RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
             AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:                       DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2004-03594
                                       INDEX CODE:  131.03
      XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX                  COUNSEL: NONE

      XXXXXXXXX                         HEARING DESIRED:  NO


MANDATORY CASE COMPLETION DATE:  27 May 2006


______________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

His  records  be  reconsidered  by  a  Special  Selection  Board  (SSB)  for
promotion to lieutenant colonel with the academic information masked on  his
Officer Selection Brief (OSB).

______________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

The practice of scoring records without master’s degrees  as  below  average
indicates boards are not scoring records based on merit.  His  assertion  is
supported by an email sent out by the 99th Air Base  Wing  (ABW)  Commander,
which states, “Despite recent changes with Professional  Military  Education
(PME), no PME/no  master’s  degree  equals  a  below  average  record.”  His
achievement  is  not  shown  in  his  records   because   he   completed   a
certification  as  a  Microsoft  Certified  Systems   Administrator   versus
completing a master’s degree.

In support of his application, the applicant provides a  copy  of  the  99th
ABW Commander’s email, subject:  CY04B Central Lt Col Board “Nuggets.”   The
applicant’s complete submission, with attachment, is at Exhibit A.

______________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

According to the military personnel data system, the applicant is  currently
serving on active duty with a Total Active Federal Military Service Date  of
10 April 1989 and a projected date of separation  of  30  April  2009.   His
current grade is major with an effective date and a date of rank of 1  April
2000.  The following is a resume of the applicant’s performance ratings:

      PERIOD ENDING                     OVERALL EVALUATION

      28 Sep 94 (Capt)                        MS
      28 Sep 95                                    MS
      23 Feb 96                    Training Report (TR)
       4 Nov 96                                    MS
       4 Nov 97                                    MS
       4 Nov 98                                    MS
       4 Nov 99                                    MS
      12 Jan 01 (Major)                            MS
      12 Jan 02                                    MS
      12 Jan 03                                    MS
      12 Jan 04                                    MS


The applicant was considered and nonselected for promotion to the  grade  of
lieutenant colonel  by  the  CY03A  and  CY04B  Lieutenant  Colonel  Central
Selection Boards (CSBs), which convened on 8 July 2003  and  12  July  2004,
respectively.  He also met an SSB on 24 May 2004 for reconsideration by  the
CY03A CSB with a corrected duty title on his OSB.

______________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

AFPC/DPPPO   recommends   denying   the   applicant’s   request   for    SSB
consideration.  DPPPO states that the Air Force only masks  advanced  degree
levels for Line of the Air Force officers meeting a promotion board  to  the
grade of major as indicated in Military Personnel Flight  Memorandum  (MPFM)
03-09, dated 7 February 2003.  While the  CY03A  MOI  instructed  the  board
members not to consider academics/PME as a pass/fail requirement or give  it
disproportionate weight; it does not discount  academics  as  a  factor  for
board members to consider all together.  The MOI stresses the “whole-person-
concept”   which   includes   job   performance,   professional   qualities,
leadership,  depth  and   breadth   of   experience,   job   responsibility,
academic/PME, and specific achievements.   Indisputably,  board  members  do
assess academics and PME of all competing officers as factors  in  terms  of
how they enhance performance and potential, as well as,  contribute  to  the
mission and effectiveness of the Air Force.  It is DPPPO’s opinion to  grant
the applicant an SSB  with  the  academic  information  masked  on  the  OSB
clearly deviates from regulatory guidelines set forth by  the  Secretary  of
the Air Force under the current promotion selection board process.

DPPPO states that even though  the  applicant’s  OSB  did  not  reflect  his
certification as a Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator,  he  wrote  to
the original CY03A CSB and the SSB that convened on 24 May 2004  referencing
his computer accomplishments for the board’s  information  when  considering
him for promotion.

It is DPPPO’s opinion that the applicant’s  nonselection  for  promotion  to
lieutenant colonel was not a result of material  error  or  injustice.   The
DPPPO evaluation, with attachments, is at Exhibit C.

______________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

He disagrees with the opinion of the Air Force Advisor.  The Memorandum of
Instruction (MOI) recited to  the  promotion  board  members  specifically
instructs them to not consider academics/professional  military  education
as a pass/fail requirement or give  it  disproportionate  weight.   It  is
clear from the comments made by the 99th ABW Commander in his  email  that
board members are not scoring records based on merit or the  whole  person
concept.  Therefore, to avoid the automatic scoring of his record as below
average due to lack of a master’s degree, he  requests  SSB  consideration
with the advanced academic degree  information  masked.   A  copy  of  the
applicant’s rebuttal is at Exhibit E.

______________________________________________________________

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.  The applicant has  requested  SSB
consideration with the academic information masked on his OSB.  As noted  by
the Air Force Office of Primary  Responsibility,  the  MOI  recited  to  the
CY03A  board  members  specifically  instructed   them   to   not   consider
academics/professional military education  as  a  pass-fail  requirement  or
give it disproportionate weight.  At the same  time  the  MOI  stresses  the
“whole person concept” which  includes  such  factors  as  job  performance,
professional qualities, leadership, depth and  breadth  of  experience,  job
responsibility, specific  achievements,  and  academic/PME.   We  note  that
while the applicant’s OSB did not reflect his  achievement  of  obtaining  a
computer certification, the applicant did write to the CY03A Lt Col  CSB  to
inform them of his academic accomplishments.  In view of this fact, we  feel
the selection board  had  the  necessary  information  needed  for  them  to
determine his promotability in relation to his peers.  Therefore,  we  agree
with the opinions and recommendations 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.
Accordingly, the applicant’s request is not favorably considered.

__________________________________________________________________

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 this application in  Executive
Session on 22 June 2005, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

            Mr. Frederick R. Beaman III, Panel Chair
            Ms. B. J. White-Olson, Member
            Mr. James W. Russell III, Member

The following documentary evidence for AFBCMR  Docket  Number  BC-2004-03594
was considered:

      Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 5 Nov 04, with atchs.
      Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
      Exhibit C.  Letter, AFPC/DPPPO, dated 6 Jan 05, with atchs.
      Exhibit D.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 14 Jan 05.
      Exhibit E.  Applicant’s Rebuttal, dated 25 Jan 05.




                             FREDERICK R. BEAMAN III
                                             Panel Chair