IN THE CASE OF:	  

		BOARD DATE:  4 March 2014

		DOCKET NUMBER:  AR20130011858 


THE BOARD CONSIDERED THE FOLLOWING EVIDENCE:

1.  Application for correction of military records (with supporting documents provided, if any).

2.  Military Personnel Records and advisory opinions (if any).


THE APPLICANT'S REQUEST, STATEMENT, AND EVIDENCE:

1.  The applicant requests the records of her late father, a former service member (FSM) be corrected to show his award of the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster.

2.  The applicant states her father had tremors that prevented him from signing the request and after the original submission he passed away [on 30 June 2013].  The FSM's Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster was stolen and she personally saw the medal before it was stolen.

3.  The applicant provides copies of the FSM’s WD AGO Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation – Honorable Discharge), Certification of Military Service, three newspaper clippings, 7th General Hospital General Orders Number 22, a Fletcher General Hospital letter to the FSM's wife, and a hospice letter.  

CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE:

1.  It is believed that the FSM's military records were lost or destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.  Information herein was obtained from limited reconstructed personnel records and documents provided by the applicant.

2.  The FSM's WD AGO Form 53-55 shows

* active duty service from 11 September 1943 through 7 June 1945
* service in Europe from 3 April 1944 through 28 November 1944
* 1 year and 8 days of continental United States service
* award of the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and Bronze Star Medal
* participation in one campaign (the “Campaign of France”)
* he sustained a wound to his left femur on 25 August 1944 in France
* service with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division
* discharged on a Certificate of Disability for Discharge

4.  7th General Hospital General Orders Number 22, dated 18 July 1944, awarded the FSM the Purple Heart.

5.  The newspaper clippings show he sustained a minor wound on 13 July 1944 and a more serious wound on 25 August 1944.  He was awarded the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster.

6.  Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1 (Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register) shows that while the FSM was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, it was credited with participation in three campaigns: Normandy, Northern France and the Rhineland; was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (now known as the Presidential Unit Citation), the French Croix de Guerre, and is credited with an assault landing at Normandy.  

7.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards) provides the following:

	a.  The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal is awarded for service within the European African-Middle Eastern Theater between 7 December 1941 and 8 November 1945.  

	b.  An arrowhead is authorized for wear on the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal to denote participation in a combat parachute jump, combat glider landing, or amphibious assault landing, while assigned or attached as a member of an organized force carrying out an assigned tactical mission.

	c.  A bronze service star is authorized for wear on the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal to denote participation in each campaign.

     d.  The American Campaign Medal is awarded for qualifying service in the American Theater between 7 December 1941 and 2 March 1946.  Qualifying service for this campaign medal includes permanent assignment outside the continental United States but within the American Theater of Operations or service within the continental United States for an aggregate period of one year.

   e.  The World War II Victory Medal is awarded for service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946.
   
   f.  The Honorable Service Lapel Button is authorized for honorable Federal military service between 8 September 1939 and 31 December 1946.

   g.  When a unit was cited only one time for award of the French Croix de Guerre there was no individual device, medal, or ribbon authorized for wear by members of the unit.  In a 28 March 1983 letter, the U.S. Army Military Personnel Center published the policy regarding awards of the French Croix de Guerre to U.S. Army veterans who had served in World War I and World War II.  Essentially, this guidance states that there is no individual emblem presented to or worn by Army Soldiers who were in a unit cited by the French Government for the Croix de Guerre.  Thus, former members of any American units which appear in Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1 are not authorized an individual device.  

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The available records show the FSM was wounded twice and received the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster.  His WD AGO Form 53-55 only records the second wound.  It is appropriate to show both wounds at block 34 by adding the entry France - 13 July 1944 and adding to block 34 his award the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster.

2.  The entry on the WD AGO Form 53-55, at block 32 (Battles and Campaigns) of Campaign of France is not the proper designation of the Northern France campaign and should be removed.  

3.  The FSM's WD AGO Form 53-555 shows only one campaign whereas the available evidence shows his participated in three campaigns; Normandy (with amphibious assault landing credit), Northern France, and the Rhineland.  Any reasonable doubt that he was with this unit when it received these credits should be resolved in his favor.  

5.  The entry for the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal is incomplete.  The FSM is shown to have participated in three campaigns with the Normandy campaign being an amphibious assault landing.  The correct entry should be the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze service stars and an Arrowhead Device.
6.  In addition to the awards listed on the WD AGO Form 53-55 the FSM is also authorized the Distinguished Unit Citation (now known as the Presidential Unit Citation), American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button.  It is appropriated to correct the record to include these awards on the WD AGO Form 53-55.

7.  The FSM’s unit was cited once for award of the French Croix de Guerre.  Although he would not have been authorized to wear a ribbon, fourragere, medal, or other device based on a one-time citation, an entry should be made on his  WD AGO Form 53-55 to show this citation.

BOARD VOTE:

____X___  ____X___  ___X__ _  GRANT FULL 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.  As a result, the Board recommends that the WD AGO Form 53-55 of the individual concerned be corrected by:

	a.  deleting at:

* block 32 (Battles and Campaigns) - Campaign of France
* block 33 (Decorations and Citations) - European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal

   b.  adding at:

* block 32 - Normandy, Northern France, and Rhineland 
* block 34 – France, 13 July 1944

	c.  adding, at block 33, the:

* Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster
* European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze service stars and Arrowhead Device
* American Campaign Medal
* Presidential Unit Citation
* World War II Victory Medal
* Honorable Service Lapel Button

d.  adding, at block 55 (Remarks):

* “FRENCH CROIX DE GUERRE – UNIT CITATION – NO EMBLEM AUTHORIZED”



      _______ _  X ______   ___
               CHAIRPERSON
      
I certify that herein is recorded the true and complete record of the proceedings of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in this case.


ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont)                                         AR20130011858





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ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont)                                         AR20130011858



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