RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:	DOCKET NUMBER:  BC-2013-02610
			COUNSEL:  NONE
	  		HEARING DESIRED:  NO

________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

1.  His DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from 
Active Duty, be corrected to reflect the following awards:

a.	 Korean Defense Service Medal (KDSM).  (Administratively  
Corrected)     

      b.  Vietnam Service Medal (VSM).   

	c. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm (RVGC 
w/P).  

	d.  Presidential Unit Citation (PUC).  

	e.  Vietnam Campaign Medal (VCM). 

	f.  Republic of Korea Korean War Service Medal (KWSM).  

	g.  North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Medal.

	h.  Cold War Medal.

	i.  Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Long Tour (AFOR-L).

	j.  Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Short Tour (AFOR-S).

	k.  Aircrew Member Badge.   

	l.  Air Force Maintenance Badge.  

	m.  Other awards and medals he is entitled to.  

2.  His DD Form 214, Block 6, Place of Entry Into Active Duty 
(POE), be corrected to reflect Dallas, TX.

______________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

He participated in actions in Asia from 1974 to 1975 and 
Europe/Middle East from 1976 to 1978; however, his DD Form    
214 does not reflect the awards.

He worked on and flew in T-39s during his assignments at Offutt 
AFB, NE and was the crew chief for the commander of Strategic 
Air Command.  He also flew in F-15E’s at Luke AFB, AZ as a 
flying crew chief.

He served at Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea during Operation 
Frequent Wind, Operation Eagle Pull, Operation New Life and 
Operation Baby Lift.

His Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) and job duties were in 
aircraft maintenance and he is entitled to the Air Force 
Maintenance Badge. 

His POE is Dallas, TX.  Omaha, NE was the place of his 
reenlistment.  

In support of his requests, the applicant provides a personal 
statement, copies of his DD Form 214, DD Forms 1351-2, Travel 
Voucher or Subvoucher; AF Form 626, Request and Authorization 
for Temporary Duty; AF Form 2096, Classification/On-the-Job 
Training Action; training certificates and various other  
documents associated with his requests.

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

________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

On 26 Jun 72, the applicant entered active duty.

His Enlisted Performance Report (EPR) for the period of 2 Jul  
74 to 12 Jun 75 shows he was assigned at Kunsan AB.  

According to AF Form 2096 Classification/On-The-Job Training 
Action, dated 11 Jul 73, he was awarded Primary AFSC (PAFSC) 
43151C, Aircraft Maintenance Specialist.   

His DD Form 214, reflects his POE as Omaha, NE.

On 7 Apr 80, he was discharged after serving 7 years, 8 months 
and 12 days on active duty. 

The VSM is awarded to 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 thereof 
and in the direct support of military operations in Vietnam for             
30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days. 

The VCM is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United 
States who between 1 Mar 61 and 28 Mar 73, served for 6 months in 
South Vietnam during this period; served outside the geographical 
limits of South Vietnam and contributed direct combat support to 
the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces for an aggregate of         
6 months. 

The RVGC w/P is awarded by the Republic of Vietnam to units for 
valorous combat achievements.   
 
The PUC, formerly the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to 
units of the US Armed Forces for outstanding performance in 
action against an armed enemy occurring on or after, 16 Oct 
41 for the US Navy, and on or after 7 Dec 41 for the US Army and 
US Air Force units.  The unit must have displayed such 
gallantry, determination and esprit de corps in accomplishing 
its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions 
to have set it apart and above other units participating in the 
same campaign.  The degree of heroism required is the same as 
that which would be required for award of a Distinguished 
Service Cross to an individual.  

The Korean Service Medal (KSM) is awarded to service members who 
participated in operations in the Korean theater between 27 Jun 
50 and 27 Jul 54.

The KDSM is given as recognition for military service in the 
Republic of Korea and the surrounding waters after 28 Jul 54 and 
ending on such a future date as determined by the Secretary of 
Defense.  Individuals must have been assigned, attached, or 
mobilized to units operating or serving on all the land area of 
the Republic of Korea, and the contiguous waters out to 
12 nautical miles, and all airspace above the stated land and 
water areas. To be eligible for the KDSM, personnel must have 
been physically present in the stated areas for 30 consecutive 
or 60 nonconsecutive days. 

On 20 Aug 99, the Secretary of Defense approved the acceptance 
and wear of the KWSM in recognition of the sacrifices of US 
veterans of the Korean War.  The KWSM is awarded to military 
veterans who served in the country of Korea, its territorial 
waters, or airspace within the inclusive period of 25 Jun 50 to 
27 Jul 53.  Service must have been performed while on permanent 
assignment in Korea, or while on Temporary Duty (TDY) in Korea 
for 30 consecutive days, or 60 nonconsecutive days, or while as 
a crewmember of aircraft in aerial flight over Korea 
participating in actual combat operations, or in support of 
combat operations.  Veterans who served in Japan, Guam, Okinawa, 
or the Philippines are not eligible for this medal.

The NATO Medal was approved for US military personnel who serve 
under NATO command or operational control in direct support of 
NATO operations in the former Republic of Yugoslavia, or as 
designated by the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe from 1 Jul   
92 through a future date to be determined.  

The Cold War Medal is a commemorative medal.  These medals are 
primarily celebratory display medals rather than official awards 
or decorations of the U S Air Force and Department of Defense 
(DOD).  Commemorative medals are not updated on the DD Form 214.

The AFOR was authorized by the Chief of Staff, US Air Force, on 
12 Oct 80.  Before 6 Jan 86, the ribbon was awarded to Air Force 
and Air Force Reserve members credited with completion of an 
overseas tour on or after 1 Sep 80.  Air Force and Air Force 
Reserve members serving as of 6 Jan 86 or later are entitled to 
reflect all Air Force overseas tours credited during their 
career.  A service member may wear both short and long tour 
ribbons, if appropriate.  The short tour ribbon takes precedence 
over the long tour ribbon when both are worn.

The Aircrew Badge, commonly known as Wings, is a qualification 
badge of the US military that is awarded by all branches of the 
armed services to personnel who serve as crew members on military 
aircrafts.  The badge is intended to recognize the training and 
qualifications required by aircrew of military aircraft.  In 
order to qualify as an aircrew member and receive the Aircrew 
Badge, such personnel typically undergo advanced training in 
aircraft in-flight support roles. 

The Air Force Maintenance Badge (basic) is worn after completing 
technical school, the senior badge after award of the 7-skill 
level, and the master badge when in the grade of Master Sergeant 
(MSgt) or above with 5 years in the specialty from award of the 
7-skill level. 

_______________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

AFPC/DPSID recommends denial of the applicant’s requests for the 
VSM, RVGC w/P, PUC, VCM, KSM, NATO Medal, Cold War Medal, AFOR-L 
and AFOR-S.    

DPSID was unable to locate any documentation in the applicant’s 
records verifying he served in Vietnam or an area of eligibility 
for award of the VSM, RVGC w/P or VCM.   

DPSID was unable to verify he served in a unit that was ever 
awarded the PUC while he was assigned to the unit.

DPSID was unable to verify award of the NATO Medal as they could 
not locate any documentation to show he served in a unit 
supporting NATO operations therefore rendering him ineligible.  

The Cold War Medal is a commemorative medal and not updated on 
the DD Form 214.  The applicant may order his certificate online 
or at the address provided.  

He served overseas prior to the authorization of the AFOR 
rendering him ineligible for both the short and long tour 
ribbons.

DPSID was able to determine the applicant should have been 
awarded the KDSM and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with 
four Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters (AFOUA) w/4 BOLCs).  Upon the 
final determination of the Board, DPSID will administratively 
correct his records to reflect these awards.  

The complete DPSID evaluation is at Exhibit C.

DPSIPE recommends denial of the applicant’s request to change 
his POE to Dallas, TX.  After a thorough review of the 
applicant’s military personnel records and other supporting 
documentation, there appears to not be an error or injustice in 
determining the applicant’s Home of Record (HOR) or POE In 
Accordance With (IAW) the Joint Federal Travel Regulation 
(JFTR), volume 1, Appendix A1, part 1, which states, the place 
recorded as the home of the individual when reinstated, 
reappointed or reenlisted remains the same as that recorded when 
commissioned, appointed, enlisted or inducted, or ordered into 
the tour of active duty, unless there is a break in service of 
more than one full day.  Only if a break in service exceeds one 
full day, the member may then change the HOR.  The HOR is the 
location identified by the individual upon entering the service, 
not a location where the individual is later assigned or a 
location selected for convenience; a correction must be fully 
justified.  Domicile or legal residence may change, but the HOR 
will not.  The AFPC Enlisted Accessions Branch confirmed the 
applicant’s initial POE into active duty as Omaha, NE.  

The complete DPSIPE evaluation is at Exhibit D.

USAF/A3O-AIF recommends denial of the applicant’s request for 
award of the Aircrew Member Badge.  Duty assignments do not 
authorize wear of an Aircrew Member Badge.  IAW AFM 35-13, 
Flying Status, Aeronautical Ratings, Designations and Parachute 
Jump Status, dated 1 Apr 76, chapter 6, paragraph 6-3a, DAFSC 
and being placed in aviation service authorize wear of an 
Aircrew Badge.  Based on the documentation provided, the 
applicant held the following DAFSCs B43151, 43131C and 43151.  
These DAFSCs do not contain an “A,” “K” or “M” prefix which 
denote crew member.  Furthermore, there is no aeronautical order 
placing him in aviation service nor is there any documentation 
stating he was placed on flying status.  It is common to have 
airman fly on board aircraft and they can be placed in 
operational support status but it does not mean they are 
eligible for award of the badge.   

The complete A3O-AIF evaluation is at Exhibit E.  

DPSIM verified the AF Form 2096 provided by the applicant shows 
he was awarded PAFSC B43151, Tactical Aircraft Maintenance 
Specialist, which entitled him to the Air Force Maintenance 
Badge.  

The complete DPSIM Evaluation is at Exhibit F. 

________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

He thanks DPSIPE for explaining POE and HOR and the regulations 
governing it.

Based on the criteria for the “A,” “K” or “M” prefix to the 
DAFSC, he supposes he does not qualify for the Aircrew Member 
Badge.  However, there are exceptions to the rules.  He flew in 
aircraft and on missions as one who wore the aircrew badge.  He 
provides a photo of himself in a flight suit when he was a 
flying crew chief on the F-15E.  The Air Force needed a group of 
very intelligent and able men to fly with pilots to service and 
repair the aircraft as they were relatively new.  These aircraft 
at the time had a top secret radar system that could not be 
easily accessed so the Air Force devised a program to allow 
enlisted airmen to fly.  Perhaps he was one of the non-crew 
status airmen but this was a special kind of flying assignment 
and deserves the aircrew member status as requested.

In regards to the list of medals and unit awards, he was seeking 
help in finding out whether any unit he served in at the time 
was awarded any medals.  He served in Asia in 1975 during the 
fall of Saigon.  There were changes made involving the inclusion 
of awards during this time period.  

There is an expanded criterion for award of the VSM which 
besides Thailand and Vietnam includes those who served on Guam, 
Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan and other direct services for Vietnam 
including air bases in the Philippines and South Korea for which 
Kunsan AB was especially involved.  It was called up in Apr 
72 to send all of its aircraft to Thailand and Vietnam to aid 
against the North Vietnamese Spring Offensive.  

He knows he is not eligible for the KSM due to the 1950 to   
1954 timeframe.  The medal he was referring to is the KWSM which 
was issued by the South Korean government in 1974.  

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

________________________________________________________________



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 to warrant 
award of the VSM, RVGC w/P, PUC, VCM, KSM, NATO Medal, Cold War 
Medal, AFOR-L and AFOR-S.  We took notice of the applicant’s 
complete submission in judging the merits of his requests; 
however, we agree with the opinions and recommendations of the 
Air Force Offices of Primary Responsibility (OPR) and adopt the 
rationale expressed as the basis for our conclusion that the 
applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice.  
With respect to the applicant’s request for award of the Aircrew 
Member Badge, we note the applicant acknowledges that he does 
not qualify for the badge and states that there are exceptions 
to the rules.  However, he has not provided any evidence that 
would warrant an exception to policy.  Making corrections 
without sufficient evidence would be unfair to others similarly 
situated and establish a basis for circumventing the procedures 
in place; therefore we find no basis to grant this portion of 
his request.  While the applicant states the criterion for award 
of the VSM was expanded to include South Korea, he has not 
provided any evidence to substantiate his request.  Regarding 
his request for award of the KWSM; the applicant’s dates of 
service are after the eligibility period (25 Jun 50 to 27 Jul 
53) rendering him ineligible for the award.  With respect to his 
request for award of the Air Force Maintenance Badge, IAW with 
established policy, functional badges are not recorded on the DD 
Form 214.  Additionally, if the applicant believes he is 
entitled to other awards it is suggested that he ccontact the 
National Personnel Records Center at 1 Archives Drive, St. 
Louis, MO 63138 Therefore, aside from the administrative 
corrections for award of the KDSM and the AFOUA w/4 BOLCs, 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 
that 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-2013-02610 in Executive Session on 8 Jul 14, under the 
provisions of AFI 36-2603:
     
      , Panel Chair
      , Member
      , Member


The following documentary evidence was considered:

     Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 25 May 13, w/atchs.
     Exhibit B.  Applicant’s Master Personnel Records.
     Exhibit C.  Letter, AFPC/DPSID, dated 16 Sep 13.  
     Exhibit D.  Letter, AFPC/DPSIPE, dated 15 Oct 13.  
     Exhibit E.  Letter, USAF/A3O-AIF, dated 13 Mar 14. 
     Exhibit F.  Letter, AFPC/DPSIM, dated 29 Apr 14.
     Exhibit G.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 15 May 14.  
     Exhibit H.  Letter, Applicant, dated 24 May 14, w/atchs.  
     



								 
     			 PanelChair