BOARD DATE:	  25 September 2014

		DOCKET NUMBER:  AR20140000480 


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 reconsideration of his earlier request for correction of his DD Form 214 (Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge) to show the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device (1960) (RVNCM).

2.  The applicant states:

   a.  his belief that his service in Warin, Thailand, with the 442nd Signal Battalion (Long Line) and with the Communications Electronics Engineering Agency – Thailand (CEEA-T), was just as critical to the combat missions in North Vietnam as the Air Force bomb loaders and aircraft maintenance and repairman;

   b.  moreover, if there were no radio communications, there would be no air combat missions out of Thailand;
   
   c.  specific Air Force bases in Ubon, Udorn, U-Tapal, Nakhon Phanom, Don Mueang, and Takhli were all direct combat participants to the war in Vietnam;
   
   d.  Warin was the most important communications hub in all of Thailand and also where he maintained transmitters, multiplex equipment, and receivers vital to combat air missions out of Thailand (if and when a signal went down, he had only minutes to find, repair, and get the signal back on line);
   
   e.  he submits several documents detailing the direct combat support which came out of Warin 442nd Signal Battalion, Ubon, and the CEEA-T, and proof of his temporary duty at these locations.
   
3.  He provides:

* self-authored statement
* a copy of the original ABCMR proceedings with his notification letter
* Army Regulation 600-8-22 document extract
* DD Form 214 
* DD Form 215 (Correction to the DD Form 214)
* Communications-Electronics 1962 – 1970 E-Book internet document extract
* Wikipedia internet document titled "United States Air Force in Thailand"
* TLC Brotherhood internet document
* Xeroxed photograph
* multiple Army unit documents
* six DA Forms 662 (Request and Authorization for Military Personnel TDY Travel)
* four DD Forms 1351-2 (Travel Voucher or Sub-voucher)
* DA Form 2139-1 (Military Pay Voucher)

CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE:

1.  Incorporated herein by reference are military records which were summarized in the previous consideration of the applicant's case by the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR) in Docket Number AR20120014084 on 21 February 2013.  

2.  The applicant provided new arguments and evidence as indicated above that will be considered by the Board.  

3.  He enlisted in the Regular Army on 25 September 1967.  He was trained in and awarded military occupational specialty 32E (Fixed Plant Carrier Repairman).

4.  The applicant's DA Form 20 (Enlisted Qualification Record) shows he served in Thailand from 28 August 1968 to 27 August 1969, while assigned for duty with Company A, 442nd Signal Battalion (Long Line).  He was also attached to USACEEA-T from 2 December 1968 to 13 July 1969.

5.  Item 41 (Awards and Decorations) of the applicant's DA Form 20 does include the VSM among its list of awards.
6.  On 24 September 1970, the applicant was honorably released from active duty having completed 3 years of creditable active duty service of which 1 year was foreign service.  His DD Form 214 lists the following awards:

* National Defense Service Medal
* Army Good Conduct Medal
* Marksman Marksmanship Qualification Badge with Rifle Bar

7.  Based on an ABCMR directive, a DD Form 215 was issued on 8 April 2013 to delete the Marksman Marksmanship Qualification Badge with Rifle Bar and to add the following awards:

* Sharpshooter Marksmanship Qualification Badge with M-14 and M-16 Rifle Bars
* Meritorious Unit Commendation

8.  Research on the history of the 442nd Signal Battalion by a staff member of the ABCMR yielded an internet document tilted "Military.com Unit Pages," dated 5 May 2001.  It shows, during the Vietnam War, the 442nd Signal Battalion built, operated, and maintained several large and small communications stations throughout Thailand in support of the Defense of South Vietnam.  The larger stations such as at Korat, Nakhon Phanom, Utapao, Udorn, and Warin/Ubon were major relay stations supporting voice, data, and secure classified transmissions from Vietnam into Thailand.

9.  The applicant provides travel vouchers and temporary duty (TDY) travel authorizations which show he traveled throughout the following Thailand cities or towns from January through August 1969 to work on projects that involved expanding, installing, rearranging, and/or terminating cables/tie cables and other related matters:

* Bangkok
* Sattahip
* Warin
* Ubon, Korat
* Jones Park
* Don Muang 
* Khon Kaen
* Udorn 

10.  The applicant provides a copy of his military pay voucher for the period
1 – 31 August 1968.  It shows he received pay based on his service in the combat zone (CZ) during this period.
11.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 states the Vietnam Service Medal is awarded to all members of the Armed Forces of the United States for qualifying service in Vietnam after 3 July 1965 through 28 March 1973.  Qualifying service included attachment to or assignment for 1 or more days with an organization participating in or directly supporting military operations.  Members in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia during the same period and serving in direct support of operations in Vietnam are also eligible for this award.  Direct support is defined as services being supplied to participating forces in the area of eligibility and includes:

* units, ships, and aircraft providing it involves actually entering the designated area
* ships and aircraft providing fire, patrol, guard, reconnaissance, or other military support within the designated area of eligibility

12.  The Vietnam Order of Battle by Captain Shelby L. Stanton, U.S. Army, Retired, published in 1989 shows that the 442nd Signal Battalion (Long Line) served in Thailand from 6 November 1967 to 30 June 1971 in direct and/or indirect support functions related to the Vietnam conflict.

13.  Army Regulation 600-8-22 states the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device (1960) was awarded by the Government of Vietnam to all members of the Armed Forces of the United States for qualifying service in Vietnam during the period 1 March 1961 through 28 March 1973.  Qualifying service included assignment in Vietnam for 6 months or more.  Qualifying service outside the geographical limits of the Republic of Vietnam required the individual to provide direct combat support to the Republic of Vietnam and Armed Forces.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The applicant's contentions in regard to his entitlement to award of the Vietnam Service Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device (1960) have been carefully reconsidered and found to have merit.  

2.  The evidence of record confirms the applicant served a tour of duty in Thailand with the 442nd Signal Battalion with attachment to the USACEEA-T.  Specific internet documents and the Vietnam Order of Battle confirms his unit served in direct support of the Vietnam Conflict and he provides official documents showing he continually traveled to Thailand cities to install, terminate, rearrange, and expand cables and to perform other signal operations.  Finally, his DA Form 20 lists the VSM and a military pay voucher confirms his receipt of pay earned based on his service in the CZ.  In view of the foregoing, the applicant's claim of combat service performed in direct support of operations in Vietnam is corroborated by the evidence of record.  Therefore, his records should be corrected to show award of the VSM and RVNCM.

3.  The DA Form 20 entry coupled with his unit's history and the information contained on the Vietnam Order of Battle provides the basis to overcome the original decision.  

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 amendment of the ABCMR’s decision in Docket Number AR20120014084 dated 21 February 2013  As a result, the Board recommends that all Department of the Army records of the individual concerned be corrected by:

	a.  amending his DD Form 214 by adding the Vietnam Service Medal and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device 1960.

	b.  issuing a corrected document to reflect these awards.



      _______ _  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)                                         AR20140000480





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ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont)                                         AR20140000480



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