- 

JAN 0 4 I999 

AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

IN THE MATTER OF: 
; COUNSEL:  NONE 

DOCKET NUMBER:  97-02966 

HEARING DESIRED:  NO 

APPLICANT REOUESTS THAT: 

His Air Medal, First Oak Leaf Cluster  (AM,  1 OLC) be  considered 
in the promotion process for cycle 9635. 

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 
The AM,  1 OLC, he  was  awarded  for his  actions during Operation 
Deliberate Force should have been considered during cycle 9635. 

The applicant states the air operation took place in September of 
1995;  however, two years passed  before  he  was  ever awarded  the 
medal due to administrative reasons. 

In support of the appeal, applicant provides a statement from the 
commander  which  indicates  that  the  applicant's  decoration 
recommendation  for  Operation  Deliberate  Force  was  held  at  the 
squadron  level  because  the  applicant  was  also  involved  in 
Operation United Shield and the squadron was awaiting the outcome 
of  those  medal  packages  because  it  could  not  be  determined  at 
that time which Oak Leaf Cluster would apply. 

The applicant's complete submission is attached at Exhibit A. 

STATEMENT OF FACTS : 
The applicant  is currently serving in the Regular Air  Force  in 
the grade of staff sergeant (E-5). 

Promotion selections for cycle 9635 were made on 16 July 1996 and 
announced on 31 July 1996.  The  total weighted promotion  score 
required  f o r   selection  in  the  applicant's Air  Force  Specialty 
Code  (AFSC) was 286.46.  The applicant's total weighted promotion 
score was  283.93. 
(Note: Applicant's  total promotion  score  is 
incorrectly  listed  as  281.93  because  an Air  Achievement  Medal 
(worth 3. points) awarded in February 1996 was not updated in time 
for him  to  receive  credit).  The  Promotion  Eligibility  Cutoff 
Date (PECD) was 31 March 1996. 

c 

On 31 July 1996, a Recommendation for Decoration Printout  (RDP) 
was prepared on the applicant. 

Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Special Order 
GA-241, dated 14 April 1997, awarded the applicant the Air Medal, 
First Oak  Leaf  Cluster  (AM,  1 OLC)  for outstanding achievement 
while participating in aerial flight on 31 August  1995.  The AM 
is worth 3  points in the computation of a members total weighted 
promotion score. 

For a decoration to be eligible for consideration in a promotion 
cycle, the close-out date of the decoration must be on or before 
the  PECD, and  the  date of  the  RDP  must  be  before  the  date  of 
selections for the cycle in question. 
Since the RDP was prepared after selections f o r   cycle 96E5 were 
announced,  the  decoration was  not  considered  in  the  promotion 
process for the cycle. 

The applicant was promoted to the grade of staff sergeant during 
promotion  cycle  9735,  effective  and  with  date  of  rank  of 
1 September 1997. 

AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

The  Chief, Inquiries/AFBCMR  Section, AFPC/DPPPWB, reviewed this 
application and states the following: 

a.  The policies regarding the approval of a decoration and 
the  credit  of  a  decoration  for  promotion  purposes  are  two 
separate  and  distinct  policies. 
Current  Air  Force  promotion 
policy  (AFI 36-2502, Table  2.2, Rule  5, Note  2) dictates  that 
before a decoration is credited for a specific promotion cycle, 
the  close-out date of  the  decoration must  be  on o r   before  the 
promotion  eligibility  cutoff  date  (PECD), and  the  date  of  the 
DECOR-6, Request for Decoration Printout (RDP) must be before the 
date of  selections for the  cycle  in question.  Each promotion 
cycle has an established PECD which is used to determine what Air 
Force Specialty Code  (AFSC) or Chief Enlisted Manager  (CEM) Code 
the member will be considered for promotion in, as well as which 
performance reports and decorations will be used in the promotion 
consideration.  In addition, a decoration that  a member  claims 
was lost, downgraded, etc., must be fully documented and verified 
that it was placed into official channels prior to the selection 
date.  This  also  includes  a  decoration  that  was  disapproved 
initially but subsequently resubmitted and approved. 

b.  The decoration does not meet the criteria for promotion 
credit  during  the  9635  cycle  because  there  is  no  tangible 
evidence  the  resubmitted  decoration  was  placed  into  official 
channels prior  to  the  date  selections for the  9635 cycle  were 

made.  .This policy was initiated 2 8   February 1979 to specifically 
preclude personnel from subsequently (after promotion selections) 
submitting someone for a decoration with a retroactive decoration 
effective date  (close out) so as to put  them over the selection 
cutoff score.  Exceptions to the above policy are only considered 
when  the  airman  can  support  a  previous  submission  with 
documentation  or  statements  including  conclusive  evidence  that 
the  recommendation was  officially  placed  in  military  channels 
within  the  prescribed  time  limit  and  conclusive  evidence  the 
recommendation was not  acted upon through loss or inadvertence. 
In  accordance with  AFI  3 6 - 2 8 0 3 ,   paragraph  3.1  a  decoration  is 
considered  to  have  been  placed  in  official  channels  when  the 
decoration recommendation is  signed  by  the  initiating official 
and indorsed by a higher official in the chain of command. 

c.  Documentation  included  in  the  applicant's  case  file 
reflects the resubmitted package  was not officially placed  into 
military channels until after selections for the 9635 cycle were 
accomplished.  The  resubmission  package  was  not  accomplished 
until 31 July 1996, which was after promotions f o r   the 9635 cycle 
were  completed  (19 July  1996)  and  announced  (31  July  1996). 
While  they  are  acutely  aware of  the  impact  this  recommendation 
has on the applicant's career, the fact is the decoration was not 
submitted until  after selections for this cycle were  made.  To 
approve the applicant's request would not be fair or equitable to 
many others in the same situation who miss promotion selection by 
a narrow margin and are not entitled to have an "after the fact" 
decoration  count  in  the  promotion  process.  Therefore,  they 
recommend denial of his request. 
A  complete  copy  of  the  Air  Force  evaluation  is  attached  at 
Exhibit C .  

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

The applicant reviewed the Air  Force evaluation and provides  a 
statement from the squadron commander, which is indorsed by  the 
group and wing commanders. 

The applicant's commanders state that they realize and appreciate 
the  reluctance of  the  system to incorporate awards closing out 
after selection dates; however, the Air Medal was clearly not of 
the type or character designed to 'game  the  system".  They also 
state  that  this  was  a  combat  decoration,  highly  visible,  and 
awarded to the entire crew, not just one individual. 

The applicant's  complete response, with attachments, is attached 
at Exhibit E. 

3 

THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT: 

The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing 

1. 
law or regulations. 

2.  The application was timely filed. 

3.  Sufficient  relevant  evidence  has  been  presented  to 
demonstrate the existence of probable error or injustice.  After 
reviewing the evidence of  record and applicant's  submission, we 
believe  that  circumstances  beyond  the  applicant's  control 
prevented  the award of the AM,  1 OLC, in time to meet  the  9635 
promotion cycle.  While we  are aware of  the Air Force policies 
regarding approval of a decoration and credit of a decoration for 
promotion  purposes,  we  feel  the  award  of  the  AM,  1  OLC,  was 
delayed for an  inordinate amount  of  time because  the applicant 
was  involved  in  Operation  United  Shield  and  the  squadron  was 
awaiting  the  outcome  of  other  pending  decorations,  which  was 
through no  fault  of  the  applicant.  Had  the  AM,  1 OLC,  been 
awarded within a  reasonable period  of  time, it  would  have been 
considered in the promotion process for cycle 9 6 3 5 .  
Therefore, 
we  recommend  his  records be  corrected  to  the  extent  indicated 
below. 

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT: 
The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force 
relating  to  APPLICANT,  be  corrected  to  show  that  the 
Recommendation  for Decoration Printout for the Air Medal, First 
Oak Leaf Cluster  (AM,  1 OLC) awarded for outstanding achievement 
while  participating  in  aerial  flight  on  31  August  1995,  was 
prepared on 30 March 1996, rather than 31 July 1996. 
It  is  further  recommended  that  he  be  provided  supplemental 
consideration for promotion  to  the  grade  of  staff  sergeant  for 
all appropriate cycles beginning with cycle 9635. 
If  AFPC  discovers  any  adverse  factors during  or  subsequent  to 
supplemental  consideration  that  are  separate  and  apart,  and 
unrelated to the issues involved in this application, that would 
have  rendered  the  applicant  ineligible  for the  promotion, such 
information will be documented and presented  to the board  for a 
final  determination  on  the  individual's qualification  for  the 
promot ion. 

. .  

If supplemental promotion consideration results in the selection 
for  promotion  to  the  higher  grade,  immediately  after  such 
promotion  the  records  shall  be  corrected  to  show  that  he  was 
promoted to the higher grade on the date of  rank established by 
the supplemental promotion and  that  he  is entitled  to all pay, 
allowances, and benefits of such grade as of that date. 

4 

II) 

The following members of the Board considered this application in 
Executive  Session on  12 November  1998, under the provisions of 
AFI 3 6 - 2 6 0 3 :  

Mr. Wayne R. Gracie, Panel Chair 
Mr. Dana J. Gilmour, Member 
Mr. Allen Beckett, Member 
Mr. Phillip E. Horton, Examiner (without vote) 

All  members voted  to correct the  records, as recommended. 
following documentary evidence was considered: 

The 

DD Form 149, dated 10 Oct 97, w/atchs. 
Applicant's Master Personnel Records. 

Exhibit A. 
Exhibit B. 
Exhibit C.  Letter, AFPC/DPPPWB, dated 14  Oct 97 
Exhibit D. 
Exhibit E. 

Letter, AFBCMR, dated 17 Nov 97. 
Letter, Applicant, dated 25 Nov 97, w/atch. 

w/atchs. 

WAYNE R. GRACIE 
Panel Chair 

5 

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 

WASHINGTON, D. C. 

Office of the Assistant Secretary 

AFBCMR 97-02966 

MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF 

Having received and considered the recommendation of the Air Force Board for 

Correction of Military Records and under the authority of Section 1552, Title 10, United States 
Code (70A Stat 116), it is directed that: 

I 

itary records of the Department of the Air Force relating to 
corrected to show that the Recommendation for Decoratio 
Leaf Cluster (AM, 1 OLC) awarded for outstanding achievement while 

participating in aerial flight on 3 1 August 1995, was prepared on 30 March 1996, rather than. 
31 July 1996. 

It is hrther directed that he be provided supplemental consideration for promotion to &e 

grade of staff sergeant for all appropriate cycles beginning with cycle 96E5. 

If AFPC discovers any adverse factors during or subsequent to supplemental 

consideration that are separate and apart, and unrelated to the issues involved in this application, 
that would have rendered the applicant ineligible for the promotion, such information will be 
documented and presented to the board for a final determination on the individual's qualification 
for the promotion. 

If supplemental promotion consideration results in the selection for promotion to the 
higher grade, immediately after such promotion the records shall be corrected to show that he 
was promoted to the higher grade on the date of rank established by the supplemental promotion 
and that he is entitled to all pay, allowances, and benefits of such grade as of that date. 

L/  Director 

Air Force Review Boards Agency