| Mr. Carl W. S. Chun | Director | |
| Ms. Beverly A. Young | Analyst |
| Mr. John N. Slone | Chairperson | |
| Mr. Ronald E. Blakely | Member | |
| Mr. Lawrence Foster | Member |
2. The applicant requests correction of his DD Form 214 (Report of Separation from the Armed Forces of the United States) to show award of the Purple Heart.
3. The applicant states that his DD Form 214 does not include award of the Purple Heart for wounds received in action. He contends that he was hospitalized in Osaka, Japan, for two months. In support of his application, he submitted a copy of his DD Form 214.
4. The applicant’s military records were lost or destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973. Records available to the Board were obtained from alternate sources and show that he entered active duty on 11 August 1950 for a period of three years. He served in Korea for approximately one year and was discharged from active duty on 16 August 1953.
5. The applicant's DD Form 214 does not show the Purple Heart as an authorized award.
6. Item 29 (Wounds Received as a Result of Action with Enemy Forces) on the applicant's DD Form 214 show he sustained wounds to his "Right arm and right leg" and to his "Left arm and left leg" on 28 December 1952.
7. A health record research project, commonly referred to as the "SGO Files", involved transposing the hospital admission card data from the periods of World War II and the Korean conflict onto magnetic tape. In 1988 the National Research Council made these tape files available to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). The availability of the information to the NPRC received considerable publicity by the various veterans service organizations. It was widely believed that these tapes would become a valuable substitute for the records lost in the NPRC fire of 1973. These records show the applicant was wounded as a result of hostile action on 28 December 1952.
8. Army Regulation 600-8-22 provides, in pertinent part, that the Purple Heart is awarded for a wound 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, and the medical treatment must have been made a matter of official record.
9. As a matter of information, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, the Government of the Republic of Korea issued the Korean War Service Medal to pay tribute to eligible Korean War veterans for their historic endeavors to preserve the freedom of the Republic of Korea and the free world. On 20 August 1999, the Department of Defense approved acceptance and wear of this foreign service award to eligible US veterans of the Korean War, or their surviving next of kin. The medal is provided at no cost to veterans. The Department of Defense assigned responsibility to the Department of the Air Force for distribution of the Korean War Service Medal to eligible veterans or their surviving next of kin. To apply, veterans must submit a copy of their discharge paper (DD Form 214) to the Awards and Decorations Section, Headquarters, Air Force Personnel Center, 550 C Street West, Suite 12, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas 78150-4714. A sample request form is being provided to the applicant. Once the Korean War Service Medal has been authorized by the Department of the Air Force, the applicant may apply to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to add this foreign award to his DD Form 214.
CONCLUSIONS:
1. There are no orders available to the Board which authorize award of the Purple Heart to the applicant. However, the applicant's DD Form 214 shows he sustained wounds to his right arm and right leg and to his left arm and left leg as a result of hostile action on 28 December 1952. Therefore, the applicant is entitled to award of the Purple Heart and correction of his records to show the Purple Heart.
2. In view of the foregoing, the applicant’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 showing the individual concerned was awarded the Purple Heart.
BOARD VOTE:
JNS____ REB_____ LF______ GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION
________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING
________ ________ ________ DENY APPLICATION
John N. Slone_________
CHAIRPERSON
| CASE ID | AR2002079890 |
| SUFFIX | |
| RECON | YYYYMMDD |
| DATE BOARDED | 20030225 |
| TYPE OF DISCHARGE | (HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD, UNCHAR) |
| DATE OF DISCHARGE | YYYYMMDD |
| DISCHARGE AUTHORITY | AR . . . . . |
| DISCHARGE REASON | |
| BOARD DECISION | GRANT |
| REVIEW AUTHORITY | Mr. Schneider |
| ISSUES 1. | 107.0015 |
| 2. | |
| 3. | |
| 4. | |
| 5. | |
| 6. |
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