DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 

WASHINGTON, DC 

AUG 3 11998 

Office of the Assistant Secretary 

AFBCMR 97-03 173 

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: 

tary records of the Department of the Air Force relating to 
be corrected to show that he was awarded the Air Medal, 
r outstanding achievement, on 29 August 1995, with a Request for 

Decoration Printout (RDP) date of 30 March 1996. 

It is further directed that he be provided supplemental consideration for promotion to the 

grade of staff sergeant (E-5) 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 applicant 
was promoted to the higher grade on the date of rank established by the supplemental promotion 
and that applicant is entitled to all pay, allowances, and benefits of such grade as of that date. 

Air Force Review Boards Agency 

AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

AUG 3 1 1998 

~- 

IN THE MATTER OF: 

DOCKET NUMBER:  97-03173 

COUNSEL:  NONE 

HEARING DESIRED:  NO 

APPLICANT REOUESTS THAT: 
The 'Air Medal First Oak Leaf Cluster (AM  1OLC) be included in the 
promotion  cycle  9635  for  promotion  to  the  grade  of  staff 
sergeant. 

~~~~~ 

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 

He  was  awarded  an  Air  Medal  for  his  actions  in  OPERATION 
DELIBERATE FORCE.  The air operation took place in September of 
1995.  However, two years had  passed before  he  was awarded the 
medal  due  to  administrative  reasons  and  lack  of  coordination. 
Applicant  states  that  decorations  should  be  based  upon  the 
individual's  performance  rather  than  on  the  inadequacies  of 
administrative  priorities. 
The  awards  for  OPERATION  UNITED 
SHIELD  took  priority  over  all  other  submissions.  Applicant 
states that  the  lengthy process directly affected  his possible 
promotion to staff sergeant in the promotion cycle 96E5. 

In  support  of  his  appeal,  applicant  submits  a  Memorandum, 
Promotion  Review  Board,  dated  5  Jun  97  listing  a 
Subject: 
chronology of events concerning award of Air Medals and, a letter 
from  applicant  to  HQ  AFPC/DPPPWM  requesting  supplemental 
promotion consideration for cycle 9635. 

Applicant's submission is attached at Exhibit A. 

STATEMENT OF FACTS: 

The relevant facts pertaining to this application, extracted from 
the  applicant's military  records,  are  contained  in  the  letter 
prepared  by  the  appropriate office of  the  Air  Force  Office  of 
Primary Responsibility  (OPR) .  Accordingly, there is no need to 
recite these facts in this Record of Proceedings. 

AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

The  Chief,  Inquiries/BCMR  Section  Enlisted  Promotion  Branch, 
AFPC/DPPPWB,  states  that  current  Air  Force  promotion  policy 
dictates  that  before  a  decoration  is  credited  for  a  specific 
promotion cycle, the close out date of the decoration must be on 
or 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.  The 
PECD for the 9635 promotion cycle was 31 March 1996.  Therefore, 
this decoration does not meet  the criteria for promotion credit 
because  the  decoration  recommendation  was  not  placed  into 
official channels until after selections for the 9635 cycle were 
made. 
A  complete  copy  of  the  Air  Force  evaluation  is  attached  at 
Exhibit C. 

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 
Applicant  submitted  a  Memorandum  for  AFBCMR,  dated  3  December 
1997 signed by his Squadron, Group and Wing Commanders in support 
of applicant's request. 

A copy of the applicant's response, with attachment, is attached 
at Exhibit E. 

THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT: 

The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing 

1. 
law or regulations. 

The application was timely filed. 

2 .  
3 .   Sufficient  relevant  evidence  has  been  presented  to 
demonstrate  the  existence  of  probable  error  or  injustice 
warranting favorable consideration to applicant's request.  After 
reviewing the evidence of record and applicant's submission, we 
believe  that  circumstances  beyond  the  applicant's  control 
prevented the award of the Air Medal, First Oak Leaf Cluster  (AM 
1OLC) from being awarded in time to meet the 9635 promotion cycle 
for promotion to the grade of staff sergeant.  While we are aware 
of the Air Force policies regarding approval of a decoration and 
credit of a decoration f o r   promotion purposes, we  feel that the 
award of the AM  lOLC was delayed for an inordinate amount of time 
because of other pending decorations, which was through no fault 
of the applicant.  Also, this award was a combat decoration and 
could have been awarded at an earlier time and not denied due to 
the failure of the administrative process.  Had the AM  lOLC been 
awarded within a  reasonable period  of  time  after  the  close-out 

2 

check  and  recommendation  of  & commander. 

date  of  the  award  and  been  considered  in  the  9635  promotion 
cycle, applicant would  have become  a  selectee for promotion  to 
the grade of staff sergeant pendin  a favorable data verification 
Therefore,  we 
recommend that, in all fairness to the applicant, the AM  lOLC be 
awarded with an earlier RDP date, prior to 31 March  1996, that 
would have allowed the AM  lOLC to be  included and considered in 
the  9635 promotion  cycle.  As  stated  by  AFPC/DPPWB, with  the 
addition of the AM  loLC, the applicant would become  a selectee 
for  promotion  to  staff  sergeant.  In  view  of  the  above,  we 
recommend that his records be  corrected to the extent indicated 
below. 
It  is  further  recommended  that  he  be  provided 
supplemental consideration for promotion  to  the  grade of staff 
sergeant,  to  include  the  award  of  the  AM  (loLC),  for  all 
appropriate cycles. 

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT: 
The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force 
relating to APPLICANT, be corrected to show that he was awarded 
the Air Medal, First Oak Leaf Cluster  (AM  loLC), for outstanding 
achievement, on  29  August  1995, with  a  Request  for Decoration 
Printout  (RDP) date of 30 March 1996. 
It  is  further  recommended  that  he  be  provided  supplemental 
consideration for promotion to the grade of staff sergeant  (E-5) 
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 
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 applicant 
was promoted to the higher grade on the date of rank established 
by  the supplemental promotion and that applicant is entitled to 
a11 pay, allowances, and benefits of such grade as of that date. 

The following members of the Board considered this application in 
Executive Session on 23  June  1998, under the provisions of AFI 
36-2603: 

Mr. Wayne R. Gracie, Panel Chair 
Mr. Dana J. Gilmour, Member 
Mr. Allen Beckett, Member 

3 

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

Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated  1 Oct  97, w/atchs. 
Exhibit  B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records. 
Exhibit  C.  Letter, AFPC/DPPPWB, dated 29 Oct  97. 
Exhibit  D.  Letter, AFBCMR, dated 10 Nov 97. 
Exhibit  E.  Applicant's Letter, dated 4 Dec  97, w/atchs. 

WAYNE 
Panel Chair 

GRACIE 

4 

3/ .7 3 

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 

HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE PERSONNEL CENTER 

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE TEXAS 

2 9  OCT' 1991 

MEMOlRANDUM FOR AFBCMR 

FROM  AFPCDPPPWB 

550 C Street West, Ste 09 
Randolph AFB TX 78150-471 1 

SUBJECT:  Application for Correction of Military Records  --m-' 

Requested Action.  The applicant is requesting his Air Medal,  1st Oak Leaf Cluster, be 
considered in the promotion process for cycle 96E5 (promotions effective Sep 96 - Aug 97). 
Reason for Request.  Applicant believes his Air Medal, 1st Oak Leaf Cluster, for participating 
in an aerial flight on 29 Aug 95,  should be considered in the promotion process for cycle 96E5 
because of the circumstances which caused the delay in its award. 

Facts.  The applicant's total promotion score for the 96E5 cycle is reflected as 300.1 8,  and the 
score required for selection in his Control Air Force Specialty Code (CAFSC) was 308.46.  The 
applicant's total promotion score for cycle 96E5 which is listed as 300.18 is incorrect because he 
was awarded an Air Achievement Medal and a Basic Air Medal which was not included in his 
total decoration score for cycle 96E5.  With the addition of the 1st oak leaf cluster to the Air 
Medal, the applicant will become a selectee for promotion to staff sergeant pending a favorable 
data verification check and the recommendation of his commander.  Promotions for this cycle 
were d

 on 19 Jul96 and announced 3 1 Jul96. 

e

Discussion. 

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 or 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 in which Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) or 
Chief Enlisted Manager (CEM) code  the member will be considered, as well as which 
performance reports and decorations will be used in the promotion consideration. The PECD for 
the promotion cycle in question was 3 1 Mar 96.  In addition, a decoration that a member claims 
was lost, downgraded, etc., must be verified and l l l y  documented that it was placed into official 
channels prior to the selection date. This also includes decorations that were disapproved 
hitially but subsequently resubmitted and approved. 

9 7 4 3 ' 7 9  

b.  This decoration does not meet the criteria for promotion credit during the 96E5 cycle 
because the decoration recommendation for this decoration was not placed into official channels 
until after selections for the 96E5 cycle were made.  This policy was initiated 28 Feb 79 
specifically to preclude personnel from subsequently (after promotion selections) submitting 
someone for adecoration with a retroactive decoration effective date (close-out) so as to put 
them over the selection cutoff score. Exceptions to the above policy are onlyxonsidered when 
the airman can support a previous submission with documentation or statements including 
conclusive evidence that the recommendation was officially placed in ~ l i t a r y  channels within 
the prescribed time limit and conclusive evidence the recommendation was not acted upon 
through loss or inadvertence.  IAW AFI 36-2803, par 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 decoration 

recommendation package was not officially placed into military channels until after selections 
for the 96E5 cycle were accomplished.  Although the RDP date is dated 31 Jul96,  the 
decoration package was not accomplished until 26 Dec 96, which was after promotions'for the 
96E5 cycle were completed (19 Jul96) and announced (31 Jul96).  While we are acutely aware 
of the impact this recommendation has on the applicant's career, there is no tangible evidence the 
decoration was placed into official channels before selections for the 96E5 cycle were made as 
previously indicated.  To approve the appIicant's request would not be fair or equitable to many 
others in the same situation who also miss promotion selection by a m o w  margin and are not 
permitted to have an "after the fact" decoration count in the promotion process. The applicant's 
request to have the decoration included in the promotion process for this cycle as an exception to 
policy was disapproved by the Promotion Management Section at AFPC.  We concur with this 
action.  Please note that the applicant was tentatively selected for promotion to staff sergeant 
during the last promotion cycle (97E5). (IltPromotion Sequence Number has not been 
incremented as of this date. 

Recommendation. Denial based on the rationale provided. 

Chief, hquiries/BCMR Section 
Enlisted Promotion Branch 

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