RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
         AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER:  BC-2004-02959
            INDEX CODE:  107.00, 131.00

            COUNSEL:  NONE

            HEARING DESIRED:  NO

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

The award date for his Air Force Commendation Medal (AFCM), Fourth Oak  Leaf
Cluster (4OLC), covering the period 11 January 1999  to  1  March  2001,  be
changed to reflect December 2001.

He receive supplemental  promotion  consideration  for  the  04E7  cycle  to
master sergeant (E-7), with  the  AFCM  (4OLC)  included  in  the  promotion
process.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

As a result of personnel changes in his squadron, the  paperwork  for  award
of the citation fell out of the tracking system and the  package  was  lost.
The recommendation was subsequently processed in August 2004.  Inclusion  of
the AFCM (4OLC) would  have  raised  his  score  (three  points)  above  the
required cutoff for promotion to E-7.

He feels he has been penalized for errors beyond his span of  control.   His
former superiors have now rectified the mistake and he has been awarded  the
AFCM for his service at Shaw AFB as was always intended.  Inclusion of  this
medal into his record for the dates indicated will allow him to receive  the
promotion he earned and finally put this oversight to rest.

In  support  of  his  request,  applicant  submits  a  personal   statement,
statements from his former  superiors,  a  timeline  of  events,  copies  of
Special  Order  (GS-196),  the  AFCM  (4OLC)  citation  and   his   Enlisted
Performance Reports (EPRs), closing 15 November 1999 and 15  November  2000.
The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A.

_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant is currently serving on active duty in the grade of  technical
sergeant (E-6), with an effective date and date of rank of 1 December 1999.

Information extracted from applicant’s submission  reveals  he  was  awarded
the AFCM  (4OLC)  by  Special  Order  G  196,  dated  18  August  2004,  for
meritorious service  as  an  Operations  Noncommissioned  Officer,  numbered
Recruiting Squadron, Shaw AFB, from 11 January 1999 to 1 March 2001.

The special order awarding the medal under review reflects the  Request  for
Decoration Printout (RDP) date as 16 July  2004.   Applicant’s  response  to
the advisory opinion (Exhibit E) reveals an amended  order,  G-30,  dated  2
November 2004, changing the RDP date from 16 July 2004 to 15 December 2001.

_________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

HQ AFPC/DPPPWB recommends the application  be  denied.   DPPPWB  states  the
applicant’s total weighted promotion score for cycle  04E7  was  345.58  and
the score required for selection in his Control  Air  Force  Specialty  Code
(CAFSC) was 346.74.  If the decoration (worth three points)  is  counted  in
the applicant’s total score,  he  would  become  a  selectee  for  promotion
pending a favorable data verification check and the  recommendation  of  his
commander.  Promotion selections for this cycle were made on 17 June 2004.

DPPPWB indicates current Air Force promotion policy dictates that  before  a
decoration is credited for a specific promotion cycle, the  close  out  date
of the decoration must be on or  before  the  Promotion  Eligibility  Cutoff
Date (PECD), and the date of the DÉCOR-6, Request  for  Decoration  Printout
(RDP), must be before the date of selections  for  the  cycle  in  question.
The PECD for the cycle in question was 31 December  2003.   In  addition,  a
decoration that a member claims was lost, downgraded, etc.,  must  be  fully
documented and verified that it was placed into official channels  prior  to
the selection date.

As evidenced by the  special  order  awarding  the  applicant’s  AFCM,  this
decoration does not meet the criteria for promotion credit during  the  04E7
cycle because the RDP date is 6 July 2004--after selections were made on  17
June 2004 for the 04E7 cycle.  DPPPWB states  there  is  no  indication  the
award package was placed into official channels  until  16  July  2004  (RDP
date), which was after promotions for the  04E7  cycle  were  announced  (17
June 2004) and the applicant became aware he missed promotion by  less  than
three points.   The  applicant  was  instructed  to  request  administrative
relief through his chain of command.   However,  even  if  this  request  is
approved at  that  level,  this  change  would  still  not  entitle  him  to
supplemental promotion consideration for the 04E7
cycle as the change would be done after the fact--after 17  June  2004,  the
date promotion selections were accomplished.

The HQ AFPC/DPPPWB evaluation is at Exhibit B.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

He indicates that he has  provided  statements  from  the  four  individuals
involved in the processing of his decoration and they have acknowledged  the
decoration was lost.  In acknowledging the decoration was lost,  his  former
group commander (Colonel Kirk) has adjusted the RDP date of the  Décor-6  to
reflect 15 December 2001.  The four letters of support  from  his  superiors
all agree the decoration was originally initiated and processed in  December
2001, before being subsequently lost.  They have done their respective  part
in rectifying the situation and he has been awarded the overdue  decoration.
 In addition, he followed up with the squadron several  times  in  2002  and
was told the medal was being worked and should  be  awarded  soon.   He  has
shown that it was the intention of his commanders  that  he  be  awarded  an
AFCM in 2001.  This is not an “after the fact” decoration, but a  decoration
that should have been awarded in December 2001.  This decoration was  always
intended by his superiors to be part of his personnel  record  and,  if  not
for an administrative error, it would have been  entered  into  his  records
and he would have been selected for promotion for cycle 04E7.

In support of his request, applicant submits a  copy  of  a  Memorandum  for
Record from his former commander amending the DÉCOR-6 date, a  copy  of  the
order amending the RDP  date  (Order  G-30),  dated  2  November  2004,  and
duplicate copies of documents submitted with  his  initial  application.   A
complete copy of this response, with attachments, is at Exhibit D.

_________________________________________________________________

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  an  injustice.   Based  on  the  evidence  presented,  we  are
persuaded that the submission of the recommendation for  the  award  of  the
AFCM (4OLC) was entered into official channels prior to the  selections  for
promotion to the grade of master sergeant were made, but was  not  acted  on
through loss or inadvertence.  Through no fault of his own,  the  processing
of the AFCM (4OLC) exceeded the Request for Decoration Printout  (RDP)  date
for the 04E7 promotion cycle and the release date.  In this regard, we  took
particular note of the detailed statements from  his  former  superiors  and
administrative  assistant  expressing  their  intent   and   detailing   the
circumstances that transpired in the processing of the  decoration  package.
In addition, subsequent to award of the  decoration,  applicant’s  commander
amended the DÉCOR 6, Request for Decoration Printout (RDP), date to  reflect
the time the applicant’s decoration should  have  been  presented,  December
2001.  Due to an  administrative  oversight,  his  commander  indicated  the
DÉCOR 6 was not available at the time the  medal  was  awarded.   Having  no
basis to question the integrity of these individuals, we do not believe  the
applicant should suffer the consequences of any administrative  error  which
may have occurred during the  processing  of  the  award.   Accordingly,  we
recommend that the applicant  be  afforded  supplemental  consideration  for
promotion for cycle 04E7, with inclusion of the AFCM (4OLC).

_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT:

The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air  Force  relating
to APPLICANT be corrected to show that  the  Recommendation  for  Decoration
Printout (RDP) (DÉCOR-6) date, for  award  of  the  Air  Force  Commendation
Medal, Fourth Oak Leaf Cluster, covering the period  11 January  1999  to  1
March 2001, was 15 December 2001, rather than 16 July  2004;  and,  that  he
was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal, Fourth Oak Leaf Cluster, on  5
January 2002, rather than 18 August 2004.

It is further recommended that he  be  provided  supplemental  consideration
for promotion to the grade of master sergeant for  all  appropriate  cycles,
beginning with cycle 04E7.

If AFPC discovers any adverse factors during or subsequent  to  supplemental
consideration that are separate and  apart,  and  unrelated  to  the  issues
involved in  this  application,  that  would  have  rendered  the  applicant
ineligible for the  promotion,  such  information  will  be  documented  and
presented to the  board  for  a  final  determination  on  the  individual's
qualification for the promotion.

_________________________________________________________________

The following members of the Board considered this application in  Executive
Session on 6 January 2005, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

                  Mr. Thomas S. Markiewicz, Chair
                  Ms. Deborah A. Erickson, Member
              Mr. James W. Russell III, Member

All members voted to correct the records,  as  recommended.   The  following
documentary evidence was considered in connection with AFBCMR Docket  Number
BC-2004-02959.

   Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 10 Sep 04, w/atchs.
   Exhibit B.  Letter, HQ AFPC/DPPPWB, dated 7 Oct 04.
   Exhibit C.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 22 Oct 04.
   Exhibit D.  Letter from Applicant, undated, w/atchs.




                                   THOMAS S. MARKIEWICZ
                                   Chair




AFBCMR BC-2004-02959





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 that the Recommendation for
Decoration Printout (RDP) (DÉCOR-6) date, for award of the Air Force
Commendation Medal, Fourth Oak Leaf Cluster, covering the period 11 January
1999 to 1 March 2001, was 15 December 2001, rather than 16 July 2004; and,
that he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal, Fourth Oak Leaf
Cluster, on 5 January 2002, rather than 18 August 2004.

      It is further directed that he be provided supplemental consideration
for promotion to the grade of master sergeant for all appropriate cycles,
beginning with cycle 04E7.

      If AFPC discovers any adverse factors during or subsequent to
supplemental consideration that are separate and apart, and unrelated to
the issues involved in this application, that would have rendered the
applicant ineligible for the promotion, such information will be documented
and presented to the board for a final determination on the individual's
qualification for the promotion.






            JOE G. LINEBERGER
                                        Director
                                        Air Force Review Boards Agency