RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
         AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER:  98-02116

            COUNSEL:  NONE

            HEARING DESIRED:  NO


_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

He be considered for promotion to the grade of colonel  by  a  Special
Selection Board (SSB) for the  CY97B  (8  Dec  97)  Colonel  Selection
Board, with a corrected Officer Selection Brief  (OSB)  reflecting  an
“active” flying status.
_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

The reasons the applicant believes the  records  to  be  in  error  or
unjust and the evidence submitted in support  of  the  appeal  are  at
Exhibit A.
_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The relevant facts pertaining to this application are contained in the
letter  prepared  by  the  appropriate  office  of  the   Air   Force.
Accordingly, there is no need to recite these facts in this Record  of
Proceedings.
_________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The Chief, Officer Promotion Management, HQ AFPC/DPPPO  reviewed  this
application and recommended denial.  DPPPO stated  that  the  eligible
officer remains responsible for reviewing his Officer Selection Record
(OSR) to include his Officer Selection Brief (OSB) for errors and  for
reporting those errors  to  the  appropriate  office  for  correction.
There is no evidence the applicant took  any  action  to  correct  the
error in his flying status.  A complete copy of the evaluation  is  at
Exhibit C.
_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

He freely admits that he should have caught the mistake.  However,  he
became totally engrossed attempting to energize the system to  correct
two very obvious but extremely damaging errors on his OSB.   His  pre-
occupation with the duty history diluted his observance of  the  error
in question relating to his flying status.  The error was  written  in
such abbreviated terms that it appeared coded.  Any officer exercising
reasonable diligence could have missed it by dismissing  it  as  code,
i.e., PAS codes, or AFSCs.  Instead of simply stating “Flying  Status:
INACTIVE” it said “Flying Status: L INACT SCH ACAD.”  Furthermore, his
flying hours were  correct  so  the  error  did  not  stand  out.   He
indicated that the block on the OSB is an automatic  function  between
the Personnel  Data  System  (PDS)  and  the  Host  Operations  System
Management (HOSM).  However, during the summer and fall of  1997,  the
USAF was installing a new version of  Air  Force  Operations  Resource
Management System (AFORMS).  Due to this installation,  the  interface
between HOSMs and PDS was not functional and thus did not  update  his
records upon his return to fly on 7 Jul 97 (Exhibit E).
_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT:

1.    The applicant has exhausted all remedies  provided  by  existing
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.  We are persuaded by the
evidence presented that the applicant made a conscientious  effort  to
have his Officer Selection Brief (OSB) corrected prior  to  the  CY97B
Colonel Selection Board.  Unfortunately, in his efforts to correct the
assignment history,  the  flying  status  error  was  not  discovered.
However, after reviewing the Flying Status Section on the OSB, we  are
inclined to agree with the applicant that the  abbreviated  data  does
appear to be coded and could be misinterpreted.  In addition, we noted
that, through no fault of the applicant, his  flying  status  was  not
automatically  updated  due  to  an  interface  problem  between   the
Personnel Data System (PDS) and the Host Operations System  Management
(HOSM).  Inasmuch as the applicant’s OSB was  incorrect  when  it  was
reviewed by the CY97B Colonel Selection Board, and we have no  way  of
knowing conclusively what impact the inaccurate information  may  have
had on the applicant’s chances for promotion,  we  believe  any  doubt
should be resolved  in  favor  of  the  applicant.   In  view  of  the
foregoing, we recommend the applicant be considered for  promotion  to
the grade of colonel by a Special Selection Board (SSB) for the  CY97B
Colonel Selection Board, with inclusion of the corrected Flying Status
Section on the Officer Selection Brief.
_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT:

The pertinent military records of the  Department  of  the  Air  Force
relating to APPLICANT be corrected to show his flying  status  on  the
P0597B Officer Selection Brief as “active.”

It is further recommended that he be considered for promotion  to  the
grade of colonel by a Special Selection Board for  the  Calendar  Year
1997B  (8  December  1997)  Colonel  Selection  Board  (P0597B),  with
inclusion of the corrected flying  status  on  his  Officer  Selection
Brief.
_________________________________________________________________

The following members of the  Board  considered  this  application  in
Executive Session on 14 January 1999, under the provisions of AFI  36-
2603:

                  Ms. Martha Maust, Panel Chair
                  Ms. Ann L. Heidig, Member
              Mr. Jackson A. Hauslein, Member

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

   Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 10 Jul 98, w/atchs.
   Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
   Exhibit C.  Letters, HQ AFPC/DPPPO, dated 30 Sep 98.
   Exhibit D.  Letter, SAF/MIBR, dated 19 Oct 98.
   Exhibit E.  Letter from applicant, dated 16 Nov 98.




                                   MARTHA MAUST
                                   Panel Chair



AFBCMR 98-02116




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:

      The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air
Force relating to APPLICANT be corrected to show his flying status on
the P0597B Officer Selection Brief as “active.”

      It is further directed that he be considered for promotion to
the grade of colonel by a Special Selection Board for the Calendar
Year 1997B (8 December 1997) Colonel Selection Board (P0597B), with
inclusion of the corrected flying status on his Officer Selection
Brief.




            JOE G. LINEBERGER
                                        Director
                                        Air Force Review Boards Agency