PROCEEDINGS


         IN THE CASE OF:
        

         BOARD DATE: 11 June 2002
         DOCKET NUMBER: AR2001065580


         I certify that hereinafter is recorded the true and complete record of the proceedings of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in the case of the above-named individual.

Mr. Carl W. S. Chun		Director
Mr. W. E. Schnupp		Analyst

The following members, a quorum, were present:

Mr. Fred N. Eichorn		Chairperson
Mr. Roger W. Able		Member
Mr. Harry B. Oberg		Member

         The applicant and counsel if any, did not appear before the Board.

         The Board considered the following evidence:

         Exhibit A - Application for correction of military
records
         Exhibit B - Military Personnel Records (including
         advisory opinion, if any)

FINDINGS :

1. The applicant has exhausted or the Board has waived the requirement for exhaustion of all administrative remedies afforded by existing law or regulations.

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2. The applicant requests, on behalf of his late father, the former service member (FSM), that he be awarded a bronze star to his Philippine Liberation Medal, for the battle of Leyte, an arrowhead device to his Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, for the assault landing at Angaur and the Combat Infantryman Badge because of his face-to-face combat with the enemy during World War II.

3. The applicant states that the FSM’s Philippine Liberation Medal has a bronze star on it but the National Personnel Records Center authorized the issuance of another medal without the bronze star. His Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal has two bronze stars but does not have an arrowhead device to indicate assault landing credit. Finally, he believes that the FSM is entitled to the Combat Infantryman Badge because he fought in combat as a member of an infantry division and although the FSM was a wireman, he performed combat duties at Angaur and Peleliu.

4. In support of his request, the applicant furnishes a picture of the FSM’s awards, a copy of his WD AGO Form 53-55, Enlisted Record and Report of Separation, a copy of his WD AGO Form 100, Separation Qualification Record, a copy of the diary the FSM maintained during his World War II service, a compilation, prepared by the applicant, of the FSM’s military assignments between 1942 and 1946, two DD Forms 1577, Authorization for Issuance of Awards, reflecting the FSM’s awards authorized by the National Personnel Records Center and a copy of the FSM’s Certificate of Death.

5. The FSM’s military records were lost or destroyed in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. Information herein was derived from documents furnished by the applicant and from other sources.

6. The FSM was inducted on 20 November 1942, trained as a Field Lineman (military occupational specialty 641) and served with the 906^th Field Artillery Battalion, 81^st Infantry Division, in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations from July 1944 to December 1945. He was honorably discharged at demobilization on 20 January 1946, in the grade of private first class. He died on 5 July 1971.

7. Awards reflected on his WD AGO Form 53-55 include the Philippine Liberation Ribbon (the document does not show a bronze service star to this award), the World War II Victory Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Service Medal (there is no indication he was awarded any bronze service stars to this award; however, the battles and campaigns section of the document shows that he participated in two campaigns, the Southern Philippines and the Western Pacific), the Good Conduct Medal, the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button, the American Service Medal and the Sharpshooter Badge with Carbine Bar.



8. The DA Forms 1577, provided with the application show that on 15 September and 23 October 2001, the National Personnel Record Center authorized the issuance of the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 bronze service stars, the World War II Victory Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button, the Army of Occupation Medal with Japan Clasp and the Sharpshooter Badge with Carbine Bar.

9. The available records contain a Final Payment-Work Sheet, War Department Form 372B, which shows that the FSM received Foreign Service Pay, it does not show that he received Combat or Expert Infantry Pay.

10. Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards, provides in pertinent part that:

a. The Philippine Liberation Ribbon is awarded for service in the liberation of the Philippines from 17 October 1944 to 3 September 1945, under any of the following conditions:

         (1) Participated in the initial landing operations on Leyte or adjoining islands from 17 to 20 October 1944.

         (2) Participated in any engagement against the enemy during the campaign on Leyte and adjoining islands.

         (3) Participated in any engagement against the enemy on islands other than those included in (2) above.

         (4) Served in the Philippine Islands or on ships in Philippine waters for not less than 30 days.

         b. An individual who meets more than one of the conditions set forth in a above is authorized to wear a bronze service star on the ribbon for each additional condition under which he or she qualifies other than that under which he or she is eligible for the initial award of the ribbon.

11. The same regulation provides, in pertinent part, that:

a. Assault landing credit (award of the bronze arrowhead) may be made to units of the Army who, in the combat zone of a battle, campaign, or expedition as established by The Joint Chief of Staff or Department of the Army , accomplishes one of the following types of assault operations:




         (1) Makes a parachute jump into enemy-held territory.

(2) Participates in the assault wave of an amphibious landing.

         (3) Makes a helicopter assault landing.

         b. The assault operation will be of such scope as to warrant designation as a battle or campaign and be of such magnitude as to include tactical elements of at least one other service. Day-to-day combat assault type missions in an already established combat zone do not qualify for award of the arrowhead device. For the individual soldier to receive award of the arrowhead, the soldier must physically exit the aircraft or watercraft during the assault landing.

12. War Department Circular 269-1943 established the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Expert Infantryman Badge to recognize and provide an incentive to infantrymen. The Expert Infantryman Badge was to be awarded for attainment of certain proficiency standards or by satisfactory performance of duty in action against the enemy. The Combat Infantryman Badge was awarded for exemplary conduct in action against the enemy. War Department Circular 186-1944 further provided that the Combat Infantryman Badge was to be awarded only to infantrymen serving with infantry units of brigade, regimental or smaller size. Additionally, World War II holders of the Combat Infantryman Badge received a monthly pay supplement known as combat infantry pay. Therefore, soldiers had economic as well as intangible reasons to ensure that their records were correct and pay records are frequently the best available source to verify entitlement to this award.

13. Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1, Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register, lists campaign participation credit, assault landing credit, unit citations, and occupation duty credit for World War II and Korea. It shows that the FSM’s unit, the 906^th Field Artillery Battalion, 81^st Infantry Division, was awarded 2 bronze service stars for participation in the Leyte (17 October 1944 to 1 July 1945) and Western Pacific (15 June 1944 to 2 June 1945) Campaigns; one foreign award, the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation (17 October 1944 to 4 July 1945); and occupation credit (Japan) for the period 5 November [1944] to 20 January 1945. There is no indication that the unit was awarded any other awards or assault landing credit.

CONCLUSIONS:

1. After reviewing the documents provided by the applicant, the Army awards publications and considering the FSM’s period of service in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations from July 1944 to December 1945, it appears that

he is entitled to the following awards, in addition to those already shown on his WD AGO Form 53-55: 1 bronze service star on his Philippine Liberation Ribbon for participation during the campaign on Leyte and adjoining islands, 1 additional bronze service star (for a total of 3) on his Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal for the Leyte campaign (from 17 October 1944 to 1 July 1945), the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and the Army of Occupation Medal with Japan Clasp.

2. On the other hand, the evidence of record does not show that the FSM should receive the arrowhead device for the assault landing on Angaur. Angaur was not designated as a campaign, a necessary prerequisite for award of the arrowhead device, and the available record provides no indication that the FSM was in the initial assault landing of Leyte. Absent such evidence, there is no basis for the Board to award the arrowhead device to the FSM.

3. The applicant’s request that the FSM be awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge is likewise not supported by the available evidence. Although the FSM may have performed duties that brought him in direct combat with the enemy there are occasions when the exigencies of combat require non-infantry soldiers to temporarily perform basic infantry duties, that all soldiers are taught, but it is not a basis for the award of the Combat Infantryman Badge. The Combat Infantryman Badge was designed specifically to recognize the skill and heroism of the infantry soldier. It is awarded only to soldiers who meet specific criteria - infantrymen serving with infantry units in combat. The FSM was a field wireman by military occupational specialty, not an infantryman, and even though he served with the 81^st Infantry Division, that assignment alone does not entitled him to the Combat Infantryman Badge. Moreover, his final pay record reflects that he did not receive combat infantry pay, another indication that at the time, he was not considered to be an infantry soldier.

4. In view of the foregoing, the applicant’s records should be corrected as recommended below.

RECOMMENDATION:

1. That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by:

         a. showing that the individual concerned was awarded 1 bronze service star to his Philippine Liberation Ribbon, 1 additional bronze service star to his Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and the Army of Occupation Medal with Japan Clasp.

b. issuing a correction to his WD AGO Form 53-55 showing all of the awards to which he is now entitled, which includes: the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Medal with 3 bronze service stars, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal with Japan Clasp, the World War II Victory Medal, the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with 1 bronze service star, the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and the Sharpshooter Badge with Carbine Bar.

2. That so much of the application as is in excess of the foregoing be denied.

BOARD VOTE:

________ ________ ________ GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________ ________ ________ DENY APPLICATION




                  __________Fred N. Eichorn____________
                  CHAIRPERSON

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INDEX

CASE ID	AR2001065580
SUFFIX
RECON	YYYYMMDD
DATE BOARDED	20020611
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	(HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD, UNCHAR)
DATE OF DISCHARGE	YYYYMMDD
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR . . . . .
DISCHARGE REASON
BOARD DECISION	(GRANT PLUS)
REVIEW AUTHORITY
ISSUES 1. 107.00
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.