RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
         AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER:  98-03041
            INDEX NUMBER:  131.00
            COUNSEL:  NONE

            HEARING DESIRED:  NO

___________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

He be considered for promotion  to  the  grade  of  major  by  Special
Selection Board (SSB) for the Calendar Year (CY) 1998B  Major  Central
Selection Board, with the citation  to  accompany  the  Joint  Service
Commendation Medal (JSCM) included in  his  officer  selection  record
(OSR).

___________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

He was awarded the JSCM in August 1997.  However, this information was
not reflected on his  Officer  Selection  Brief  (OSB)  and  may  have
affected his opportunity for promotion to major.  Despite his  efforts
and those of the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC), the  OSB  was  not
corrected by his military personnel  flight  (MPF)  in  time  for  the
promotion board.

In support of his request, applicant provided  a  statement  from  the
Chief of the Indications and Warning Watch Center,  and  documentation
associated with award of the JSCM.  (Exhibit A)

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STATEMENT OF FACTS:

On 11 April  1988,  applicant  was  appointed  as  second  lieutenant,
Reserve of the Air Force, and was ordered to extended active duty.  He
has served on continuous active duty, was integrated into the  Regular
component on 17 February 1995, and progressively promoted to the grade
of captain.  A resume of applicant’s OERs/OPRs follows:

      PERIOD CLOSING   OVERALL EVALUATION

        30 Sep 88      Education/Training Report (TR)
         3 Apr 89      Meets Standards (MS)
         3 Oct 89      MS
        27 Sep 90      MS
         5 Jun 91      MS
        17 Jul 92      TR
         5 Jun 92      MS
        22 Nov 92      MS
        22 Nov 93      MS
         2 Aug 94      MS
         2 Aug 95      MS
         2 Aug 96      MS
  *      2 Aug 97      MS
         2 Aug 98      MS

* Top report in file when considered and not selected for promotion by
the CY98B Central Major Selection Board,  which  convened  on  6 April
1998.

Documentation provided by the applicant reflects that he  was  awarded
the JSCM for meritorious service during the period 6 September 1994 to
30 August 1997, per Permanent Order GB-929, dated 19 August 1997.  The
JSCM was listed on  the  OSB  reviewed  by  the  CY98B  Central  Major
Selection Board; however, the citation for the JSCM  was  not  in  the
applicant’s officer selection folder.

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AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The Acting Chief, Appeals and SSB Branch,  AFPC/DPPPA,  reviewed  this
application  and  recommended  denial.   DPPPA  stated  the  JSCM  was
properly annotated on applicant’s  OSB.   However,  the  citation  was
missing from his officer selection record.  The purpose  of  having  a
citation included in the record is not  to  allow  board  members  the
opportunity to examine the comments, although they may do so  if  they
are so inclined.  Rather, the purpose is to make  them  aware  of  the
level of the decorations.  Evidence of a  decoration  within  the  OSR
speaks to the decoration itself, not what the citation may or may  not
reveal.   Therefore,  the  board  members   were   knowledgeable   the
decoration was given which is the ultimate purpose of  including  them
in the promotion selection process.  Since the JSCM was present on the
OSB, DPPPA is convinced the CY98B board members appropriately factored
it into their promotion assessment of the applicant.  DPPPA noted that
the citation for the JSCM was not filed in the applicant’s OSR until 6
November 1998.  (Exhibit C)

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APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

A copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the  applicant  on
23 November 1998 for review and comment.  As of this date, no response
has been received by this office.

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THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT:

1.  The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing  law
or regulations.

2.  The application was timely filed.

3.  Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented  to  demonstrate
the existence of probable error or injustice.  Although  the  citation
for the Joint Service Commendation Medal (JSCM) was not filed  in  the
applicant’s officer selection record (OSR) when he was considered  for
promotion by the CY98B Major Central Selection Board,  the  award  was
listed on his officer selection brief (OSB) reviewed by the  selection
board.  Therefore, in our opinion, this information was  available  to
the members of the selection board  during  their  assessment  of  the
applicant’s records.  Furthermore, the acts for which he received  the
JSCM were reflected in the performance  reports  rendered  during  the
period covered by the award.  We have seen  no  evidence  which  would
lead us to believe  that  the  absence  of  the  citation  caused  the
applicant’s records to be so misleading or inaccurate  that  the  duly
constituted selection board was unable to make a  reasonable  decision
concerning his promotability in comparison with his peers.   Based  on
the above, and in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find  no
basis to recommend granting the relief sought in this application.

___________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT:

The  applicant  be  notified  that  the  evidence  presented  did  not
demonstrate the existence of probable  material  error  or  injustice;
that the application was denied without  a  personal  appearance;  and
that the application will only be reconsidered upon the submission  of
newly  discovered  relevant  evidence   not   considered   with   this
application.
___________________________________________________________________

The following members of the  Board  considered  this  application  in
Executive Session on 11 March 1999, under the provisions  of  AFI  36-
2603:

      Mr. Thomas S. Markiewicz, Panel Chair
      Mr. John E. Pettit, Member
      Mr. Gregory W. DenHerder, Member

The following documentary evidence was considered:

    Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 23 Oct 98, w/atchs.
    Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
    Exhibit C.  Letter, AFPC/DPPPA, dated 10 Nov 98.
    Exhibit D.  Letter, SAF/MIBR, dated 23 Nov 98.



                                   THOMAS S. MARKIEWICZ
                                   Panel Chair