IN THE CASE OF:
BOARD DATE: 29 September 2015
DOCKET NUMBER: AR20150003516
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 WD AGO Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation-Honorable Discharge) to show his unit was awarded the Army of Occupation Medal (AOM) for service in Japan.
2. The applicant states it is inconceivable that the Board should deny his claim to be entitled to the AOM with Japan Clasp on the basis that there is no record of the 34th Infantry Regiment serving on occupation duty in Japan. He argues that he was with the 34th Infantry Regiment in Japan after combat duty in the Philippines.
3. The applicant provides copies of:
* The Occupation of Japan and the South Pacific, The Japs would Not Believe the War Was Over written by Robert Osborn, 34th Regiment
(3 pages only)
* Matsuyama, Japan: October, 1945 written by the applicant
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 AR20130019381, on 2 July 2014.
2. The applicant provided two documents that are considered new evidence requiring consideration by the Board.
3. The original Record of Proceedings shows that the applicants WD AGO Form 53-55 (Enlisted Record and Report of Separation Honorable Discharge) indicated he was assigned to Company B, 34th Infantry Regiment and had participated in the New Guinea, South Philippines, and Luzon campaigns. He subsequently departed the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) on 4 December 1945 and was separated from active duty on 14 January 1946. The Board determined that there were no general orders available announcing that the
34th Infantry Regiment was ever authorized occupation credit for Japan. Accordingly, the applicants request was denied.
4. 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.
5. The narrative extracts provided by the applicant discuss the occupation of Japan by the 24th Infantry Division. It states that after Victory-over-Japan Day (V-J Day) in August 1945, the 24th Infantry Division, then on Mindanao in the southern Philippines, rapidly prepared for occupation duty in Japan. The transition from war to peace was no minor adjustment. An after-action report of the 34th Infantry Regiment contained entries that typified the garrison routine during the early part of September. The perimeter was relieved and the trenches filled. Inspections, training and retreat were daily events. Recreation included volleyball, softball, and basketball. Movies were shown 3 times a week and the Red Cross supplied Coca Cola each day. The censorship of mail ended. The division embarked 15 October 1945, bound for the island of Shikoku where the 34th regiment initially camped. It later moved to Honshu, Himeji, Kyushu, Sasebo and to Post Ainoura, later renamed Camp Mower.
6. Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1 (Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register) dated July 1961 lists the unit awards and campaign credits for the 34th Infantry Regiment during the period of the applicants service in the PTO. It does not contain an entry showing credit for the occupation of Japan in 1945-1946.
7. Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards) states that for award of the Army of Occupation Medal with Japan Clasp, qualifying service in Japan included service in the Japanese home islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Bonin-Volcano Islands between 3 September 1945 and 27 April 1952. Service between 3 September 1945 and 2 March 1946 is qualifying only if the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was earned prior to 3 September 1945.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS:
1. The applicant contends that his records should be corrected by showing his unit was authorized the AOM with Japan Clasp.
2. The available evidence shows the applicant was assigned in the PTO in 1944 and 1945 and that he participated in three campaigns. The narrative provided by the applicant shows the 34th Infantry Regiment went to Japan in October 1945 for occupation duty. Unfortunately, the regiment is not listed in the DA Pamphlet 672-1 as receiving credit for occupation duty in Japan. Further, there is no available evidence that convincingly shows the applicant served in Japan with the 34th Infantry Regiment, or that Company B of this regiment was included in any such occupation duty in Japan.
3. In view of the above, the applicants request should be denied.
BOARD VOTE:
________ ________ ________ GRANT FULL RELIEF
________ ________ ________ GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF
________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING
___ x____ ___x____ ___x ____ DENY APPLICATION
BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION:
The evidence presented does not demonstrate the existence of a probable error or injustice. Therefore, the Board determined that the overall merits of this case are insufficient as a basis to amend the decision of the ABCMR set forth in Docket Number AR20130019381, dated 2 July 2014.
____________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) AR20150003516
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ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20150003516
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