| Mr. Carl W. S. Chun | Director | |
| Ms. Deborah L. Brantley | Senior Analyst |
| Mr. Raymond V. O’Connor, Jr. | Chairperson | |
| Mr. John P. Infante | Member | |
| Mr. Regan K. Smith | Member |
APPLICANT REQUESTS: Award of the Purple Heart.
APPLICANT STATES: He "suffered an injury while stationed in Germany" but never received the Purple Heart. He notes that his injury involved having some teeth knocked out. In support of his request he submits a statement from a dentist who notes the applicant received "VA approved dental treatment" in his office between 1947 and 1950. The statement was authored in 2000. In separate correspondence, the applicant provided a summary of his military service. In that summary he states that during a mission to capture some German soldier’s he was “running in the dark with [his] rifle in front of [him] trying to stops the Germans.” He notes that he “fell into a ditch. [His] rifle struck [his] mouth and knocked one tooth out completely and left another one hanging.” He states that his sergeant came to see if he was all right and when he saw blood “he snatched out the tooth that was hanging, and rolled up some paper in which he stuck in my mouth to stop the bleeding.” He notes that his lieutenant later told him he would receive the Purple Heart for this.
EVIDENCE OF RECORD: The applicant's military records were likely lost or destroyed during the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. Information contained herein was reconstructed from alternative sources, including information provided by the applicant.
The applicant entered active duty on 25 July 1944 and served overseas between March and December 1945. He was honorably discharged on 21 January 1946 as a result of demobilization. His WD AGO Form 53-55, which he authenticated, does not reflect entitlement to the Purple Heart and item 34 (wounds received in action) reflects "NONE."
There were no medical records available to the Board and the applicant did not provide any.
Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides, in pertinent part, that the Purple Heart is awarded for wounds sustained as a result of hostile action. Substantiating evidence must be provided to verify that the wound was the result of hostile action, the wound must have required treatment by a medical officer, and the medical treatment must have been made a matter of official record.
DISCUSSION: Considering all the evidence, allegations, and information presented by the applicant, together with the evidence of record, applicable law and regulations, it is concluded:
1. There is no evidence, and the applicant has not provided any, which confirms he was wounded as a result of hostile action during World War II. The statement submitted in support of the applicant's request was rendered more than 50 years after the fact, and the author merely indicates that the applicant received “VA approved dental treatment between 1947-1950….” The statement does not confirm the applicant’s dental condition was the result of hostile action.
2. Additionally, statements rendered years after the fact, which are not supported by information from any official source, and are inconsistent with information contained in official documents, are not sufficient for the Board to conclude that an award of the Purple Heart would be appropriate.
3. In order to justify correction of a military record the applicant must show to the satisfaction of the Board, or it must otherwise satisfactorily appear, that the record is in error or unjust. The applicant has failed to submit evidence that would satisfy that requirement.
4. In view of the foregoing, there is no basis for granting the applicant's request.
DETERMINATION: The applicant has failed to submit sufficient relevant evidence to demonstrate the existence of probable error or injustice.
BOARD VOTE:
________ ________ ________ GRANT
________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING
__RVO__ __JPI ___ __RKS __ DENY APPLICATION
| CASE ID | AR2001064762 |
| SUFFIX | |
| RECON | YYYYMMDD |
| DATE BOARDED | 20020307 |
| TYPE OF DISCHARGE | (HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD, UNCHAR) |
| DATE OF DISCHARGE | YYYYMMDD |
| DISCHARGE AUTHORITY | AR . . . . . |
| DISCHARGE REASON | |
| BOARD DECISION | DENY |
| REVIEW AUTHORITY | |
| ISSUES 1. | 142.00 |
| 2. | |
| 3. | |
| 4. | |
| 5. | |
| 6. |
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