RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS


      IN THE CASE OF:


      BOARD DATE:       14 December 2005
      DOCKET NUMBER:  AR20050003252


      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. Jessie B. Strickland          |     |Analyst              |


      The following members, a quorum, were present:

|     |Mr. John Slone                    |     |Chairperson          |
|     |Mr. Leonard G. Hassell            |     |Member               |
|     |Mr. Michael J. Flynn              |     |Member               |

      The Board considered the following evidence:

      Exhibit A - Application for correction of military records.

      Exhibit B - Military Personnel Records (including advisory opinion,
if any).

THE APPLICANT'S REQUEST, STATEMENT, AND EVIDENCE:

1.  The applicant requests that his report of separation (DD Form 214) be
corrected to reflect all of his awards.

2.  The applicant states that not all of his awards are listed on his DD
Form 214.

3.  The applicant provides a copy of a letter from the National Personnel
Records Center (NPRC), St Louis, Missouri, dated 15 October 2002 and a copy
of his DD Form 214.

CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE:

1.  The applicant is requesting correction of alleged errors which occurred
on
4 April 1952.  The application submitted in this case is dated 16 February
2005.

2.  Title 10, U.S. Code, Section 1552(b), provides that applications for
correction of military records must be filed within 3 years after discovery
of the alleged error or injustice.  This provision of law allows the Army
Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR) to excuse failure to file
within the 3-year statute of limitation if the ABCMR determines that it
would be in the interest of justice to do so.  In this case, the ABCMR will
conduct a review of the merits of the case to determine if it would be in
the interest of justice to excuse the applicant’s failure to timely file.

3.  The applicant’s military records are not available to the Board for
review.  A fire destroyed approximately 18 million service members’ records
at the National Personnel Records Center in 1973.  It is believed that the
applicant’s records were lost or destroyed in that fire.  However, there
were sufficient documents remaining in a reconstructed record for the Board
to conduct a fair and impartial review of this case.

4.  He enlisted at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, on 9 February 1948.  He
completed his training as a medical technician and his records show that he
served 1 year and 7 months of foreign service.  He was promoted to the rank
of sergeant on 24 May 1951.  On 4 April 1952 he was honorably discharged
due to the expiration of his term of service (ETS).  He had served 4 years,
1 month, and
27 days of total active service and was awarded the Medical Badge and the
Korean Service Medal.


5.  On 15 October 2002, the NPRC dispatched a letter to the applicant
informing him that although his records may have been destroyed in the 1973
fire that occurred at that center, the NPRC was able to verify his
entitlement to awards of the Good Conduct Medal (GCMDL), the National
Defense Service Medal (NDSM), the Korean Service Medal, the Combat Medical
Badge (CMB), and the United Nations Service Medal (UNSM).  Accordingly,
authority to issue those medal sets were forwarded to the appropriate
command in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  However, there is no evidence to
show that those awards were ever entered on his DD Form 214.

6.  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.

7.  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.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The available evidence shows that the applicant has been issued the
GCMDL, the NDSM, and the UNSM; however, there is no evidence to show that
those awards were ever entered onto his separation document.

2.  Accordingly, it would be in the interest of justice to add those awards
to his records at this time.

BOARD VOTE:

__MJF__  _LGH___  __JS ____  GRANT RELIEF

________  ________  ________  GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION:

The Board determined that the evidence presented was sufficient to warrant
a recommendation for relief and to excuse failure to timely file.  As a
result, the Board recommends that all Department of the Army records of the
individual concerned be corrected by showing he was awarded the GCMDL, the
NDSM, and the UNSM.




            _____John Slone_______
                    CHAIRPERSON




                                    INDEX

|CASE ID                 |AR20050003252                           |
|SUFFIX                  |                                        |
|RECON                   |                                        |
|DATE BOARDED            |20051214                                |
|TYPE OF DISCHARGE       |                                        |
|DATE OF DISCHARGE       |                                        |
|DISCHARGE AUTHORITY     |AR . . . . .                            |
|DISCHARGE REASON        |                                        |
|BOARD DECISION          |(GRANT)                                 |
|REVIEW AUTHORITY        |                                        |
|ISSUES                  |189/corr 214                            |
|1.110.0000              |                                        |
|2.107.0056              |102/gcmdl                               |
|3.107.0069              |115/ndsm                                |
|4.107.0085              |131/unsm                                |
|5.                      |                                        |
|6.                      |                                        |


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