DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 
Application for Correction of 
the Coast Guard Record of: 
 
                                                                                     BCMR Docket No. 2004-153 
 
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
   

 

 
 

FINAL DECISION 

 
Author:  Hale, D. 
 
 
This is a proceeding under the provisions of section 1552 of title 10 and section 
425  of  title  14  of  the United  States  Code.   It  was  docketed  on  July  19,  2004,  upon  the 
BCMR’s receipt of the applicant’s request for correction. 
 
 
members who were designated to serve as the Board in this case. 

This  final  decision,  dated  May  5,  2005,  is  signed  by  the  three  duly  appointed 

APPLICANT’S REQUEST AND ALLEGATIONS 

 

 

The applicant asked the Board to correct her military record to show that she is 
entitled to a Zone B selective reenlistment bonus (SRB)1 for reenlisting for four years on 
February 14, 2003.  The applicant, who was a reservist on extended active duty (EAD)2 
at the time of her enlistment/reenlistment into the regular Coast Guard, alleged that she 
is entitled to the SRB because her previous active duty service causes her enlistment to 
be characterized as a reenlistment.  

                                                 
1 SRBs vary according to the length of each member’s active duty service, the number of months of serv-
ice  newly  obligated  by  the  reenlistment  or  extension  of  enlistment  contract,  and  the  need  of  the  Coast 
Guard for personnel with the member’s particular skills, which is reflected in the “multiple” of the SRB 
authorized  for  the  member’s  skill/rating,  which  is  published  in  an  ALCOAST.    Coast  Guard  members 
who  have  at  least  six  years  but  no  more  than  10  years  of  active  duty  service  are  in  “Zone  B.” 
COMDTINST 7220.33. 
2 Extended active duty is a program that allows the Coast Guard to fill “gaps” in billets with reservists 
possessing  critical  skill  sets.    The  program  is  designed  to  fill  rating  pyramid  gaps  while  not  affecting 
advancements of active duty enlisted personnel.  
 

 

SUMMARY OF THE APPLICANT’S RECORD 

January  or  early  February  2003, 

the  applicant 

late 

 
  On  April  1,  2002,  the  applicant,  a  former  Coast  Guard  reservist  with  nearly 
 
twenty-two years of service in the regular Coast Guard and the Reserves, began EAD 
with the Coast Guard Reserve.  On January 13, 2003, she requested permission to enlist 
in the regular Coast Guard.  The Enlisted Personnel Management (EPM) Division of the 
Coast Guard Personnel Command (CGPC) granted her request and she was authorized 
to be discharged from the Reserves and to enlist/reenlist3 in the regular Coast Guard, 
effective February 14, 2003.   
 
 
signed  an 
enlistment/reenlistment contract for four years in the regular Coast Guard, pursuant to 
the authorization rendered by EPM and CGPC on January 13, 2003.  The record is bereft 
of  the  enlistment/reenlistment  documents,  and  there  is  no  evidence  that  she  was 
counseled regarding her entitlement to an SRB for this enlistment/reenlistment.  At the 
time of her enlistment/reenlistment, the applicant had nine years, five months, and one 
day of total prior active service, including eight years in the regular Coast Guard from 
May 19, 1980, to April 26, 1988. 
 
 
In February 2003, the applicant was assigned to the Coast Guard Training Center  
(TRACEN)  Petaluma  as  an  instructor  for  the  Operations  Specialist  “A”  school.    The 
record contains a statement from a yeoman at TRACEN, who alleged that in September 
2003, he determined that the enlistment/reenlistment contract signed by the applicant 
at  her  previous  duty  station  for  her  entry  in  the  regular  Coast  Guard  was  erroneous.  
The yeoman alleged that the contract was, in fact, a four-year reenlistment contract for 
the Coast Guard Reserve, instead of a contract for the regular Coast Guard.  The yeoman 
at Petaluma took steps to correct the error, and on March 18, 2004, the applicant was 
assessed into active duty with the regular Coast Guard effective February 14, 2003.  The 
applicant  signed  a  backdated  DD  Form  4/1,  “Enlistment/Reenlistment  Document”, 
which  is  used  to  record  enlistment  or  reenlistment  into  the  U.S.  Armed  Forces.    The 
yeoman  also  alleged  that  the  applicant  was  eligible  for  a  Zone  B  SRB  for  her 
enlistment/reenlistment,  and  the  “Remarks”  section  of  the  DD  Form  4/1  states  the 
following: 
 
 

IAW [ALCOAST] 329/02 MEMBER IS AUTH ZONE B SRB MULTIPLE OF 2 
FOR 48 MONTHS OF NEWLY OBLIGATED SERVICE.  

 

In 

 

 

                                                 
3 CGPC did not specify if the applicant was authorized to “enlist” or “reenlist”.  Whether the applicant’s 
February 14, 2003, enlistment should be characterized as an “enlistment” or a “reenlistment” is the core 
issue in this case. 

 
The record also contains an administrative remarks (page 7) entry, backdated to 
February 13, 2003, and completed at TRACEN Petaluma, documenting counseling that 
the applicant was eligible for an SRB for her February 14, 2003, enlistment/reenlistment. 
 

VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

 
 
On  October  18,  2004,  the  Judge  Advocate  General  (JAG)  of  the  Coast  Guard 
submitted  an  advisory  opinion  recommending  that  the  Board  deny  the  applicant’s 
request.  The JAG argued that the applicant is not entitled to relief because she did not 
meet the criteria to receive an SRB for her February 14, 2003, enlistment/reenlistment. 
 

The JAG noted that the applicant requested to enlist in the regular Coast Guard 
on January 13, 2003.  This request was approved and she was discharged from the Coast 
Guard  Reserve  and  enlisted  into  the  regular  Coast  Guard  on  February  14,  2003.    The 
JAG stated that Article 1.G.1.a. of the Coast Guard Personnel Manual provides that the 
enlistment  of  Coast  Guard  Reserve  personnel  who  are  serving  on  EAD  for  twelve 
months  or  more  shall  be  considered  a  reenlistment.    The  JAG  alleged  that  the 
applicant’s  time  on  EAD  with  the  Reserves  was  only  ten  months,  and  thirteen  days.  
Accordingly, the JAG alleged, the applicant was not eligible for an SRB because she did 
not  serve  on  EAD  with  the  Reserves  for  the  requisite  twelve  months,  and  thus  her 
contract  on  February  14,  2003,  should  be  characterized  as  an  enlistment,  not  a 
reenlistment.   

 

APPLICANT’S RESPONSE TO THE VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

 
 
On October 19, 2004, the Chair sent a copy of the views of the Coast Guard to the 
applicant and invited her to respond within 30 days.  On October 27, 2004, the applicant 
requested  an  extension  of  time  to  file  her  response  to  the  Coast  Guard’s  advisory 
opinion.  The Chair granted that request and the applicant was given until January 17, 
2005, to file her response.  No response was received. 
 

APPLICABLE LAW 

 
Article  1.G.1.a.  of  the  Coast  Guard  Personnel  Manual  provides  that  “the 
 
enlistment of any person who has previously served in the Regular Coast Guard shall 
be considered a reenlistment.  The enlistment of Coast Guard Reserve personnel who 
are serving on extended active duty and who have served on extended active duty for 
12 months or more shall be considered a reenlistment.” 
 
 
member must meet the following criteria: 
 

Article 3.C.4.b. of the Personnel Manual states that to receive a Zone B SRB, the 

1. Reenlist not later than 3 months after discharge or release from active duty in a 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

rating authorized an SRB multiple. 

2. Have completed 17 months continuous active duty (including extended active 
duty  as  a  Reserve)  at  any  point  in  their  military  career.  The  17  months 
continuous active duty need not have been completed immediately prior to the 
reenlistment or extension. 

3. Have completed at least 6 but not more than 10 years active service on the date 
of reenlistment or the operative date of the extension. 

4.  Be  serving  in  pay  grade  E-5  or  higher.  Personnel  who  are  changing  rate,  as 
approved by the Commandant, are eligible as an E-4 provided they were E-5 or 
higher immediately prior to changing rate. 

5.  Reenlist  or  extend  enlistment  in  the  Regular  Coast  Guard  for  a  period  of  at 
least 3 full years, provided the reenlistment or extension, when added to existing 
active service, will provide a total active duty of no less than 10 years. 

6. Have not previously received a Zone B SRB. 

7.  Attain  eligibility  prior  to  the  termination  of  a  multiple  for  that  particular 
rating. 

8. Meet any additional eligibility criteria the Commandant may prescribe. 

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS 

 
 
The  Board  makes  the  following  findings  and  conclusions  on  the  basis  of  the 
applicant's military record and submissions, the Coast Guard's submission, and appli-
cable law: 
 
 
§ 1552.   The application was timely filed. 

The  Board  has  jurisdiction  concerning  this  matter  pursuant  to  10  U.S.C. 

1. 

 
2. 

The  JAG  recommended  that  the  Board  deny  relief  because  pursuant  to 
Article 1.G.1.a. of the Personnel Manual, the applicant did not serve on EAD with the 
Reserves  for  the  requisite  twelve  months,  and  thus  her  February  14,  2003,  contract 
should be characterized as an enlistment.   However, the JAG’s assessment ignores the 
first  sentence  of  Article  1.G.1.a,  which  states  that  the  enlistment  of  any  member  who 
previously served in the regular Coast Guard shall be considered a reenlistment.  The 
Board  finds  that  the  JAG’s  reliance  on  the  second  sentence  of  Article  1.G.1a.  is 
erroneous, because the second sentence clearly applies to EAD members enlisting in the 

regular Coast Guard who have never served on regular active duty.  Such is not the case 
here. 

 
3. 

The Board finds that the applicant’s February 14, 2003, contract should be 
characterized as a reenlistment.  The first sentence of Article 1.G.1.a. of the Personnel 
Manual provides that “the enlistment of any person who has previously served in the 
Regular Coast Guard shall be considered a reenlistment.”  The applicant’s Coast Guard 
record indicates that she served in the regular Coast Guard from May 19, 1980, to April 
26, 1988.  Thus, the Board finds that when the applicant signed the reenlistment contract 
on February 14, 2003, she had previously served nearly eight years in the regular Coast 
Guard and hence her entry into the regular Coast Guard on February 14, 2003, was a 
reenlistment. 
 

4. 

The  Board  finds  that  because  the  applicant’s  enlistment  into  the  regular 
Coast Guard on February 14, 2003, was a reenlistment, she is entitled to a Zone B SRB 
calculated with a multiple of 2 in accordance with ALCOAST 329/02.  The applicant is 
entitled to an SRB because she satisfies all of the eligibility requirements for a Zone B 
SRB set forth in Article 3.C.4.b. of the Personnel Manual.  Specifically, Article 3.C.4.b. 
provides “to receive a Zone B SRB, the member must reenlist not later than 3 months 
after discharge or release from active duty in a rating authorized an SRB multiple.”  In 
this  case,  the  applicant  was  on  extended  active  duty  the  day  before  she  reenlisted.  
Therefore,  she  reenlisted  less  than  three  months  after  her  discharge  from  active  duty 
and is entitled to the SRB. 
 

5. 

Accordingly, relief should be granted.  

 

 

ORDER 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 
 

        

 
 Quang D. Nguyen 

The military record of XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, USCG, shall be corrected 
to  show  that  she  reenlisted,  rather  than  enlisted,  in  the  regular  Coast  Guard  for  four 
years on February 14, 2003, and therefore became entitled to a Zone B SRB as provided 
under ALCOAST 329/02.  The Coast Guard shall pay her the amount due as a result of 
this correction. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 Eric J. Young 

 

 
 Dorothy J. Ulmer