Gordon v. United States

121 F. Supp. 625, 129 Ct. Cl. 270
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedJune 8, 1954
Docket50395
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 121 F. Supp. 625 (Gordon 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
Gordon v. United States, 121 F. Supp. 625, 129 Ct. Cl. 270 (cc 1954).

Opinion

LARAMORE, Judge.

The facts sufficiently appear from the opinion of the court.

This is an action by a Colonel of the Army of the United States for accrued leave, for mileage, and pay and allowances to his home, and for his pay and allowances as a Colonel in the Army of the United States on active duty from July 25, 1947, to June 19, 1951, with interest.

The case is submitted on plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment, affidavit in support thereof, defendant’s objections thereto, and defendant’s motion for summary judgment.

Plaintiff was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Reserve on June 5, 1937. On March 26, 1941, plaintiff was called to active duty as Second Lieutenant, Army of the United States. While on active duty plaintiff was promoted through the various grades and finally on June 1, 1944, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, Army of the United States. He continued to hold the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, AUS, until July 25, 1947, when he was released from active duty and discharged by Special Order No. 146, Headquarters, Fort Myer, Virginia.

On April 18, 1947, while plaintiff was on temporary duty in the United States from his assigned duty station in Korea he was placed under arrest by the military authorities at the Pentagon. He was held in arrest until July 25, 1947, when Special Order No. 146 was issued relieving plaintiff from active duty.

Plaintiff was informed of and knew of the allegations and accusations made against him. During the preliminary investigation of the accusations he was represented by civilian counsel of his own choosing. Plaintiff refused to cooperate in the preliminary investigation of the accusations against him and refused on the advice of his counsel to answer questions on the grounds of incrimination.

The substance of the accusations made against plaintiff, which were the subject of preliminary investigation, are as follows:

“(1) Violation of customs laws and regulations by importing into the United States property of value without paying the duty thereon.
“(2) Violation of Army Regula- • tion 600-10 dated July 8, 1944, which prohibited service personnel from accepting substantial gifts from foreigners with whom they had official business.
“(3) Misappropriation of foreign property.”

*627 A preliminary investigation of the accusations against plaintiff was conducted both in the United States and in Korea but no formal charges were filed against plaintiff while this investigation was in progress. While the preliminary investigation was still in progress in Korea, a report of the preliminary investigation conducted in the United States was filed on May 21, 1947, marked “confidential.” This report recommended that charges be preferred against plaintiff. It concluded that this should be done without waiting for the report from Korea which might be “unproductive of evidence of further crime” by plaintiff. Following this the Provost Marshal, on May 29, 1947, sent a formal charge sheet to General Ferenbaugh who had court-martial jurisdiction of plaintiff and recommended trial by general court-martial. A conference was held on June 16, 1947, between General Ferenbaugh, his Staff Judge Advocate, Colonel Olevette, and officers of the Provost Marshal’s office for the Military District of Washington, and it was decided not to court-martial plaintiff but to separate him from the service as surplus and not give him a reserve commission. Plaintiff was never served with formal charges, they were never referred to trial, and they were dropped.

On July 25, 1947, Special Order No. 146, Headquarters, Fort Myer, Virginia, was issued. Paragraph 31 of this order relieved plaintiff from active duty effective July 25, 1947, and provided that his temporary commission should not remain in force. It further provided that War Department letter of discharge would be forwarded to plaintiff.

By letter dated August 13, 1947, the Department of the Army notified plaintiff that by direction of the President he was discharged from his temporary commission as Lieutenant Colonel, AUS, effective July 25, 1947, and from his commission as First Lieutenant, Finance Department, Reserve, effective August 13, 1947. He was refused a certificate of honorable service, terminal leave, mileage, and pay and allowances.

Plaintiff applied to the Army Board on Correction of Military Records for relief. On March 13, 1951, plaintiff was notified by letter from the Adjutant General of the Army that his separation from service had been further reviewed by the Army Board on Correction of Military Records under section 207 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, 60 Stat. 812, 837, 5 U.S.C. § 191a (1946), 5 U.S.C.A. § 191a, and was further advised that the Secretary of the Army had directed that the records of plaintiff be corrected to show that his release from active duty and discharge without specification were in error and unjust. As part of this corrective action plaintiff was promoted to the rank of Colonel (terminal) effective July 25, 1947, was issued a certificate of service showing that he had served honorably from March 26, 1941, to July 25, 1947, was relieved from active duty as a Colonel, AUS, and discharged from his temporary commission as Colonel, AUS, effective July 25, 1947. He was further issued an Officers Reserve Corps commission in the grade of Colonel, Finance Reserve, effective July 25, 1947. He was further notified that his application for restoration to active duty as of July 25, 1947, and all other requests for correction were denied.

All these corrections to plaintiff’s records were subsequently made.

Defendant, on March 14, 1952, filed in this court a motion to dismiss on the ground that plaintiff had not exhausted the administrative remedy given to him by Public Law 220. As a result of a hearing before this court on that motion, this case was suspended to give plaintiff an opportunity to seek monetary relief from the Army Board on Correction of Military Records. Plaintiff applied to the board for this relief and was notified by letter dated July 18, 1952, that he was entitled to $1,019.31 by reason of the correction of his records as follows:

*628 Credits:

Base and Longevity Pay: Diff in pay bet Col 0/9 and Lt Col 0/9 for (1) day-25 July 1947............ $ 1.76

Unused Furlough Credits:

Col 0/9 yrs sv (60 days) w/dep

Pay ........... $843.34

Qtrs ........... 240.00

Subs ........... 84.00

1,167.34

Travel Pay:

249.1 miles at 8‡ per mile.. From: Fort Myer, Virginia Scottdale, Penna. 19.93

Total Credits..... $1,189.03

Debits:

Diff in subs allowance bet Col 0/9 w/dep and Lt Col 0/9 w/dep for one (1) day — 25 July 1947 ......$ .70

Withholding Tax (20% of $845.-10) ............ 169.02

- 169.72

Total Amount Due $1,019.31

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121 F. Supp. 625, 129 Ct. Cl. 270, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gordon-v-united-states-cc-1954.