RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
             AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS


IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER:  BC-2004-00311
            INDEX CODE:  107.00

            COUNSEL:  NONE

            HEARING DESIRED:  NO


_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

He be awarded the Air Medal (AM), Bronze  Star  Medal  (BSM),  Armed  Forces
Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for the Dominican Republic.

Examiner’s Note:  The applicant  also  requested  award  of  the  Air  Force
Commendation Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster  (AFCM  w/1OLC),  Armed  Forces
Expeditionary Medals (AFEM) for Korea, Air Force  Longevity  Service  Ribbon
(AFLSR), and the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (SAEMR).   AFPC/DPPPR
verified the applicant’s entitlement to these  awards  and  the  corrections
were made to the applicant’s record.  On 25  August  2004,  a  DD  Form  215
(Correction to DD Form 214 - Armed Forces of the  United  States  Report  of
Transfer or Discharge) was issued to the  applicant.   The  Non-Commissioned
Officer Professional Military Education  (NCO  PME)  Graduation  Ribbon  was
omitted from the DD Form 215; however, a corrected copy  with  the  NCO  PME
Graduation Ribbon will be added and issued to the applicant according to  HQ
AFPC/DPPRSP.  Therefore, the only issues before the Board are award  of  the
AM, BSM and the AFEM for the Dominican Republic.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

He was awarded the requested medals but the medals were never  annotated  on
his DD Form 214.

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

_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant enlisted in the Regular Air Force on 15 September 1965 in  the
grade of airman  basic  for  a  period  of  four  years  and  was  honorably
discharged on 14 July 1969 in the grade of staff sergeant.  On 15 July  1969
he reenlisted for a period of four years.

On 12 August 1975, the applicant was honorably discharged in  the  grade  of
staff sergeant under the provisions  of  AFM  39-10  -  Convenience  of  the
Government.  He served 9 years, 10 months,  and  28  days  of  total  active
service.

The applicant’s DD Form 214 indicates he received the following  decorations
and awards:  National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Good  Conduct  Medal,
Vietnam Service Medal with One Bronze Service Star, Air  Force  Commendation
Medal, Republic  of  Vietnam  Campaign  Medal  (RVCM),  and  the  Air  Force
Outstanding Unit Award.

_________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

AFPC/DPPPR recommended  denial.   They  indicated  they  have  verified  the
applicant’s claim of the AFCM w/1OLC, AFEM - Korea, AFLSR, NCO  PME  Ribbon,
and  the  SAEMR.   They  forwarded  the  records  to  the   Retirement   and
Separations Section for  correction.   No  further  action  is  required  in
reference to those awards.

On 3 March 2004 and 9 April 2004, SAF/MRBR asked the  applicant  to  provide
additional documentation to substantiate his claim of the AM and BSM.   Some
additional documentation was provided by the applicant, however, none of  it
was a recommendation for decoration by someone within his chain  of  command
or who had first-hand knowledge of his actions; nor was a  decoration  order
provided to authenticate the decorations in question.

Upon review of the official  military  records  and  the  documentation  the
applicant provided, they are unable to verify his entitlement to the AFEM  -
Dominican Republic.  The applicant did  not  provide  any  documentation  to
verify he was in the area of responsibility to receive  the  AFEM  for  this
operation.   They  also   cannot   substantiate   an   official   decoration
recommendation had been submitted on the applicant for the AM or BSM.

The evaluation, with attachments, is at Exhibit C.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

On 3 September 2004, 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 not timely filed; however, it is in  the  interest
of justice to excuse the failure to timely file.

3.    Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to  demonstrate  the
existence of an error or injustice.  The applicant contends he  was  awarded
the requested medals but the medals were never  annotated  on  his  DD  Form
214.  We took notice of the applicant's complete submission in  judging  the
merits of the case; however, we agree with the  opinion  and  recommendation
of the Air Force and adopt their rationale as the basis for  our  conclusion
that the applicant has not been the victim of an error or  injustice.   With
regard to the AM and BSM, on 3 March and 9 April 2004, SAF/MRBR advised  the
applicant to provide documentation to substantiate his claim for the AM  and
BSM.  He provided additional  documentation;  however,  none  of  it  was  a
recommendation for decoration by someone within his chain of command or  who
had first-hand  knowledge  of  his  actions;  nor  was  a  decoration  order
provided to authenticate the decorations  in  questions.   Furthermore,  the
applicant was advised of the decoration recommendation  procedures  and  the
criteria for award of the  AM  and  BSM.   The  Board  finds  no  supporting
documentation in the applicant’s record to indicate he was  recommended  for
either of these  awards.   With  respect  to  the  AFEM  for  the  Dominican
Republic, the applicant presents insufficient evidence that he was  assigned
in the area of  responsibility  which  would  make  him  eligible  for  this
decoration.  Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we  find
no compelling basis to recommend granting the relief sought.

_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT:

The applicant be notified the evidence presented  did  not  demonstrate  the
existence of an error or an injustice; the application was denied without  a
personal appearance; and 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 AFBCMR Docket Number  BC-2004-
00311 in Executive Session on 21 October 2004, under the provisions  of  AFI
36-2603:

                  Mr. Richard A. Peterson, Panel Chair
                  Ms. Deborah A. Erickson, Member
                  Ms. Kathleen F. Graham, Member

The following documentary evidence was considered:

   Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 16 June 2003, w/atchs.
   Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
   Exhibit C.  Letter, AFPC/DPPPR, dated 18 August 2004, w/atch.
   Exhibit D.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 3 September 2004.



                       RICHARD A. PETERSON
                       Panel Chair