Dehne v. United States

23 Cl. Ct. 606, 1991 U.S. Claims LEXIS 283, 1991 WL 120737
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedJuly 3, 1991
DocketNo. 730-86C
StatusPublished
Cited by72 cases

This text of 23 Cl. Ct. 606 (Dehne v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dehne v. United States, 23 Cl. Ct. 606, 1991 U.S. Claims LEXIS 283, 1991 WL 120737 (cc 1991).

Opinion

OPINION

HARKINS, Senior Judge:

Denis E. Dehne, plaintiff, graduated from the Air Force Academy on June 5, 1962. He was appointed second lieutenant in the regular Air Force on June 6, 1962, granted the rating of “pilot” on September 11, 1963, and during service on active duty, he was progressively promoted to the tem[609]*609porary grade of captain. On September 10, 1967, he was discharged from all appointments, and on September 11, 1967, he was appointed a captain in the Reserve of the Air Force. On December 9, 1967, he was appointed a captain in the Air National Guard in the State of Nevada (NVANG). On December 22, 1967, orders were published extending Federal recognition to plaintiff, effective December 9, 1967. While serving in the NVANG, plaintiff was granted the rating of “senior pilot” on March 23, 1972, and was promoted to the Reserve grade of major effective September 11, 1974.

Selection boards, convened June 2, 1980, and June 7, 1981, considered but did not select plaintiff for promotion to the grade of lieutenant colonel. Plaintiff's active status as an officer in ANGUS and as a Reserve of the Air Force was terminated December 10, 1982. He was transferred to the Nonaffiliated Reserve Section (NARS), effective December 11, 1982. He was assigned to the Retired Reserve Section, effective March 10, 1983, credited with 20 years, 9 months and 4 days satisfactory Federal service.

Starting in November 1980, plaintiff began a succession of appeals to the Air Force Board for the Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR) in which he sought to void certain Officer Effectiveness Reports (OERs), to obtain correction of his military records to show promotions, reinstatement as a pilot, and to obtain reimbursement for lost pay. The AFBCMR acted on these appeals in decisions made on November 24, 1982, on February 18, 1987, and on May 9, 1988. The record of proceedings on the AFBCMR’s November 24, 1982, decision was issued February 11, 1983; the record of proceedings on the February 18, 1987, decision was issued August 20, 1987, and for the May 9, 1988, decision, the record of proceedings was issued April 11, 1989.

During the course of his appeals to the Board, plaintiff, on November 19, 1986, filed a complaint in this court to toll the statute of limitations, and moved for suspension pending completion of the administrative proceedings. Proceedings on the complaint were suspended from January 5, 1987, to June 21, 1989. On July 20, 1989, plaintiff filed an amended complaint.

Initially, the AFBCMR, on February 11, 1983, denied plaintiffs appeal. Plaintiff persisted and submitted supplemental evidence. On reconsideration, the AFBCMR on August 20, 1987, provided substantial relief. As a result of plaintiff’s efforts for correction of errors and removal of injustices, the Board has: declared void seven OERs and one certificate of Air Crew Qualification (AF Form 8) and ordered their removal from his records; declared void orders that transferred plaintiff to NARS; corrected the records to show that plaintiff was considered and selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel, with a promotion service date and effective date of September 11,1981, and to show that on December 12, 1982, orders were issued by competent authority assigning plaintiff to the ARPC/ RRPS, Category H; corrected plaintiff’s records to add membership points, and inactive duty points so that plaintiff has satisfactory Federal service for retirement for the 5-year period September 11, 1982, through September 10, 1987, and recommended that plaintiff’s records as corrected be presented to a Flying Evaluation Board (FEB).

Pursuant to those corrections, defendant has offered plaintiff back pay for the difference between grades of major and lieutenant colonel totalling $1,265.47 for the period September 12, 1981, to December 5, 1982. Plaintiff refused to accept the settlement offer on the ground that the pay and allowances due had been calculated improperly.

In its consideration of plaintiff’s appeals, the Board adhered to its finding that plaintiff’s evidence was insufficient to establish that evaluations of less than satisfactory on six flight checks were erroneous, and has denied plaintiff’s requests to remove the related AF Forms 8 from his records. The Board also denied plaintiff’s request for reinstatement to an active status in the Reserve, in ANGUS, or as a member of the NVANG and to duties as a RF-4 pilot. The Board reiterated its belief that placing [610]*610plaintiff in a position enabling him to seek an active assignment was adequate relief, and it would not be appropriate to award plaintiff pay and allowances for services he actually did not perform. The Board further denied plaintiff’s request that his records be corrected to show that he was promoted to the grade of colonel. The Board stated that plaintiff’s assertion that if he had remained on active service he would have been promoted to colonel was speculative, particularly in view of the competition for the limited number of colonel vacancies. The Board noted that plaintiff never had performed duties in the rank of lieutenant colonel, and his promotion to that rank was fitting relief for the injustice he had suffered.

Pursuant to the Board’s April 11, 1989, recommendation, plaintiff’s military records, as corrected, were considered by a FEB on January 7, 1990. The transcript of the FEB’s proceedings included findings that plaintiff:

—does not hold a current effective aeronautical rating of Command Pilot;
—is less than the current maximum age in grade for a lieutenant colonel;
—is medically qualified for aviation service;
—was qualified for aviation service at the time his aeronautical orders were invalidated;
—meets the desired minimum flying hours;
—has a mandatory retirement date of July 5, 1990;
—last flight in the RF4C was on August 31, 1978;
—civilian flying experience since relieved from NVANG duties included 550 hours in Cessna 150/172 and Lear jet to 1983, and is currently flying as second officer for Pan Am A-300, with several hundred hours in the past 3 years;
—does not have the required retainability to take part in the active duty for training required for requalification.

The FEB recommended: (1) plaintiff’s aeronautical orders not be revalidated, and (2) plaintiff should not be requalified for aviation service.

Plaintiff’s amended complaint, filed July 20, 1989, seeks: pay and allowances due an officer serving in the grade of lieutenant colonel from December 11, 1982, to the date of judgment; flight pay from the date of termination of flight status to the date of judgment; credit for additional active duty days of his unit; and compensation commensurate with the relief granted as a result of corrections made by the Board. In addition, the amended complaint seeks an order that directs the Air Force Secretary to correct plaintiff’s records to show: (a) immediate promotion to rank of colonel and (b) retroactive restoration to active status in NVANG as an RF-4 pilot.

Plaintiff’s claims now are before the court on cross-motions for summary judgment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
23 Cl. Ct. 606, 1991 U.S. Claims LEXIS 283, 1991 WL 120737, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dehne-v-united-states-cc-1991.