RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
             AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS


IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2003-00683
            INDEX CODE: 131.00

            COUNSEL:  NO

            HEARING DESIRED:  NO


_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

Her Officer Selection Record (OSR)  for  the  Calendar  Year  2002B  (CY02B)
Major Selection Board be corrected to  include  the  citation  for  the  Air
Force Commendation Medal (AFCM), First Oak  Leaf  Cluster  (1OLC),  for  the
period 31 November 1997 through 12 July 2002 and that  she  receive  Special
Selection Board (SSB) consideration for promotion to the grade of major  for
the CY02B Selection Board.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

She had a permanent change of station (PCS) prior to  the  Majors  selection
board.  Due to a spelling error in the citation for her second  commendation
medal, the decoration was returned for corrections and was not processed  in
a timely manner.  Therefore, her package that  went  before  the  board  was
incomplete and unjustly represented.

In support of her appeal,  the  applicant  provided  a  personal  statement,
Special Order Number GB-02, dated 8 October 2002,  awarding  the  AFCM  1OLC
and Special Order GB-14, dated 14 January 2003.

Applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A.

_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant is currently serving on extended active duty in the  grade  of
captain.

Applicant was considered and not selected for  promotion  to  the  grade  of
major by the CY02B (3 October 2002) Major Central Selection Board.

OPR profile since 1997, follows:

           PERIOD ENDING          EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL

                   1 Apr 97              Meets Standards (MS)
                  31 Aug 97                              (MS)
                  31 Aug 98             (MS)
                  31 Aug 99             (MS)
                  31 Aug 00             (MS)
                  31 Aug 01             (MS)
                  30 Apr 02             (MS)

_________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

AFPC/DPPPO recommended denial.  They indicated that they disagree  with  the
applicant’s contention that her AFCM, 1OLC, decoration was missing from  her
OSR when it met the  CY02B  board.   She  included  a  copy  of  the  orders
awarding her the AFCM, 1OLC. However, although the period of the  decoration
was through 12 July 2002, the corrected  orders  were  not  published  until
14 January 2003.  Thus, her record did not contain the citation, nor was  it
reflected in the Military Personnel Data System (MilPDS).   As  directed  in
AFI 36-2803, paragraph 3.1, the applicant’s  rating  chain  has  up  to  two
years to submit a  recommendation  for  decoration  after  the  service  was
performed.   At  the  time  the  board  convened  on  3  October  2002,  the
decoration did not yet  exist.   The  decoration  was  not  required  to  be
updated in the PDS, and on file in her record, until 14 February  2003.   As
such, the decoration was not a matter  of  record  at  the  time  the  board
convened.

The evaluation is at Exhibit C.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

On 11 April 2003, a copy of the Air Force evaluation was  forwarded  to  the
applicant for review and response within 30  days.   As  of  this  date,  no
response has been received by this office.

_________________________________________________________________

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 an  error  or  injustice.   Applicant’s  contentions  are  duly
noted; however, after thoroughly reviewing the evidence of  record,  we  are
not persuaded  that  her  records  were  incomplete  at  the  time  she  was
considered for promotion to the grade of major by the  CY02B  central  major
selection board.  The applicant contends that because of  a  spelling  error
in the citation for the contested award, the  decoration  was  returned  for
corrections and was not processed in a timely  manner.   As  a  result,  her
record was not complete when it was considered by the  selection  board  and
as such, was unjustly  represented.   While  it  is  true  that  the  period
covered by the AFCM 1OLC, 31 November  1997  through  12  July  2002,  ended
before the convening date of the CY02B central major  selection  board,  the
decoration  was  not  awarded  until  corrected  orders  were  published  on
14 January 2003, well after the board’s convening date of  3  October  2002.
The Board notes that until the official orders  were  published,  the  award
did not exist and, as noted by the Air Force, the award was not required  to
be in her records until  within  30  days  of  the  published  orders.   The
applicant has not established that her rating chain failed  to  process  the
award in a timely manner.  In this respect, we note that in accordance  with
the governing  instruction,  the  rating  chain  had  up  to  two  years  to
recommend the applicant for the decoration.  The Board will reconsider  this
determination if applicant’s rating chain provides  evidence  it  was  their
specific intent to have the award considered  at  her  promotion  board  and
explains why that failed to occur.  In  view  of  the  foregoing,  absent  a
showing from her rating chain that it was their intent to have the award  on
file at the time the selection board convened, we find no  compelling  basis
upon which to recommend granting the requested relief.

_________________________________________________________________

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 15 May 2003 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

                 Mr. Robert S. Boyd, Panel Chair
                 Mr. Grover L. Dunn, Member
                 Mr. James A. Wolffe, Member





The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR  Docket  Number  BC-
2003-00683 was considered:

   Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 24 February 2003, w/atchs.
   Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
   Exhibit C.  Letter, AFPC/DPPPO, dated 7 April 2003.
   Exhibit D.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 11 April 2003.




                                   ROBERT S. BOYD
                                   Panel Chair