This сase comes before the court on defendant’s unopposed motion for summary judgment, filed February 27, 1978. After considering the motion, without oral argument, the сourt concludes that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and defendant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
Plaintiffs claim is one for retirеment pay under 10 U.S.C. §§ 1331-32 (1976). Plaintiff contends that the period
Plaintiffs record of federal military service is as follows:
National Guard (Delaware), enlisted — December 23, 1915 — June 26, 1916 (6 months, 4 days);
U.S. Marine Corps, enlisted — July 2, 1918 — October 20, 1919 (1 year, 3 months, 19 days);
U.S. Marine Corps Reservе, commissioned — April 24, 1924 — November 7, 1940 (16 years, 6 months, 24 days);
U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, commissioned (inactive) (honorary retired list, without pay) — November 8, 1940 — March 8, 1942 (1 year, 4 months, 1 day);
U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (active duty) — March 9, 1942 — March 5, 1943 (11 months, 27 days).
The Secretary of the Navy placed plaintiff on the honorary retired list, without pay, аs of November 8, 1940, for twice failing the examination for promotion to captain in the Marine Corps Reserve.
On October 23, 1966, plaintiff applied for retired pay to the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps claiming that before his discharge he had completed 20 years of creditable service. His application was denied on December 20, 1966, based on 10 U.S.C. § 1334 (1976), which specifically provides that time spent (without pay) after retirement is not creditable toward computation of satisfactory military service. The letter of denial pointed out that since the period plaintiff spent on the honorary retired list could not be credited, plaintiff could not be deemed to have served at least 20 years оf creditable federal service.
This court lacks jurisdiction to hear a claim which is not filed "within six years after the claim first accrues.” 28 U.S.C. § 2501 (1976). In Oceanic S.S. Co. v. United States,
A claim against the United States first accruеs on the date when all the events have occurred which fix the liability of the Government and entitle the claimant to institute an action. [Citations omitted.]
In this case, plaintiff was not entitled to institute an action for retirement pay until he had served 20 years of creditable federal service and had reachеd the age of 60. 10 U.S.C. § 1331 (1976). Although plaintiff reached his sixtieth birthday on May 7, 1957, he could never be deemed to have completed 20 years of satisfactory servicе unless the period he spent on the honorary retired list were found not to come within the purview of 10 U.S.C. § 1334(b) (1976), which specifically states:
Time spent after retirement (without pay) for failure to conform to standards and qualifications prescribed under section 1001 of this title may not be credited in a computation оf years of service under this chapter.
Plaintiff contends that he "has never spent time in the service within the meaning of [10 U.S.C. § 1334(b)] nor has he ever consented thereto, nor has he ever been notified that he had been retired without pay for failure to conform to standards and qualifications * * *.” The record does not bear out plaintiffs contention. Rather, the record demon
Since the record shows that plaintiff was in fact placed on the honorary retired list, without pay, the оnly way that he can fulfill the 20-year service requirement is by arguing that the time spent on the list was creditable as satisfactory service. In view of the bar of 10 U.S.C. § 1334 (1976), this argumеnt cannot succeed. Plaintiff was placed on the honorary retired list, without pay, for twice failing to pass a promotion examination. The Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps considered this to be a "failure to conform to standards and qualifications prescribed under section 1001” and we agree. It wоuld be contrary to common sense and the plain words of the statute to hold otherwise.
Since the time plaintiff spent on the honorary retired list without pay is not creditable towards the service requirement for retirement pay, plaintiff is left with the arguments that his separation from active duty on November 8, 1940, and his placement on the honorary retired list were improper and that he should be given constructive credit for the time during which he was retired.
it is therefore ordered that defendant’s motion for summary judgment is granted and the petition is dismissed.
Notes
Actually, plaintiff sat for the examination only once. He refused to take the еxamination a second time. Pursuant to Marine Corps regulations, he was considered to have failed the second examination.
Plaintiffs petition aрparently reflects the mistaken belief that the upgrade in plaintiffs discharge in 1975 made him eligible for retirement benefits that had previously been denied. Howеver, benefits were never denied plaintiff on the basis of the character of his discharge but always on the basis of his failure to complete 20 years’ satisfactory service. Thus, the upgrade in plaintiffs discharge is irrelevant to his claim here.
In holding that plaintiffs claim is barred by the statute of limitations, we recognizе that members of reserve components of the armed services were not in a category which qualified for retirement pay until June 29,1948 (date of enactment of Pub. L. No. 810, 62 Stat. 1081). However, even if plaintiffs claim were deemed to accrue on that date, it would still be barred by the statute of limitations.