| Mr. Carl W. S. Chun | Director | |
| Mr. W. E. Schnupp | Analyst |
| Mr. Elzey J. Arledge, Jr. | Chairperson | |
| Mr. Thomas B. Redfern | Member | |
| Ms. Karen A. Heinz | Member |
2. The applicant requests, on behalf of his late uncle, the former service member (FSM), that his military record be corrected to show that he was a prisoner of war (POW) during World War II (WWII).
3. The applicant states, through his congressional representative, that his previous request to the Board was administratively denied because the FSM’s records had been destroyed and were not available for review. However, he recently found a document that he believes would prove that his uncle was indeed a POW during WWII. In support of his request, he provides a copy of a POW identification tag from Stalag VII A dated 1944, showing the name of the FSM as a prisoner.
4. The FSM’s military records were lost or destroyed in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. Information herein is derived from documents provided by the applicant and from a copy of the FSM’s WD AGO Form 53-55, Enlisted Record and Report of Separation – Honorable Discharge, which was provided to the Board with the applicant’s original application.
5. The FSM was born on 8 April 1909. He was inducted on 25 March 1942, awarded the military occupational specialty of automatic rifleman and served in the European Theater of Operations from 5 September 1943 to 3 June 1945. He was honorably released from active duty for the convenience of the government (age) on 6 October 1945, in the rank of corporal. The available records do not show that he was a POW.
6. The FSM’s awards include the American Theater Service Ribbon, the Distinguished Unit Badge, the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Ribbon, (showing that he participated in the Rhineland and Normandy campaigns), the Good Conduct Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Rifle and Browning Automatic Rifle Marksman Qualification Badges and the Glider Badge. Based on the general orders authorizing certain of his awards, and the unit listed at the time of his discharge, it appears that the FSM was assigned to the 401st Glider Infantry, 101st Airborne Division during his European service.
7. Information obtained from the Casualty and Memorial Affairs Branch, US Total Army Personnel Command (PERSCOM) by a member of the staff of the Board found that the FSM’s name appears on the list of WWII POW’s. He is listed as having been a POW of the German government from 1 October 1944 to 25 April 1945.
8. Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards, provides that subsequent to the cessation of hostilities during World War II, the regulation governing the award of the Bronze Star Medal was changed, in part, to provide for the award of this decoration to those individuals who had been awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge for meritorious achievement in ground combat against the armed enemy between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945.
9. The same regulation provides for award of the arrowhead device to denote participation in a combat parachute jump, helicopter assault landing, combat glider landing, or amphibious assault landing, while assigned or attached as a member of an organized force carrying out an assigned tactical mission. The arrowhead device is worn on the service and suspension ribbon of the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon as well as certain other service ribbons. Only one arrowhead will be worn on any ribbon.
10. Service stars are worn on campaign and service ribbons to denote an additional award. The service star is a bronze five-pointed star that when worn on the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon denotes campaigns in which the wearer participated.
11. The World War II Victory Medal is awarded for service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946, and the POW Medal is authorized for any person who, while serving in any capacity with the US Armed Forces, was taken prisoner and held captive after 5 April 1917.
12. Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1, Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register, shows that during the FSM’s tenure with the 401st Glider Infantry, the unit was awarded assault-landing credit (arrowhead device) for landings at Normandy and Nijmegen-Arnhern and campaign participation credit for the Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe, in addition to the Rhineland and Normandy campaigns already reflected on his WD AGO Form 53-55. The 401st was also awarded the French Croix de Guerre, the Netherlands Orange Lanyard and the Belgian Fourragere.
CONCLUSIONS:
1. Evidence obtained from official records discloses that the FSM was a POW of the German government from 1 October 1944 to 25 April 1945 and as such is entitled to award of the POW Medal.
2. Furthermore, based on the FSM’s period of service with the 401st Glider Infantry, he is also entitled to the following additional awards, and to have them reflected on his separation document: the Bronze Star Medal (based on award of the Combat Infantryman Badge); the arrowhead device (representing assault landing credit), and two additional bronze service stars showing his participation in the Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe campaigns, to be worn on the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon (in addition to the two campaigns already reflected on his WD AGO Form 53-55); the WW II Victory Medal; the POW Medal; the French Croix de Guerre; the Netherlands Orange Lanyard and the Belgian Fourragere.
3. In view of the foregoing, the FSM’s records should be corrected as recommended below.
RECOMMENDATION:
That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by:
a. showing that the individual concerned was a POW from 1 October 1944 to 25 April 1945, and was awarded the POW Medal; and
b. awarding him the Bronze Star Medal, the arrowhead device, two bronze service stars showing his participation in the Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe campaigns, the WW II Victory Medal, the French Croix de Guerre, the Netherlands Orange Lanyard and the Belgian Fourragere.
BOARD VOTE:
____eja__ ____kah_ ___tbr___ GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION
________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING
________ ________ ________ DENY APPLICATION
________Elzey J. Arledge, Jr.________
CHAIRPERSON
| CASE ID | AR2002070263 |
| SUFFIX | |
| RECON | YYYYMMDD |
| DATE BOARDED | 20020917 |
| 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. 110.04 | |
| 3. 130.00 | |
| 4. | |
| 5. | |
| 6. |
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