RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS
IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2003-02825
INDEX CODE: 107.00
COUNSEL: NONE
HEARING DESIRED: Not Indicated
_________________________________________________________________
APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:
1. He be awarded the Purple Heart (PH) medal.
2. His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer
or Discharge, be corrected to reflect Dog Handler School.
_________________________________________________________________
APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:
He was wounded in action on 8 Jul 66 and did not receive his PH. During
the confusion in a firefight something hit him under the chin and he
started to bleed. The medic told him that whatever hit him must have been
pulled out when he wiped his chin with his sleeve. The medic wiped the
blood and applied two bandages then left the area to attend more wounded.
He never heard anything about his wound. He received an AFCM for his
actions during the incident.
In support of his request applicant provided a personal statement, a
witness statement, a copy of his Air Force Commendation Medal (AFCM)
citation, his dog handler training certificate, and a copy of his DD Form
214. His complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A.
_________________________________________________________________
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
Applicant enlisted in the Regular Air Force on 28 Jan 63. He was
progressively promoted to the grade of airman second class (E-3) effective
and with a date of rank of 29 May 43. He was released from active duty on
17 Feb 67 and was transferred to the Air Force Reserves. He was honorably
discharged from the Air Force Reserves on 27 Jan 69. Applicant served in
the Republic of Vietnam from 2 Mar 66 through 16 Feb 67.
_________________________________________________________________
AIR FORCE EVALUATION:
AFPC/DPPAC recommends that his DD Form 214 be corrected to read 77150A, Air
Policeman, Sentry Dog Qualified. The AFBCMR has been informed that once a
decision is rendered regarding his PH request, his DD Form 214 will be
administratively corrected to reflect his Dog Handler qualification. The
DPPAC evaluation is at Exhibit C.
AFPC/DPPPR recommends denial. DPPPR states that there is no medical
documentation showing that the applicant received any wounds or injuries
and he did not provide any. His DD Form 214 and performance report for
that period do not reflect that he was wounded as a result of enemy action.
His case was denied by the PH Review Board on 22 Oct 03 because of the
lack of clear-cut information and documentation showing he was wounded by
the enemy and received medical treatment for a wound.
His separation physical does not show that he has any scars, body marks or
tattoos, and other than a disease in 1966 in Phan Rang, he denied all other
medical or surgery history. The sentry that noticed his bleeding chin did
not state that he saw the applicant being wounded as a result of enemy
action, only that he noticed his chin was bleeding. There is no indication
that he made any effort to apply for award of the PH until 35 years later.
In 2001 he was granted Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) compensation
for diabetes and in 2002 he received a disability rating for Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder. However, it was not until after the DVA changed their
priority rating system to move all PH and POW Medal recipients that the
applicant applied for the PH. The DPPPR evaluation is at Exhibit D.
_________________________________________________________________
APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:
Copies of the Air Force evaluations were forwarded to the applicant on 31
Oct 03 for review and comment within 30 days. As of this date, this office
has received no response.
Through his Congressman, applicant requested additional time to provide a
response to the Air Force evaluation. An extension was granted until 1 Jan
04. As of this date, this office has received no response.
_________________________________________________________________
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 error or injustice. After a thorough review of the
applicant's submission and the available evidence of record, we do not
believe that he should be awarded the Purple Heart. We are not persuaded
by the evidence presented that he was medically treated for any wounds that
were incurred as a direct result of enemy fire as required by the
applicable directives for award of the Purple Heart. We agree with the
opinion and recommendation of the Air Force office of primary
responsibility and adopt their rationale as the basis for our conclusion
that the applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice.
Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no
compelling 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 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 AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2003-
02825 in Executive Session on 8 Jan 04, under the provisions of AFI 36-
2603:
Mr. Roscoe Hinton, Jr., Panel Chair
Ms. Olga M. Crerar, Member
Ms. Cheryl Jacobson, Member
The following documentary evidence was considered:
Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 12 Aug 03, w/atchs.
Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPPAC, dated 1 Oct 03.
Exhibit D. Letter, AFPC/DPPPR, dated 27 Oct 03, w/atch.
Exhibit E. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 31 Oct 03.
ROSCOE HINTON, JR.
Panel Chair
AF | BCMR | CY2003 | BC-2003-01716
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2003-01716 INDEX CODE: 107.00 COUNSEL: None HEARING DESIRED: No _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His records be corrected to reflect he received an Oak Leaf Cluster to the Purple Heart (PH) for being a prisoner of war (POW). DPPPR further states the applicant has not provided any documentation to show he was injured or wounded...
AF | BCMR | CY2004 | BC-2003-03018
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2003-03018 INDEX CODE: 107.00 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: He be awarded the Purple Heart (PH) Medal. After a thorough review of the applicant’s submission and the available evidence of record, we are not persuaded that he should be awarded the Purple Heart Medal. The applicant appears to...
AF | BCMR | CY2004 | BC-2003-02849
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2003-02849 INDEX CODE: 107.00 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: He be awarded the Purple Heart (PH) Medal. The applicant requests award of the PH as the result of injuries he received in an aircraft mishap. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPPPR, dated 14 Jan 04, w/atchs.
AF | BCMR | CY2004 | BC-2003-03674
The PH is awarded for wounds received as a direct result of enemy actions (i.e., gunshot or shrapnel wounds, hand-to-hand combat wounds, forced aircraft bail out injuries, etc.). _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPPPR recommends the application be denied and states, in part, that although the applicant’s retirement orders indicate that his disability was the direct result of a combat related injury, his injuries were caused by an...
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: 00-02718 INDEX CODE: 107.00 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ___________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His DD Form 214 be corrected to show he was awarded the Purple Heart (PH) Medal. DPPPR states that there is no evidence in the applicant's records nor did the applicant provide any documentation that he had been injured and treated as...
AF | BCMR | CY2004 | BC-2003-03708
DPPPR states that there is medical documentation pertaining to the injury received; however, there is no evidence in the record showing the injury was the result of enemy action. However, he has provided no evidence to indicate that the injury he sustained was the direct result of enemy action. After a review of his personnel and medical records, to include a September 1997 Veterans Administration Rating which indicates service-connected disability for his gunshot wound, the evidence does...
AF | BCMR | CY2004 | bc-2003-03308
_________________________________________________________________ THE APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: During the invasion of *****, on 30 May 1944, he received a shrapnel wound in his left buttock from strafing Japanese aircraft. _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPPPR recommends the application be denied and states, in part, that there is no evidence that the foreign body in the applicant’s left buttock is a piece of shrapnel or when/how...
AF | BCMR | CY2008 | BC-2007-01204
________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFLOA/JAJM recommends the application be denied as untimely. To be awarded the PH, a member must provide documentation to support he or she was wounded as a direct result of enemy action and the wounds must have received medical treatment by medical personnel. ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified that the evidence presented...
AF | BCMR | CY2003 | BC-2002-02527
He was honorably discharged on 6 February 1969, having served eight years on active duty. His DD Form 214 for his second term of active duty reflects the applicant was awarded the Air Force Good Conduct Medal (AFGCM) 1OLC for period 7 February 1964 through 6 February 1967; the Air Force Commendation Medal (AFCM), 17 January 1967; and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVCM). The DPPPR evaluation with attachments is at Exhibit...
AF | BCMR | CY2004 | BC-2003-03192
He was awarded the Purple Heart (PH) on 8 April 1945, for wounds received in the ETO on 24 March 1945. The AFPC/DPPPR evaluation is at Exhibit D. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT’S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: A complete copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant on 19 March 2004 for review and response. The applicant was awarded the PH on 8 April 1945, for wounds he received during a forced aircraft bail out on 24 March 1945.