RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS
IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2007-02384
INDEX CODE: 107.00
XXXXXXX COUNSEL: NONE
HEARING DESIRED: NO
MANDATORY CASE COMPLETION DATE: 2 FEBRUARY 2009
_________________________________________________________________
APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:
His Air Force Commendation Medal (AFCM) be upgraded to the Bronze Star
Medal (BSM).
_________________________________________________________________
APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:
He received the AFCM for his service in Ubon, Thailand from 1971 to
1972. This was his second tour and he was originally cited for the
BSM, but it was downgraded or lost. He was awarded the AFCM for his
permanent change of station (PCS). During that time he was the non-
commissioned officer in charge of the social actions office and was
responsible for a great deal of material and responsibilities. His
supervisor thought his management of men, material and accomplishment
of the mission was worthy of the BSM. He was awarded the AFCM and
believes upgrading the award to the BSM will right an injustice done
to him over 30 years ago.
His complete submission is at Exhibit A.
_________________________________________________________________
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
The applicant enlisted in the Regular Air Force on 9 January 1961.
On 21 September 1978, he was permanently discharged for disability
reasons with an honorable discharge. He served 17 years, 10 months
and 27 days on active duty.
The BSM is awarded to a person in any branch of the military service
who, while serving in any capacity with the Armed Forces of the United
States on or after 7 December 1941, shall have distinguished himself
by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving
participation in aerial flight, in connection with military operations
against an armed enemy.
The award recognizes acts of heroism performed in ground combat if
they are of lesser degree than that required for the Silver Star. It
also recognizes single acts of merit and meritorious service if the
achievement or service is of a lesser degree than that deemed worthy
of the Legion of Merit; but such service must have been accomplished
with distinction.
_________________________________________________________________
AIR FORCE EVALUATION:
AFPC/DPPPR recommends denial. DPPPR states after a thorough review of
the applicant's records, they were unable to locate a recommendation
for the BSM. The applicant did not provide documentation to
substantiate the award for the BSM, such as a recommendation, special
orders, or citation. In addition, DPPPR did not locate the special
orders, citation, or the certificate for the AFCM, although it is
listed in his DD Form 214. All military records require a written
recommendation from a recommendation official within the applicant's
chain of command or someone with firsthand knowledge. The Fiscal Year
1996 National Defense Authorization Act lifted the previous time
limitation on submitting recommendations. Veterans who make a case for
award consideration (or upgrade of a previously awarded decoration)
not previously eligible because of the old time limits may now submit
for award consideration. However, the written recommendation must
meet two criteria. First it must be made by someone, other than the
member himself, in the member's chain of command at the time of the
incident, and who has firsthand knowledge of the acts and
achievements. Secondly, it must be submitted through a congressional
member who can ask a military service to review a proposal for a
decoration based on the merits of the proposal and the award criteria
in existence when the event occurred.
The complete AFPC/DPPPR evaluation is attached at Exhibit C.
_________________________________________________________________
APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:
A copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant on
14 September 2007 for review and comment within 30 days. As of this
date, this office has received no response (Exhibit D).
_________________________________________________________________
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
available evidence and the applicant’s complete submission, we are not
persuaded that his records should be corrected to upgrade his AFCM to
the BSM. Therefore, 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. 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; the
application was denied without a personal appearance; and 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 Docket Number BC-2007-
02384 in Executive Session on 1 November 2007, under the provisions of
AFI 36-2603:
Mr. Michael K. Gallogly, Panel Chair
Ms. Mary C. Puckett, Member
Ms. Debra K. Walker, Member
The following documentary evidence was considered:
Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 16 July 2007.
Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPPPR, dated 20 August 2007.
Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, 14 September 2006.
MICHAEL K. GALLOGLY
Panel Chair
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