medical Group, Wichita, KS, dated 12 March 2009, that ordered her to active duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She was ordered to report to her unit at Seagoville, TX, with a reporting date of 12 March 2009. b. Orders 08-150-01, issued by the 3rd Medical Command Deployment Support, Operation Command Post (Forward), Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, dated 30 May 2009, that shows she was attached to the 424th Medical Logistics Company, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, effective 5 June 2009, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The release date shows "until officially relieved." c. a memorandum issued by the 3rd Medical Command Deployment Support, subject: Individual Release from Theater, dated 13 July 2009, that shows she was to be released from theater no later than 17 July 2009. 6. Army Regulation 635-200 (Personnel Separations - Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations) sets forth the basic authority for the separation of enlisted personnel. Chapter 3 describes the different characterizations of service. a. Paragraph 3-7a states that an honorable discharge is a separation with honor. The honorable characterization is appropriate when the quality of the Soldier’s service generally has met the standards of acceptable conduct and performance of duty for Army personnel or is otherwise so meritorious that any other characterization would be clearly inappropriate. Only the honorable characterization may be awarded a Soldier upon completion of his/her period of enlistment or period for which called or ordered to active duty or active duty for training, or where required under specific reasons for separation, unless an entry-level status separation (uncharacterized) is warranted. b. Paragraph 3-9 states that a separation will be described as entry-level, with service uncharacterized, if processing is initiated while a Soldier is in entry-level status, except when: (1) characterization under other than honorable conditions is authorized under the reason for separation and is warranted by the circumstances of the case; (2) the Secretary of the Army, on a case-by-case basis, determines that a Honorable characterization of service is clearly warranted by the presence of unusual circumstances involving personal conduct and performance of duty; or (3) the Soldier has less than 181 days of continuous active military service, has completed Initial Entry Training, has been awarded an MOS, and has reported for duty at a follow-on unit of assignment. 7. Army Regulation 635-5 (Separation Documents) establishes the standardized policy for preparing and distributing the DD Form 214. The DD Form 214 is a summary of a Soldier’s most recent period of continuous active duty. It provides a brief, clear-cut record of active duty service at the time of release from active duty, retirement, or discharge. Paragraph 2-4h(7) states that item 7a will record the military installation or city and state where the Soldier entered active duty. 8. Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards) states the Afghanistan Campaign Medal is awarded to members who have served in direct support of OEF. The area of eligibility encompasses all the land area of the country of Afghanistan and all air spaces above the land. The Afghanistan Campaign Medal period of eligibility is on or after 24 October 2001 to a future date to be determined by the Secretary of Defense or the cessation of OEF. Service members must have been assigned, attached, or mobilized to units operating in the area of eligibility for 30 consecutive days or for 60 non-consecutive days or meet one of the following criteria a. be engaged in combat during an armed engagement, regardless of the time in the area of eligibility while participating in an operation or on official duties; b. is wounded or injured and requires medical evacuation from the area of eligibility; or c. while participating as a regularly assigned air crewmember flying sorties into, out of, within or over the area of eligibility in direct support of the military operations. 9. Army Regulation 600-8-22 further states a bronze service star is authorized for wear with the Afghanistan Campaign Medal for participation in each credited campaign. Approved designated Afghanistan campaigns are: * Liberation of Afghanistan (11 September 2001 - 30 November 2001) * Consolidation I (1 December 2001 - 30 September 2006) * Consolidation II (1 October 2006 - date to be determined DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: 1. The applicant contends that her DD Form 214 for the period ending 12 December 2008 should be corrected to show her character of service was honorable instead of uncharacterized. 2. Army Regulation 635-200 states that the service of entry-level Soldiers will be uncharacterized, except when the Soldier has less than 181 days of continuous active military service, has completed Initial Entry Training, has been awarded an MOS, and has reported for duty at a follow-on unit of assignment. The evidence of record shows she completed Initial Entry Training; therefore, her DD Form 214 for the period ending 12 December 2008 should be corrected to show her service as honorable. 3. She also contends that item 7a of her DD Form 214 for the period ending 27 August 2009 should be corrected to show Dallas, TX instead of Shoreline, WA. The evidence of record shows she was ordered to report to Seagoville, TX. Therefore, it would be appropriate to correct her DD Form 214 for the period ending 27 August 2009 to show she entered active duty during this period at Seagoville, TX. 4. She contends that item 13 of her DD Form 214 for the period ending 27 August 2009 should be corrected to show the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. The evidence of record shows she attached to the 424th Medical Logistics Company, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, effective 5 June 2009. A memorandum, dated 13 July 2009, directed her release from theater to be effective no later than 17 July 2009 and to report to Fort Hood, TX for outprocessing. Based on her attachment to a unit in Afghanistan and release on or no later than 17 July 2009, she met the minimum 30 consecutive days of service in Afghanistan for entitlement to the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze service star. Therefore, her DD Form 214 for the period ending 27 August 2009 should be corrected to show this award. BOARD VOTE: ________ ________ ________ 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: a. deleting from item 24 of her DD Form 214 for the period ending 12 December 2008 the entry "Uncharacterized" and replacing it with the entry "Honorable"; b. deleting from item 7a of her DD Form 214 for the period ending 27 August 2009 the entry "Shoreline, Washington" and replacing it with the entry "Seagoville, TX"; and c. adding to item 13 of her DD Form 214 for the period ending 27 August 2009 the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze service star. 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 amending her DD Form 214 for the period ending 27 August 2009 to show her place of entry into active duty as Dallas, TX. __________X____________ 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. ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20100000887 3 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20100025682 6 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1