RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
             AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS


IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER:  BC-2005-02009
            INDEX CODE:  107.00
            COUNSEL:  None

            HEARING DESIRED:  Yes

MANDATORY CASE COMPLETION DATE:  25 Dec 06

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

His records reflect he was assigned to the 4133 Bomb Wing  (4133  BW),
Provisional, at Anderson AFB, Guam, for the period 17 Jul - 26 Oct 67,
and was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM).

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

On 17 Jul 67, he was assigned to the 4133 BW, Provisional, at Anderson
AFB, Guam.  This Wing was activated in support of the ARC  LIGHT  task
force.  He was assigned to work on the  B-52’s  that  flew  ARC  LIGHT
combat missions over Vietnam, but his records  do  not  reflect  this.
Most of the bombing was aimed at supporting ground troops who were  in
close contact with the enemy.  His record of service while assigned to
the 4133 BW qualifies  him  for  the  VSM  pursuant  to  the  specific
requirements set forth in Department of Defense Manual (DODM) 1348.33.
 A weapon system is of no benefit to  a  combat  commander  if  it  is
sitting on the airfield and not flight worthy.  The B-52s  were  fully
loaded with ordnance ready to fly a combat mission.  Their ability  to
complete a mission depended on the flight crews  and  the  maintenance
personnel.

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

_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The following was extracted from the  DOD  1348.33-Manual,  Manual  of
Military Decorations and Awards:

      The VSM, created on 8 Jul 65, is awarded to all service  members
of the Armed Forces who, between 4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73, served in the
following areas of Southeast  Asia:  in  Vietnam  and  the  contiguous
waters and airspace, in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia  or  the  airspace
thereover, and in direct support of military  operations  in  Vietnam.
The specific eligibility criteria requires a member to be attached  to
or directly serving for one or more  days  with  an  organization,  or
aboard  a  naval  vessel,  directly  supporting  military  operations;
actually participate as a crew member on one or  more  aerial  flights
directly supporting military operations; or serve  on  temporary  duty
(TDY) for 30 consecutive or 60  nonconsecutive  days,  although  these
time limitations may be waived for personnel participating  in  actual
combat operations.

According to information the applicant provided (Exhibit A)  from  the
Air Force History and  the  3rd  Air  Division  (3 AD)  Strategic  Air
Command (SAC) websites, the 3 AD was activated at Anderson AFB,  Guam,
on 18 Jun 54.  Beginning in 1965, the 3 AD became heavily involved  in
ARC  LIGHT,  involving  B-52s  equipped  for  conventional  iron  bomb
operations.  The B-52s were used primarily in  saturation  bombing  of
Viet Cong base areas and later in direct tactical  support  of  ground
troops in close contact with the enemy in Vietnam.  During  1966,  the
ARC LIGHT task force at Anderson AFB operated unofficially as the 4133
BW, Provisional (an unapproved designation applied to cover the people
and planes in the area). On 1 Feb 67, HQ SAC activated the 4133 BW  to
control ARC LIGHT resources.

The applicant entered active duty on 17 Aug 64.  He was assigned as an
instrument repairman to the 3960th Consolidated  Aircraft  Maintenance
Squadron (3960 CAMS) at Anderson AFB, Guam, from 14 Sep 66  to  26 Oct
67.  His training records appear to indicate he worked on the aircraft
used in support of ARC LIGHT.

The applicant was honorably released from active duty in the grade  of
sergeant on 16 Aug 68 after four years of active service (of which one
year and two months qualified as foreign service), and transferred  to
the Reserves.   Effective  16 Aug  70,  the  applicant  was  honorably
discharged from the Air Force Reserve.

On 24 Mar 03, HQ AFPC/DPPRSP advised the applicant by letter that  his
DD Form 214 had been administratively amended to  reflect  receipt  of
the Presidential Unit Citation and  the  Air  Force  Outstanding  Unit
Award.

_________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

HQ AFPC/DPPPR contends the applicant was not directly assigned to  ARC
LIGHT but was a participant in direct support of the  resources  being
used in support of the military operation.  The  applicant’s  training
records show he worked on aircraft that was in support  of  ARC  LIGHT
but did not deploy to the area of operation that would qualify him for
the VSM.  Denial is therefore recommended.

A complete copy of the evaluation is at Exhibit C.
_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The applicant contends the evaluation does not factually  address  his
requests, settling for the all too typical “broad  brush,”  “factually
inaccurate,” and “rubber stamped” staff recommendations that  any  and
all requested relief be denied as a matter  of  course.   The  opinion
inaccurately refers to ARC LIGHT as some “SAC Project.”   The  opinion
concedes the fact that he was assigned to the  3960  CAMS  during  the
time in question.  This organization was under the command and control
of  the  4133  BW  at  that  time.   ARC  LIGHT  missions  continually
prosecuted an aggressive tactical bombing campaign in  direct  support
of US ground forces in South Vietnam between 18 Jun 65 through Apr 70.
 He worked on B-52s directly involved in this bombing campaign and ARC
LIGHT missions.  He equates his involvement with  those  B-52  aircrew
members that received the VSM and cites  six  crew  members  who  were
killed on 10 May 69.  The ARC LIGHT memorial, dedicated at Andrews AFB
on 12 Feb 74, included the names of two enlisted Air Force maintenance
personnel who gave their last full measure for our country  in  direct
support of ARC LIGHT operations.  He therefore  requests  his  records
reflect his assignment to the 4133 BW (Prov),  a  unit  that  directly
supported ground operations in South Vietnam, and his receipt  of  the
VSM.

A complete copy of the applicant’s response, with attachments,  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 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 available records and submission, we are not persuaded his
records should reflect assignment to the 4133 BW and award of the VSM.
 The applicant’s contentions are duly noted; however, we do  not  find
these assertions, in and by  themselves,  sufficiently  persuasive  to
override the evidence of record or the VSM eligibility criteria.   The
3960 CAMS  in  Guam  was  the  immediate  organization  to  which  the
applicant and his rating  chain  were  assigned.   Award  of  the  VSM
requires service in specific areas of Southeast  Asia,  i.e.,  Vietnam
and the contiguous waters and airspace, Thailand, Laos,  Cambodia,  or
the airspace thereover, and in direct support of  military  operations
in Vietnam.  The applicant’s training records indicate  he  maintained
aircraft used in support of ARC  LIGHT.   Whether  this  participation
constituted direct or indirect support can be debated, but he does not
meet the area of operations criteria because he  does  not  appear  to
have been deployed or sent on temporary duty to the  specified  areas.
The applicant was not in the aircraft in the bombing missions over the
qualifying areas, and we find his  equating  his  involvement  in  ARC
LIGHT with that of flight crewmembers killed in bombing missions  over
Southeast  Asia  somewhat  overreaching.   The   applicant   has   not
established to our satisfaction that his records should be changed  as
requested.  However,  our  decision  should  not  be  construed  as  a
diminishment of his outstanding service to  his  country  during  this
period.

4.    The applicant’s case is adequately documented  and  it  has  not
been shown that a personal appearance with  or  without  counsel  will
materially  add  to  our  understanding  of  the  issue(s)   involved.
Therefore, the request for a hearing 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 30 November 2005 under the provisions of AFI  36-
2603:

                 Mr. Thomas S. Markiewicz, Chair
                 Ms. Dorothy P. Loeb, Member
                 Ms. Renee M. Collier, Member

The following documentary evidence relating to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-
2005-02009 was considered:

   Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 7 Jun 05, w/atchs.
   Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
   Exhibit C.  Letter, HQ AFPC/DPPPR, dated 19 Aug 05.
   Exhibit D.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 26 Aug 05.
   Exhibit E.  Letter, Applicant, undated (received 26 Sep 05)
                             w/atchs.




                                   THOMAS S. MARKIEWICZ
                                   Chair