RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 

 

IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2012-03890 

 

 COUNSEL: NONE 

 

 HEARING DESIRED: NO 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 

 

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

 

 a. Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). 

 

 b. Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVCM). 

 

 c. Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (SAEMR). 

 

 d. Presidential Unit Citation (PUC). 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 

 

He served in Guam with the 3960th Strategic Wing for 176 days 
beginning 16 Jan 68 supporting B-52 strikes over Vietnam during 
the TET Offensive; and at U-Tapao, Thailand with the 4252nd 
Strategic Wing for 186 days beginning 3 Sep 68 as a KC-135 Crew 
Chief during field combat refueling missions. 

 

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

 

_________________ ______________________________________________ 

 

STATEMENT OF FACTS: 

 

The applicant entered the Air Force on 29 Jul 66, and served as 
an aircraft mechanic in the 28th Organizational Maintenance 
Squadron (OMS), Ellsworth AFB, SD during the period of time in 
question. 

 

The applicant’s name was listed on Special Order T-67, dated 
8 Jan 68 deploying him in Temporary Duty (TDY) status with the 
3960th Strategic Wing, APO San Francisco 96334 in support of 
PROJECT ARC-LIGHT. Specifically, he was attached to the 
4133rd Provisional Wing for duty. The declassified Directory of 
the United States Air Force Organizations, dated 31 Jul 66, 
which lists the APO Codes in use during the period of time in 
question, identifies APO 96334 as Anderson AFB, Guam. According 


to the unit history of the 4133rdBombardment Wing (Provisional)
provided by the Air Force Historical Agency, “As the 4133rd was 
operating under a split-force concept, the wing’s aircrews werestationed at both Andersen and the forward operating base at U-
Tapao”; “Fifteen B-52s remained at U-Tapao for themonth of Jan 
68 to support 450ARC-LIGHT missionsprogrammed each month forthem”;and,“At this time (Mar 68) the total ARC-LIGHTcrew 
inventory was subject to rotation between three bases: 
Anderson, U-Tapao, and Kadena.” 

The applicant’s name was also listed on SpecialOrder T-1441, 
dated 14 Aug 69, deploying him TDY in support of PROJECT ARC-
LIGHTas a member of the4220thAir Refueling Squadron 
(AREFSq)(Provisional), APO San Francisco96319.Specifically, 
he was attached to the 4220thAREFSq (Prov) for duty. The 
declassified Directory of the United States Air ForceOrganizations, dated 31 Jul 66,which lists the APO Codes in useduring the period of time in question,identifies AFO 96319asKung Kuan AB, Taiwan.According to the unit history of 4252ndStrategic Wing provided by the Air Force Historical Agency, the 
4220 AREFSq was a subordinate unit of the 4252nd. On 1 Sep 69“the 4252ndbecame the single manager for all ARC-LIGHT tankercrews in Third Air Division and, as such, became responsible for 
ensuring all operating locations were manned with sufficientcrews,” and “Refueling support for PACAF fighter-bomber activityover Southeast Asia was carried out by the 4242ndtanker squadron 
at Ching Chuan Kang, the 4220th.” 

The applicant separated on 28 Jul 70andwas credited with fouryears of total active service, which included 11 months and 
27days of foreign service. 

The Vietnam Service Medal (VSM), created on 8 Jul 65, is awardedto all service members of the Armed Forces who, between 4 Jul 65 
and 28 Mar 73, served in the following areas of Southeast Asia:
in Vietnam and the contiguous waters and airspace; in Thailand, 
Laos or Cambodia or the airspace thereover and in the directsupport of military operations in Vietnam. The specific 
eligibility criteria requires a member to be attached to or 
directly serving for one or more days with an organization, or 
aboard a naval vessel, directly supporting military operations;
actually participate as a crew member on one or more aerial 
flights directly supporting military operations; or serve ontemporary duty (TDY) for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive 
days, although these time limitations may be waived for 
personnel participating in actual combat operations. However, nomember may be issued both the AFEM and the VSM for service in 
Vietnam.

The remainingrelevant facts pertaining to this application are 
contained in the lettersprepared by the appropriate officesof 
the Air Force, which areattached at ExhibitsCand D.


________________________________________________________________ 

 

AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

AFPC/DPSID recommends denial, indicating there is no evidence of 
an error or injustice. The VSM is awarded to all service 
members of the Armed Services who between 4 Jul 65 and 28 Mar 73 
served in the following areas of Southeast Asia: Vietnam and 
the contiguous waters and airspace; in Thailand, Laos, or 
Cambodia or the airspace thereof and in the direct support of 
military operations in Vietnam for 30 consecutive days or 
60 non-consecutive days. The RVCM is awarded to members of the 
Armed Forces of the United States who between 1 Mar 61 and 
28 Mar 73, served in South Vietnam during this period; served 
outside the geographical limits of South Vietnam and contributed 
direct support to the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces for an 
aggregate of six months. The Air Force Personnel Center, 
Directorate of Assignments, was unable to verify the applicant 
served in Thailand or Guam; however, they did reference the 
applicant’s Airman Military Records (AF Form 7) which indicates 
two separate temporary duty assignments in support of Project 
ARC-LIGHT for 176 days and 186 days, respectively, without exact 
locations noted. The applicant was assigned to the 28th OMS 
beginning 28 Dec 66, the 3960th Strategic Wing from 16 Jan 68 to 
2 Sep 68, and the 4252nd Strategic Wing from 15 Sep 69 to 
17 Mar 70. As for his request related to the SAEMR, the 
applicant’s records did not contain an AF Form 522 or a letter 
from the Small Arms Marksmanship Monitor stating the applicant 
qualified as expert with either the M-16 rifle of handgun. As 
for the applicant’s request for the PUC, the applicant’s 
assigned units were not awarded the PUC. The applicant does 
qualify for award of the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with 
Valor and Two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters (AFOUA w/V & 2 BOLC) and 
the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm (RVNGC w/P). 
The applicant’s records will be administratively corrected to 
reflect those two awards. However, recommend disapproval of the 
VSM, RVCM, SAEMR, and PUC. 

 

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

 

AFPC/DPAPP recommends denial of the applicant’s request to 
update his records to reflect service in Guam and Thailand. A 
review of the Master Personnel Records and documentation 
submitted failed to provide any documents that substantiate 
foreign service time in Guam or Thailand. 

 

A complete copy of the AFPC/DPAPP evaluation is at Exhibit F. 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

 

 

 


APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 

 

His evidence is in the form of two APO addresses where his mail 
was directed. APO San Francisco 96334 is Anderson AFB, Guam 
between Dec 67 and Jun 68 during the TET Offensive. APO San 
Francisco 96326 is U-Tapoa, Thailand between Sep 69 and Mar 70. 
His records indicate he was a Crew Chief on a KC-135 Refueling 
Tanker and flew combat missions from 1969 to 1970 out of 
U-Tapao, Thailand and received both combat pay and tax free pay. 
He also received the SAEMR, and the PUC and Air Force 
Outstanding Unit Citation were awarded to his unit during the 
TET offensive (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 an error or injustice regarding the 
applicant’s request for the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship 
Ribbon (SAEMR) or the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC). We took 
notice of the applicant's complete submission in judging the 
merits of the case, to include his rebuttal response; however, 
we agree with the opinions and recommendations of the Air Force 
offices of primary responsibility (OPRs) and adopt their 
rationale as the basis for our conclusion the applicant has not 
been the victim of an error or injustice concerning the SAEMR or 
the PUC. 

 

4. Notwithstanding the above, sufficient relevant evidence has 
been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or 
injustice with regard to the applicant’s request to be credited 
with the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) and Republic of Vietnam 
Campaign Medal (RVCM). While we note the comments of the Air 
Force OPRs indicating they were unable to verify the applicant’s 
service in Thailand or Guam, we believe a preponderance of the 
evidence indicates that corrective action is warranted. In this 
respect, we note the applicant has provided copies of TDY orders 
directing his participation in Operation ARC-LIGHT (the aerial 
bombing of Vietnam) in 1968 and 1969 for 176 days and 186 days, 
respectively. While the orders in question do not list the 
specific location of the applicant’s deployment, historical 
documents made available to us substantiate that these units 
were deployed to Guam and Thailand in support of said mission. 
Therefore, in view of the fact the applicant served as a crew 
chief during these deployments, we find it very likely that in 
performing these duties as an aircrew member he fulfilled the 


requisite service requirements in support of the conflict in the 
Republic of Vietnam to qualify for the VSM and the RVCM. In 
addition, subsequent to the matter under review, we note the Air 
Force OPR has determined the applicant is entitled to the Air 
Force Outstanding Unit Award (AFOUA) with Valor and Two Bronze 
Oak Leaf Clusters (AFOUA w/V & 2 BLOC) and the Republic of 
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm (RVGC w/P), and they have 
taken action to correct his records administratively. 
Therefore, we recommend that his records be corrected to the 
extent 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) and the Republic of 
Vietnam Campaign Medal (RVCM). 

 

________________________________________________________________ 

 

The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket 
Number BC-2012-03890 in Executive Session on 2 May 13, under the 
provisions of AFI 36-2603: 

 

 Panel Chair 

 Member 

 Member 

 

All members voted to correct the records as recommended. The 
following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket 
Number BC-2012-03890 was considered: 

 

 Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 12 Jul 12, w/atchs. 

 Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records 

 Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 3 Jan 13. 

 Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 21 Jan 13. 

 Exhibit E. Letter, Applicant, dated 17 Feb 13, w/atchs 

 Exhibit F. Letter, AFPC/DPAPP, dated 3 Apr 13. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Panel Chair