RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

 AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 

IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2011-01247 

 

 COUNSEL: NONE 

 

 HEARING DESIRED: NO 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

THE APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 

 

He receive credit for his service in the Republic of Vietnam. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

THE APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 

 

He served in Thailand and Vietnam; however, his orders and 
record copies reflecting his service from 1966 through 1977 are 
missing. 

 

He entered the Air Force in 1966 and was discharged in 1970. 
While stationed at Clark Air Base, PI, as a jet aircraft 
mechanic, he was responsible for maintaining flight aid to every 
base in Southeast Asia (SEA). He staged out flights from 
several bases in Thailand and Vietnam, mostly out of Saigon and 
Cameron Bay. He was on duty at Cameron Bay from 20 Jul – 
14 Aug 70. He believes his symptoms are a result of contact 
with Agent Orange. 

 

In support of his appeal, the applicant provides a personal 
statement; a copy of his DD Form 214, Report of Transfer or 
Discharge, issued in conjunction with his 28 Aug 70 discharge; 
an extract of an airman performance report (APR); a statement 
from a former servicemember, dated 21 Jul 09, with a copy of his 
DD Form 214, and additional extracts from his Master Personnel 
Record (MPR). 

 

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

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

STATEMENT OF FACTS: 

 

The applicant enlisted in the Regular Air Force, on 30 Aug 66, 
for a period of four years. He was honorably discharged, on 
28 Aug 70, with a reason for separation of early out for school. 
He was credited with 3 years, 11 months, and 29 days of active 
duty service, including 11 months and 20 days of foreign 
service. 


 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

THE AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial since the information provided and 
the MPR did not contain information that reflects the applicant 
served in Vietnam. 

 

In addition, they noted that they were able to verify and 
confirm “boots on ground” for foreign service at Clark AB, 
Republic of the Philippines, from 9 Sep 69 – 28 Aug 70, for 
11 months and 20 days. However, although the applicant’s APR 
indicates deployments to SEA, it did not specifically reflect 
the Republic of Vietnam. 

 

The complete AFPC/DPAPP evaluation is at Exhibit C. 

 

AFPC/DPSIDR recommends denial, stating, in part, after a 
complete review of the applicant’s case and considering the 
evidence, there was not enough evidence to substantiate that the 
applicant was present in the Area of Eligibility (AOE) for the 
30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days of temporary duty 
(TDY) to qualify for the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). 

 

The VSM was awarded to all service members of the Armed Forces 
who between 4 July 1965 and 28 March 1973, served in the 
following areas of Southeast Asia: in Vietnam and the contiguous 
waters and airspace, or in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the 
airspace thereof and in direct support of military operations in 
Vietnam. The service member had to be attached to or regularly 
serve for one or more days with an organization participating in 
or directly supporting military operations, or serve on 
temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive 
days in Vietnam or contiguous areas. 

 

The applicant has supplied a letter from a former servicemember 
attesting that he had two 18 day TDYs to Vietnam. His 
performance report dated 5 August 1970 includes the statement 
that the applicant had TDY deployments to Southeast Asia, but 
does not mention Vietnam. 

 

There is no official documentation corroborating the applicant's 
claim. There is no proof the applicant had the 30 consecutive 
or 60 non-consecutive days of TDY assignments required to 
entitle him the VSM. Therefore, the applicant is not eligible 
for award of the VSM. If the two alleged 18 day TDYs that the 
former servicemember attests to are accepted, the applicant 
would still need 24 days to meet the 60 day requirement for non-
consecutive TDYs. 

 

The complete AFPC/DPSIDR evaluation is at Exhibit D. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 


 

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF THE AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

Copies of the Air Force evaluations were forwarded to the 
applicant on 24 Jun 11 for review and comment within 30 days. 
As of this date, no response has been received by this office 
(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. 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. Should the applicant be able to provide 
additional evidence to substantiate his claim, e.g., a completed 
travel voucher, we would be inclined to reconsider his appeal. 
In view of the above and 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 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 AFBCMR Docket 
Number BC-2011-01247 in Executive Session on 22 September 2011, 
under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: 

 

The following documentary evidence was considered: 

 

 Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 31 Mar 11, w/atchs. 

 Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. 

 Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 7 Jun 11. 


 Exhibit D. Letter, AFPC/DPSIDR, dated 14 Jun 11. 

 Exhibit E. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 24 Jun 11. 

 

 

 

 

 Panel Chair