Dickenson v. United States

163 Ct. Cl. 512, 1963 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 157, 1963 WL 8493
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedDecember 13, 1963
DocketNo. 497-59
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 163 Ct. Cl. 512 (Dickenson 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
Dickenson v. United States, 163 Ct. Cl. 512, 1963 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 157, 1963 WL 8493 (cc 1963).

Opinion

Per Curiam :

This military pay case was referred to Trial Commissioner Mastín G. White, pursuant to Kule 45, with directions to make findings of fact and recommendations for [514]*514conclusions of law. The commissioner has done so in a report filed March 5, 1963. The defendant objects to the commissioner’s opinion and recommended conclusion; the plaintiff accepts both the opinion and the conclusion; both parties accept the commissioner’s findings of fact. Briefs have been filed and the court has had the benefit of oral argument. With the exception of one observation in the commissioner’s opinion which is unnecessary to the conclusion he reaches, the court agrees with the opinion, findings, and conclusion of the commissioner, and adopts them (with the indicated modification in the opinion), as supplemented by the next paragraph, as the basis for its judgment in this case.

The defendant admits that so long as the plaintiff was held in the military service for the convenience of the Government he would be entitled to his pay even though his enlistment had expired. The argument against recovery is that plaintiff was no longer held for the Government’s convenience after January 27, 1954. The holding for medical treatment ended on that date and thereafter plaintiff was held for trial on the court-martial charges which had been served on January 22, 1954. Defendant says that in these circumstances the holding for trial by court-martial was not for the Government’s convenience. In our view, however, plaintiff continued as a matter of law to be held for the convenience of the Government after January 27th since during that period the Army held and confined him in connection with the proceedings on the court-martial charges. That holding was as much for the Army’s benefit as the holding of a soldier to await the preparation and service of court-martial charges or to undergo medical treatment. Since plaintiff was thus held for the Army’s convenience his pay and allowances continued until properly forfeited pursuant to the convening authority’s approval of the forfeitures on July 13,1954.

Commissioner White’s opinion, as approved by the court, is as follows:

The plaintiff, who formerly was an enlisted man in the United States Army, asserts in the present action a claim for military pay and allowances with respect to a period during [515]*515which he was held in confinement by the Army while awaiting a trial before a court-martial, while the trial was in progress, and while the record of the trial was under consideration by the officer who had appointed and convened the court-martial.

The plaintiff enlisted in the Army on March 31, 1950, for a 3-year term of service. The plaintiff’s term of enlistment normally would have expired on March 30, 1953. Because of the Korean conflict, however, the enlistments of persons (such as the plaintiff) whose terms of military service were scheduled to expire between July 1, 1952, and June 30, 1953, were extended for 9 months by Executive Order 10345 (April 17, 1952; 17 F.R. 3477). Pursuant to such extension, the term of the plaintiff’s enlistment would have expired on December 30, 1953, but for the fact that the Department of the Army, by means of a circular (No. 38, May 15, 1952), directed that the periods of military service of persons (such as the plaintiff) whose terms of enlistment, as extended, were scheduled to expire in December 1953 should be adjusted so that such persons would be discharged from the service, or relieved from active duty and transferred to a Reserve component, sometime during the period April 1-15, 1953. Therefore, the plaintiff’s term of enlistment, as extended and as adjusted, was scheduled to expire not later than April 15, 1953.

On April 15,1953, the plaintiff was a prisoner of war in the custody of the enemy. He had arrived in Korea on September 20,1950, for active service in the Korean conflict, and he had served in action during that conflict until he was captured by the enemy on November 5, 1950. The plaintiff remained in the custody of the enemy as a prisoner of war until on or about September 5,1953, when he was turned over to the custody of the Neutral Nations Eepatriation Commission. Thereafter, the plaintiff was returned to the military control of the United States on or about October 21,1953.

Immediately after being returned to the military control of the United States, the plaintiff was hospitalized at the 121st Evacuation Hospital in Korea. After spending a day in that hospital, the plaintiff was transferred by air to the Tokyo Army Hospital in Japan, where he remained for about 18 days. While there, the plaintiff received some medical [516]*516check-ups and some dental care. Laboratory tests were made which showed the presence of ascaris ova, and an interim diagnosis of ascariasis was made. The plaintiff was given medication for this condition.

From Japan, the plaintiff was transferred by air to the United States. He arrived in Washington, D.C., on November 21,1958, and was assigned to the Medical Holding Detachment (Enlisted) at the Walter Eeed Army Hospital.

Upon arriving at the Walter Eeed Army Hospital on November 21, 1953, the plaintiff was given a medical examination. An admission diagnosis of ascariasis and situational maladjustment was made. The plaintiff remained at the Walter Eeed Army Hospital on that occasion for about 6 hours. He applied for leave, and, by direction of the commanding general of the hospital, he was granted a 30-day period of convalescent leave.

After being granted convalescent leave, the plaintiff went from Washington, D.C., to his home at Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Virginia. The plaintiff’s period of convalescent leave was extended for 14 days by the hospital authorities at the Walter Eeed Army Hospital on December 21,1953; it was further extended for a 10-day period on January 4,1954; and it was further extended for an additional 10-day period on January 14,1954. The first of these extensions was granted by the hospital authorities without any request having been submitted by the plaintiff. The second and third extensions were granted pursuant to requests made by the plaintiff.

During the period of leave referred to in the preceding paragraph, the plaintiff went to a Veterans Administration hospital in J ohnson City, Tennessee, for treatment because of a chest ailment. He remained at that hospital for 4 or 5 days, and then returned to his home.

The plaintiff reported back to the Walter Eeed Army Hospital on January 21,1954. Shortly after his arrival, he was given a general physical examination at the hospital.

On January 22, 1954, which was the day after the plaintiff returned to the Walter Reed Army Hospital from his home in southwestern Virginia, he was served with criminal charges alleging the offenses of aiding the enemy and misconduct as a prisoner of war, in violation of Articles 104 and 105 of the [517]*517Uniform Code of Military Justice.1 The plaintiff was placed in confinement on January 22, 1954, to await trial before a court-martial.

Effective January 22, 1954, the Army discontinued the plaintiff’s pay and allowances. The plaintiff received all his pay and allowances for the period up to and including January 21, 1954.

The plaintiff was held in confinement at the Walter Deed Army Hospital until January 27, 1954. On that date, the plaintiff was the subject of consideration by a medical board at the hospital.

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Bluebook (online)
163 Ct. Cl. 512, 1963 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 157, 1963 WL 8493, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dickenson-v-united-states-cc-1963.