What were the regulations governing wear of Air Force awards between
November 26, 1969 and November 7, 1970? Specifically, was there
authorization for ?temporary wear? of the Air Force Outstanding Unit
Award during this period (that is to say, wear of a unit award awarded
to that unit years prior to the time a newer officer joined the unit),
which there is no provision for currently?

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Clarification of Question by maluca-ga on 13 Sep 2004 13:21 PDT

Tutuzdad:

Were you in the Air Force?

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 13 Sep 2004 13:39 PDT

No, US Army.

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Clarification of Question by maluca-ga on 14 Sep 2004 16:59 PDT

tutuzdad:
Try as I may I cannot consider this question complete. Please post as
comment your response based on the question I asked. Thanks.

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 14 Sep 2004 17:05 PDT

I'm not exactly sure at this point what you'd like me to do when you
say "Please post as comment your response based on the question I
asked". You asked me if I was an Air Force veteran and I responded
"No. I was in the Army". Is there something else you'd like to know or
like me to do? Or are you asking me to officially close your question
with the information I have (and claim the fee) based on what I have
provided thus far?

tutuzdad-ga

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Clarification of Question by maluca-ga on 17 Sep 2004 11:47 PDT

Post as answer

Dear maluca-ga:

Thank you for your willingness to reward me for my research even
though we may not have definitvely established an answer to this
mystery. Rather than rehash what has been said in the course of this
question (and to some extent in your other question as well) I will
simply refer to you the comments below for future reference and say
"Thank you".

On an editorial note, these are strange times we live in, aren't they?
With seemingly greater frequency in this generation questions arise
without a clear answer and just as often perhaps our questions may
seem a bit murky or misunderstood. I am a firm believer in the notion
that "one never knows if one never asks" and no question is unworthy
of asking. I appreciate your persistence in seeking the truth -
regardless of what the truth may be - and I find your efforts
courageous and admirable at the very least.

Thank you again. I look forward to next time.

Sincerest regards;
tutuzdad-ga

I let this rest a while to see if anyone could come up with some
definitive proof one way or the other. Since they have not, I'd like
to offer you this for consideration:

I tried in vain to locate some military regulation that stated the
award was one that can be inherited by future members of the unit who
were not necessarily present when the award was issued. Instead, I
looked to see what was required to have a lost ribbon replaced. To my
surprise I found this:

"This Replacement Recognition is available ONLY to authorized
recipients who possess orders, or authorization form, or release
documentation that confirms award eligibility. (See "Issue
Requirements"). To obtain either a Replacement Medal or a Replacement
Recognition for your authorized award you will be required to provide
military-issued documentation authorizing your award. There are no
exceptions."

Clearly then the implication is that if the award does not appear on a
person's DD214 (as in George Bush's case) then he is not allowed to be
issued a replacement ribbon. Logically then (according to this) one
has to assume that if the award does not appear on someone's DD214 and
he does not qualify for a replacement then he is NOT allowed to have
the award in the first place and is, therefore, NOT authorized to wear
it on his uniform.

U.S. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Replacement Recognition
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/replacement/afoua.htm

Let me know if this suffices.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

"Issue Requirements
You must submit the following:

An unaltered photocopy of your DD-214 or other military issued
document clearly displaying your award of the Air Force Outstanding
Unit Award."

(same site as mentioned above)

tutuzdad-ga

Under Article 134, UCMJ, the maximum punishment for wearing
unauthorized decorations is:

"Bad-conduct discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and
confinement for 6 months."

UCMJ
Article 134 - (Wearing unauthorized insignia, decoration, badge,
ribbon, device, or lapel button)
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/mcm/bl134-56.htm
 

tutuzdad-ga

According to this individual, the answer to your question is NO, there
is no provision for the temporary wear of an AFOUA. He has reportedly
posed this very question to the Air Force Personnel Center and has
published what he says is the original email and response (with
headers)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x675299#675302

If Bush does have a DD215 (a corrected DD214 reflecting later
decorations) I have yet to find it. So for now, assuming this email
mentioned above is authentic, it appears we might assume that no DD215
exists and that the DD214 we have seen (showing no such authority to
wear this award) is the accurate and standing record.

I hope this answers your question.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

This is also assuming that the position of the Air Force on the
temporary wearing of medals is the same now as it was at the time the
Bush photo was taken (it could possibly have changed over the years).

It is also interesting that in this much earlier photo (but well after
the 1966 AFOUA would have been awarded to his unit) Bush is seen in
uniform WITHOUT the medal when he would have been "authorized" to wear
it IF the Air Force regulation allowed him to. Yet he isn't.

http://svt.se/content/1/c6/17/09/75/bush_farosonPRB290.jpg

It is not known if Bush was assigned to one of these units at the time
this photograph was made so I'll let you draw your on conclusion
there.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

Finally, I want to add this (possibly, but not necessarily, in Bush's
defense) that my personal understanding (from experience) is that at
one time (during my military service and apparently during Bush's as
well) if you are in a unit that has EVER won a unit award before you
were assigned to that unit, you get to wear that unit award ONLYE
WHILE ASSIGNED TO THAT UNIT. But, if the unit wins a unit award WHILE
YOU ARE ASSIGNED TO THAT UNIT, you get to wear that unit award
FOREVER.

Now I cannot corroborate that common understanding with any hard
evidence such as a military regulation or I certainly would. But I do
know that this was the acceptable practice at one time and I, as well
as millions of other soldiers, did it with full authority. As I
mentioned, I wore a Korea and Philippines unit citations during my
time int he military and both awards were earned, not by me, but BY MY
UNIT, many years before I was even born. This may very well be the
case with George W. Bush's medals and, in fact, if I had to guess, I
would say it is, meaning ultimatley that no law has probably been
broken and the ribbon in question is probably NOT being worn
inappropriately.

That's pretty much it.

tutuzdad-ga