RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS
IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2014-03491
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 add the Cold War Victory
Commemorative Medal, Air Force Commemorative Medal, American
Defense Commemorative Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (VSM),
Republic of Vietnam Service Commemorative Medal, Overseas
Service Commemorative Medal, Honorable Service Commemorative
Medal and the Foreign Expeditionary Service Commemorative Medal.
APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:
He honorably served from 1964 to 1968 and wants to know if he is
eligible for these awards.
The applicants complete submission, with attachments, is at
Exhibit A.
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
The applicant initially entered the Regular Air Force on
8 Jan 64.
On 5 Jan 68, the applicant was furnished an honorable discharge,
and was credited with 3 years, 11 months, and 28 days of active
service.
On 2 Feb 68, the applicants DD Form 214, Certificate of Release
or Discharge from Active Duty, was corrected to reflect he was
awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for his
service in Vietnam as annotated on his DD Form 215, Correction
to DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of
Transfer or Discharge.
The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are
contained in the memorandum prepared by the Air Force office of
primary responsibility (OPR), which is attached at Exhibit C.
AIR FORCE EVALUATION:
AFPC/DPSID recommends denial indicating there is no evidence of
an error or an injustice. It appears the applicant has been
recognized for his Vietnam Service with award of the AFEM.
Executive Order 11231 allows service members who earned the AFEM
for service in Vietnam between 1 Jul 58 and 4 Jul 65, to
exchange their AFEM for the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM).
However, no service member may be issued both medals for service
in Vietnam. If the applicant chooses to exchange his awarded
AFEM for the VSM, he may submit a separate request for the
exchange. However, the OPR is unable to also award the VSM as
this would constitute dual recognition. As for the applicants
request related to the commemorative medals, these medals are
not Air Force medals and therefore cannot be updated on the DD
Form 214 as they are not official Air Force or Department of
Defense awards or decorations. However, the applicant may
obtain the awards from a commercial source. To grant relief
would be contrary to the criteria established by DoDM 1348.33,
Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff, and/or the War
Department.
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 25 Feb 15 for review and comment within 30 days
(Exhibit D). As of this date, no response has been received by
this office.
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 applicants request for commemorative medals. We took
notice of the applicants complete submission in judging the
merits of the case; however, we agree with the opinion and
recommendation of the Air Force office of primary responsibility
(OPR) and adopt its rationale as the basis for our conclusion
the applicant has not been the victim of an error of injustice.
We note the applicant was previously awarded the Armed Forces
Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for his service in Vietnam. If the
applicant chooses to exchange his awarded AFEM for the Vietnam
Service Medal (VSM), he may submit a separate request for the
exchange in accordance with the advisory opinion issued by
AFPC/DPSID. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the
contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting the requested
relief.
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-2014-03491 in Executive Session on 21 May 15, under
the provisions of AFI 36-2603:
The following documentary evidence pertaining AFBCMR Docket
Number BC-2014-03491 was considered:
Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 15 Aug 14, w/atchs.
Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
Exhibit C. Memorandum, AFPC/DPSID, dated 3 Nov 14.
Exhibit D. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 25 Feb 15.
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