RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 

IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBERS: BC-2010-04351 

COUNSEL: NONE 

 HEARING DESIRED: NO 

 

_________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 

 

His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of 
Transfer or Discharge, be corrected to reflect: 

 

1. His service in Thailand in direct support of Vietnam –
Administratively corrected. 

 

2. Award of the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC). 

 

3. Award of the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor 
(AFOUA w/V). 

 

4. Award of the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (SAEMR). 

 

5. Award of the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) – Administratively 
corrected. 

 

6. Award of the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm 
(RVNGC w/P) – Administratively corrected. 

 

In addition, he requests replacement/initial issue of the Air 
Force Good Conduct Medal (AFGCM) and the National Defense Service 
Medal (NDSM). 

_________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 

 

He served on temporary duty (TDY) in Thailand from 24 August 1972 
to 4 October 1972. Award of the PUC, AFOUA w/V, and the SAEMR 
are missing from his DD Form 214. 

 

In support of his appeal, the applicant provides two personal 
statements and copies of his DD Form 214, TDY orders, promotion 
order, Reserve Discharge Order, National Personnel Records Center 
(NPRC) correspondence, electronic communications, Army and Air 
Force Exchange Service (AAFES) Sales Slips, excerpts of unit 
histories, and a picture of his award ribbons. 

 

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

 

_________________________________________________________________ 

 


STATEMENT OF FACTS: 

 

The applicant is a former member of the Regular Air Force who 
entered active duty on 9 June 1969 in the grade of airman basic. 
He served as a Munitions Maintenance Specialist and was 
progressively promoted to the grade of staff sergeant (E-5) with 
a date of rank of 1 November 1972. He was honorably discharged 
effective 20 April 1973. He served 3 years, 10 months, and 
11 days on active duty. His DD Form 214 indicates he was awarded 
the NDSM and AFGCM. 

 

On 15 December 2010, AFPC/DPAPP, wrote the applicant stating they 
were able to verify his “boots on the ground” foreign service 
time at Takhli Air Base, Thailand, from 24 August 1972 to 
4 October 1972, for a period of 1 month and 10 days. However, 
while his DD Form 214 will be corrected to reflect his foreign 
service, Block 30 of his DD Form 214, will not change from 
“Vietnam, Korea, OR Indochina-No” since a member must have been 
assigned to one of these locations as permanent party and not in 
a TDY status. 

 

On 11 January 2011, AFPC/DPSIDR wrote the applicant stating they 
were able to verify his entitlement for award of the VSM with one 
Bronze Service Star and the RVNGC w/P while serving with the 
366th Munitions Maintenance Squadron, Takhli Air Base, Thailand, 
from 24 August 1972 to 4 October 1972; and, that his record would 
be corrected to reflect these awards. 

 

_________________________________________________________________ 

 

AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

AFPC/DPSIDR recommends denial of the applicant’s request for the 
PUC, AFOUA, and SAEMR. DPSIDR states that neither the 49th 
Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) nor the 366th TFW, Takhil Air Base, 
Thailand, were awarded the PUC during the applicant’s period of 
TDY; therefore, rendering him ineligible for award of the PUC. 

 

The 49th TFW was awarded the AFOUA w/V by the Department of the 
Air Force for meritorious service between 5 May 1972 and 
6 October 1972; however, the applicant provided documentation 
from the Post Office indicating he was assigned to the 366th 
Munitions Maintenance Squadron which fell under the parent unit 
of the 366th TFW. 

 

DPSIDR indicates the applicant states he was awarded the SAEMR; 
however, no source document was provided or located in his 
official military record; therefore, rendering him ineligible for 
award of the SAEMR. 

 

The complete AFPC/DPSIDR evaluation is at Exhibit C. 

 

_________________________________________________________________ 


 

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

He provides Unit Fact Sheets from the Air Force Historical 
Research Agency (AFHRA) indicating some units he was affiliated 
with that received some of the awards he is seeking. However, he 
does not know how “official” the AFHRA is or isn’t when it comes 
to proof of awards. He knows some decorations were shared by 
units; however, without having access to the appropriate orders, 
he cannot tell which awards were shared by which units. In his 
case, there are two separate incidents involving three of his 
decorations, in which records were not kept properly. He 
currently has four decorations and has had them for 40 years. He 
would like all of his decorations to be official; however, he 
shouldn’t be penalized by taking away awards that he has had for 
40 years. 

 

The applicant’s complete rebuttal, 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 in regards to the 
applicant’s request for award of the AFOUA w/V, PUC, and the 
SAEMR. We note that according to Air Force Pamphlet 900-2, 
Volume II, the 366th TFW and the 366th MMS was awarded the AFOUA 
w/V and the PUC for the period 2 August 1970 to 31 March 1972 and 
1 April 1972 to 26 June 1972 respectively; however, we find no 
evidence to indicate the applicant was assigned to either unit 
during the indicated award timeframes. In addition, we find no 
evidence to confirm the applicant was awarded the SAEMR. 
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. Therefore, in the 
absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no 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; that 


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 AFBCMR Docket 
Number BC-2010-04351 in Executive Session on 28 July 2011, under 
the provisions of AFI 36-2603: 

 

 , Chair 

 , Member 

 , Member 

 

The following documentary evidence was considered in connection 
with AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2010-04351: 

 

 Exhibit A. DD Forms 149, dated 4 Nov 10, w/atchs. 

 Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. 

 Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSIDR, dated 11 Jan 11. 

 Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 28 Jan 11. 

 Exhibit E. Letter, Applicant, dated 14 Feb 11, w/atchs. 

 

 

 

 

 
Chair