RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 

 

IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2011-05113 

 

 COUNSEL: NONE 

 

 HEARING DESIRED: NO 

 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 

 

His records be corrected to reflect he was awarded the 
following: 

 

1. Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). 

 

2. Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVCM). 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 

 

His DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of 
Transfer or Discharge, does not reflect his VSM or VCM. He 
discovered this omission when he applied for his VA benefits. 

 

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

 

_________________ ______________________________________________ 

 

STATEMENT OF FACTS: 

 

The applicant’s military personnel records indicate that he 
enlisted in the Regular Air Force on 10 Jun 66 and served on 
active duty until 9 Apr 70, when he was honorably discharged at 
the expiration of his term of service and was credited with 
three years and ten months of total active service. 

 

According to a 13 Mar 70 Flight Order and paid travel voucher 
contained in the applicant’s military personnel records, he was 
designated as a crew member on an airlift mission that flew 
through Vietnam. 

 

The VSM is awarded to members of the armed forces who, between 
4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73, served in Vietnam, its continuous 
waters, or airspace there-over; or Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia 
and the airspaces there-over, and in direct support of 
operations in Vietnam. To qualify, a service member must have 
actually participated as a crew member in one or more aerial 


flights directly supporting military operations, or have served 
on temporary duty (TDY) for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive 
days. 

 

The RVCM is awarded to members of the armed forces who, during 
the period 1 Mar 61 through 28 Mar 73, served for at least six 
months in South Vietnam; 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 who meet the criteria for the Armed Forces Expeditionary 
Medal (Vietnam) or VSM during the period of service are 
considered to have contributed direct combat support to the RVN 
armed forces. 

 

On 24 Jul 12, AFPC/DPAPP notified the applicant that they were 
able to verify his foreign service at Hickam AFB, Hawaii; 
Andersen AFB, Guam; Clark AB, Republic of the Phillipines; Tan 
Son Nhut AB, Republic of Vietnam; Bangkok, Thailand; New Delhi, 
India; Karachi, Pakistan; and Torrejon AB, Spain and correct his 
records administratively. 

 

The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are 
contained in the letter prepared by the appropriate office of 
the Air Force, which is attached at Exhibit C. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

AFPC/DPSID recommends denial, indicating there is no evidence of 
an error or injustice. While the applicant’s foreign service in 
Vietnam and Thailand were verified, he did not perform the 
requisite 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days of temporary 
duty (TDY) in the area of eligibility for the VSM or the 
aggregate of six months for the RVCM. 

 

A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSID evaluation is at Exhibit C. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

A copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the 
applicant on 10 Sep 12 for review and comment within 30 days. 
As of this date, no response has been received by this office 
(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 an error or injustice with respect 
to the applicant’s request for the Republic of Vietnam Campaign 
Medal (RVCM). After a thorough review of the evidence of record 
and the applicant’s complete submission, we do not find the 
evidence presented by the applicant is sufficient to convince us 
he should have been awarded the RVCM. In this respect, we note 
the comments of the AFPC/DPSID indicating there is no 
documentation contained in the applicant’s submission or his 
military personnel records that indicates that he served in the 
Republic of Vietnam for six months, or supported operations from 
outside the Republic of Vietnam for an aggregate of six months. 
Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find 
no basis to recommend favorable consideration of this portion of 
his application. 

 

4. Notwithstanding the above, sufficient relevant evidence has 
been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or 
injustice with respect to the applicant’s request for the VSM. 
While we note the comments of AFPC/DPSID indicating the 
applicant did not perform the requisite 30 consecutive or 60 
non-consecutive days of temporary duty (TDY) in the area of 
eligibility for the VSM, we believe the applicant is entitled to 
the VSM due to the fact that he participated in at least one 
aerial flight as a crew member of an airlift mission which 
directly supported military operations. In this respect, we 
note the applicant provided a supporting statement indicating 
that he performed such qualifying duty and his records contain a 
copy of an order designating him as a member of the crew for the 
noted flight. Therefore, we recommend his records be corrected 
as indicated below. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT: 

 

The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air 
Force relating to the APPLICANT be corrected to show that he was 
awarded the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket 
Number BC-2011-05113 in Executive Session on 7 Feb 13, under the 
provisions of AFI 36-2603: 

 

 , Panel Chair 

 , Member 

 , Member 

 


The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket 
Number BC-2011-05113 was considered: 

 

 Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 27 Dec 11, w/atchs. 

 Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. 

 Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 4 Sep 12. 

 Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 10 Sep 12. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Panel Chair