RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
             AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:                       DOCKET NUMBER:  BC-2007-02201
                                             INDEX CODE:  107.00
      XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX                COUNSEL:  NONE

                                             HEARING DESIRED:  NO

________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

His  records  be  corrected  to  reflect  entitlement  to  the   Air   Force
Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device and 3 Oak Leaf Clusters (AFOUA w/V  &
3OLC), Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVNCM), the  Combat  Crew  Member
Badge,  Enlisted  Aircrew  Wings,  and  to  show  Vietnam  service  from  30
September 1971 through 22 June 1973.

________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

He is entitled to these awards for his  participation  in  Vietnam  from  30
September 1971 to 22 June 1973.   In  his  attempt  to  become  involved  in
Vietnam Veteran’s activities, he is being denied participation since his  DD
Form 214 does not reflect his Vietnam service.

In support of his appeal, he has provided copies of an unsigned letter  from
his commander specifying dates  and  combat  flight  dates  of  his  Vietnam
service, a flight records summary indicating total combat flight hours,  his
first Air Medal (AM) citation, SO GA-19 awarding him the AM w/3OLC, and  his
DD Form 214.

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

________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant entered the Regular Air Force on 25 July 1969, and  served  as
a voice processing  specialist  and  airborne  voice  processing  specialist
until being released from active duty on 23 July 1973.  He was  assigned  to
the 6990th Security Group (SG), Kadena AB, Okinawa, from  9  September  1971
to 22 July 1973.  During this period, he possessed a  Top  Secret  Clearance
and flew some missions into Southeast Asia, to include Vietnam.

The applicant’s Master Personnel Records already reflect entitlement to  the
SAEMR, and AFPC/DPSIDR has confirmed his entitlement, while assigned to  the
6990th SG, to the AM with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, the  Vietnam  Service  Medal,
the  Air  Force  Longevity  Service  Award,  and  the  Republic  of  Vietnam
Gallantry Cross with Palm, and has taken action to correct his records.

The AFOUA is awarded by the Secretary of the Air  Force  to  military  units
that distinguish themselves during peacetime or in  action  against  hostile
forces of an armed enemy of the U.S.  It is restricted to  recognizing  acts
or services that place the unit’s performance significantly  above  that  of
other units of similar composition  and  mission  responsibility,  and  only
10 percent of  similar  units  assigned  to  each  command  are  recommended
annually.  Subordinate units/activities do not  automatically  share  in  an
award with the  parent  unit  or  organization,  and  must  be  specifically
identified in the parent organization’s  nomination.    The  “V”  device  is
only awarded if the award is  for  outstanding  achievement  or  meritorious
service in a combat area.

The RVNCM is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the U.S.  who  served
for six months in South Vietnam during the period 1 March 1961 to  28  March
1973, or served  outside  the  geographical  limits  of  South  Vietnam  and
contributed direct combat support to the RVN Armed Forces for  an  aggregate
of six months.  Only members of the U.S. Armed Forces who meet the  criteria
established for the VSM or  the  Air  Force  Expeditionary  Medal  (Vietnam)
during the period of service required are  considered  to  have  contributed
direct combat support to the RVN Armed Forces.  It may be awarded  to  those
members who did not complete the required length of service but who,  during
wartime, were wounded by the enemy in a military  action,  captured  by  the
enemy during action or in the line of duty, but later released  or  rescued,
or killed in action or in the line of duty.   It  may  also  be  awarded  to
those members who were assigned in Vietnam  on  28  January  1973,  and  who
served a minimum of 60  calendar  days  in  Vietnam  during  the  period  29
January 1973 to 28 March 1973.

During the applicant’s period of service, the Combat Readiness  Medal  (CRM)
was awarded to members completing an aggregate of three years  of  sustained
professional performance as an Air Force combat  ready  aircrew  or  missile
launch crewmember assigned to an operational  unit  subject  to  the  Combat
Readiness Rating System, or as a  weapons  director,  aircraft  control  and
warning operator, technician,  or   superintendent,  an  electronic  warfare
countermeasure  technician,  an  Aerospace  Rescue  and   Recovery   Service
helicopter aircrew member, or as a member of a combat control team.   During
this period, the member must have been certified as combat or mission  ready
according to Air Force and  major  command  qualification  criteria  by  the
appropriate wing commander or commander of a group not reporting to a  wing,
and be serving in a qualifying position.  Additionally, AFM 900-3, dated  20
January 1972, paragraph 10-4, Combat Crew Member Badge, stated in  paragraph
10-4e(2) that a reassignment from  combat  crew  status  will  automatically
terminate a person’s  authority  to  wear  the  badge.   Paragraph  10-4e(3)
stated that a person’s eligibility to wear this badge will  not  be  entered
on personnel records because paragraph 10-4e(3)(b) stated  the  Combat  Crew
Member Badge is not awarded permanently.

________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

AFPC/DPSI recommends denial of the award of  the  Combat  Crewmember  Badge.
The Combat Crewmember Badge was established by the Air Force on 1  September
1964, and worn by those personnel serving in positions in  which  they  were
accruing creditable service towards the CRM.  The  Combat  Crewmember  Badge
was a qualification badge,  not  a  medal,  and  the  documentation  in  the
applicant’s record does not document training or qualification for the  CRM;
therefore, the Combat Crewmember Badge was not awarded at the  time  of  his
discharge.

The AFPC/DPSI evaluation is at Exhibit C.

AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial of the applicant’s request  to  change  his  DD
Form  214  to  reflect  credit  for  service  in  Vietnam.   There   is   no
documentation in his Master  Personnel  Record  to  show  that  he  actually
landed in Vietnam, or that shows a specific place and time that  he  was  on
the ground in Vietnam.

The AFPC/DPAAP evaluation is at Exhibit D.

AFPC/DPSIDR recommends disapproval of the applicant’s request for  award  of
the AFOUA w/V and  additional  OLCs,  and  the  RVNCM.   Applicant’s  Master
Personnel Records do not contain, and he  has  not  provided,  documentation
showing that he was assigned or attached  to  a  unit  in  the  Republic  of
Vietnam for at least a 6-month period, or that he was  assigned  to  a  unit
that earned the AFOUA w/V.

The AFPC/DPSIDR evaluation is at Exhibit E.

________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

During his  tenure,  the  6990th  Security  Squadron  was  attached  to  the
National Security Agency vice  any  U.S.  military  unit  in  Vietnam.   The
6990th was assigned to the 376th  Strategic  Wing  which  flew  the  RC-135M
aircraft operational platform based out  of  Kadena  AB,  Okinawa.   He  and
countless others who passed through  the  6990th,  question  the  heretofore
unvoiced contention that one had to  be  attached  directly  to  a  unit  in
Vietnam.  Of the  millions  of  Vietnam  veterans  who  passed  through  the
theater of combat operations, a countless number of them  (particularly  Air
Force and Navy personnel) never physically set foot on Vietnamese soil,  yet
flew combat sorties and their records reflect Vietnam service.

He can only offer anecdotal evidence of support he set foot “on the  ground”
in Vietnam.  He provided flight records indicating  missions  flown  on  EC-
121s while TDY with Air Defense  Command  at  Korat  RTAB.   These  missions
landed at Da Nang AB daily while engaged in direct combat operations  during
the Linebacker I bombing campaign.  Unfortunately, he was not provided  with
a copy of his TDY orders for this highly classified secret mission.

While he has no evidence of support  regarding  his  qualification  for  the
Combat  Crew  Badge,  he  can  only  offer  that  flight  crew  members  who
participated in Combat Apple operations were granted this  qualification  by
the commanding staff and proudly wore the badge.  This is further  supported
by the information he obtained through the 6990th veterans organization  and
there seems to be a conflict of opinion regarding this matter.

His assignment with the 6990th was from 9 September  1971  to  23 July  1973
(vice 6 December  1972)  which  also  included  missions  flown  during  the
Linebacker II Christmas bombing campaign and numerous  missions  thereafter.


He has no direct evidence and can only offer the AFOUA w/V was  conveyed  by
the 6990th and worn by members of the unit.  In regards to  the  RVNCM,  his
and members of the 6990th veterans organization research indicates that  all
who served with the 6990th during the  Vietnam  Conflict  qualify  for  this
medal.  Their research indicates it is awarded to “…all personnel  who  meet
one of the following requirements…served outside the geographical limits  of
the Republic of  Vietnam  and  contributed  direct  combat  support  to  the
Republic of Vietnam and armed  forces  for  six  months…must  meet  criteria
established for…the Vietnam Service Medal.”

It is not his intent or purpose to make any false claims of service  to  his
country, but rather to clarify for the record his actual  participation  and
involvement while serving with the USAF Security Service  in  the  Southeast
Asian Theatre of Operations, which  personally  includes  100-plus  missions
and 1,718.3 combat flights hours through 11 July 1973.  He and  all  of  his
fellow comrades in the 6990th were certainly “in Vietnam.”

His personal research into military awards and decorations seems  to  be  in
concurrence with  fellow  veterans  who  have  also  experienced  and  later
researched  inaccuracies  in  their  military  personnel  records.   At  the
present time,  some  of  his  arguments  are  certainly  anecdotal,  and  he
therefore requests a grant  of  extension  of  time  until  he  can  provide
further evidence of support based upon the findings of other individuals.

The applicant’s complete response, with attachments, is at Exhibit G.

On 29 February 2008, the applicant was advised that in order to comply  with
a statutory mandate to  process  all  applications  in  a  more  expeditious
manner, extensions of time in which  to  respond  to  advisory  opinions  or
submit additional matters  in  support  of  his  application  could  not  be
honored.  He was further advised if he needed more time,  he  could  request
that his case be administratively closed until such time as he was  able  to
proceed, and if no response was received within 30 days, his case  would  be
processed for presentation to the Board.  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.  Sufficient relevant evidence  has  been  presented  to  demonstrate  the
existence of probable error or injustice to warrant awarding  the  applicant
the  RVNCM.   His  records  were  administratively  corrected   to   reflect
entitlement to the VSM, and evidence  has  been  presented  that  he  served
outside the geographical limits of  South  Vietnam  and  contributed  direct
combat support to the RVN for an aggregate of  six  months.   Therefore,  we
recommend his records be corrected to the extent indicated below.

4.  Insufficient relevant evidence has been  presented  to  demonstrate  the
existence of either an error or injustice to  warrant  favorable  action  on
the applicant’s request for award of the  AFOUA  w/V  &  3OLC,  Combat  Crew
Member Badge, Enlisted Aircrew Wings, or to correct his DD Form 214 to  show
Vietnam service from 30 September  1971  through  22  June  1973.   We  took
notice of the applicant's complete submission in judging the merits  of  the
case; however, we agree with the opinions and  recommendations  of  the  Air
Force offices 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 RECOMMENDS THAT:

The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air  Force  relating
to APPLICANT be corrected to show that  the  DD  Form  214,  Certificate  of
Release or Discharge from the Armed Forces, issued in conjunction  with  his
23 July 1973 release from active duty, be amended in Item  24,  Decorations,
Medals, Badges, Commendations, Citations, and Campaign  Ribbons  Awarded  or
Authorized, to include the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

________________________________________________________________

The following members of the Board considered  Docket  Number  BC-2007-02201
in Executive Session on 14 May 2008, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

                       Mr. James W. Russell, III, Panel Chair
                       Ms. Patricia R. Collins, Member
                       Mr. Steven A. Cantrell, Member

The following documentary evidence was considered:

    Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 2 Jul 07, w/atchs.
    Exhibit B.  Applicant's Available Master Personnel Records.
    Exhibit C.  Letter, AFPC/DPSI, undated.
    Exhibit D.  Letter, AFPC.DPAPP, dated 19 Oct 07.
    Exhibit E.  Letter, AFPC/DPSIDR, dated 31 Dec 07
    Exhibit F.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 25 Jan 08.
    Exhibit G.  Letter, Applicant, dated 13 Feb 08, w/atchs.
    Exhibit H.  Letter, AFBCMR, dated 29 Feb 08.




                                   JAMES W. RUSSELL, III
                                   Panel Chair



AFBCMR 2007-02201








MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF


                 Under the authority of Section 1552, Title 10, United
States Code and Air Force Instruction 36-2603, and having assured
compliance with the provisions of the above regulation, the decision of the
Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records is announced, and it is
directed that:


                       The pertinent military records of the Department of
the Air Force relating to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, be corrected to show that
the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from the Armed Forces,
issued in conjunction with his 23 July 1973 release from active duty, be,
and hereby is, amended in Item 24, Decorations, Medals, Badges,
Commendations, Citations, and Campaign Ribbons Awarded or Authorized, to
include the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.








  JOE G. LINEBERGER

  Director

  Air Force Review Boards Agency