RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
         AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:	DOCKET NUMBER:  BC-2003-01473
		INDEX CODE:  108.00

		COUNSEL:  NONE

		HEARING DESIRED: NO

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APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

His discharge be changed from honorable to a medical discharge.

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APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

He was part of an illegal experiment.  His life was threatened by a sergeant should he not serve his country.  He was given “speed” with strichnide that resulted in temporal lobe epilepsy.  He was discharged under false conditions and that four others who participated (in drug usage) received general discharges.  He has names and he wants a full explanation of his DD Form 214.  He has no memory of important events, then he had proof – except insanity.

Applicant’s complete submission is at Exhibit A.

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STATEMENT OF FACTS:

Applicant entered active duty on 29 June 1977 as a security specialist.  His personnel record shows a pattern of minor disciplinary infractions including two letters of admonishment, two letters of counseling, a letter of reprimand and an Article 15 resulting in a reduction in grade to Airman Basic (E-1).  His only Airman Performance Report (APR) reflected an overall “4” indicating marginal duty performance.  He also was disqualified from the Human Reliability Program (HRP) the qualification of which is required for security personnel.  In May 1978 he complained of feeling depressed and paranoid and was evaluated in the mental health clinic.  He was diagnosed with situational anxiety and during a subsequent appointment on 15 May 1978, he admitted to use of hashish.  On 30 August 1978, he was honorably discharged, at the convenience of the government, for marginal performance after serving one year, two months and two days.  

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AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The BCMR Medical Consultant reviewed the entire case file and recommends denial.  He notes that according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the applicant, ten years after separation and following separation and divorce from his wife, developed symptoms of depression associated with psychotic features diagnosed as schizophrenia.  The DVA denied the applicant service connected disability compensation for schizophrenia noting no evidence in his military record while he was on active duty or during the presumptive period (12 months) following discharge.  At his separation physical he reported he was in good health.

Ten years following discharge he was hospitalized for schizophrenia.  Although review of the service medical record shows a complaint of depressed mood and paranoid feelings in the context of ongoing occupational problems and admitted drug use, there is no other evidence of mental illness.  Evaluation of those symptoms by a mental health professional rendered a diagnosis of situational anxiety, a condition that would not warrant disability evaluation.  Action and disposition in this case were proper and equitable reflecting compliance with Air Force directives that implement the law.

The medical consultant’s complete evaluation is at Exhibit C.

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APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The applicant states he was 17 when he joined the Air Force and that he had been an athlete most of his life.  He states when he arrived in England (on assignment), he was disillusioned and drugs and alcohol use were rampant.  He never wanted to drink or do drugs but all his seniors did drugs (to the rank of major).  He contends he was “taken in” (peer pressure) and that the drugs and alcohol caused his schizophrenia as there is no mental health problems in his family history.  He used alcohol to medicate himself after he separated from the service.  He could not diagnose himself and contends the Air Force was responsible for him from the day he swore his oath.  If the Air Force had forced him into rehab the damage to his brain would not have occurred.

Applicant’s complete response is at Exhibit E.
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THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT:

1.  The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing law or regulations.

2.  The application was not timely filed; however, it is in the interest of justice to excuse the failure to timely file.

3.  Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of error or injustice.  After a thorough review of the evidence of record and applicant's submission, we are not persuaded that his uncorroborated assertions of illegal experimentation and forced drug usage, in and by themselves, sufficiently persuasive to override the rationale provided by the Air Force.  Therefore, we agree with the opinion and recommendation of the Air Force office of primary responsibility and adopt the rationale expressed as the basis for our decision that the applicant has failed to sustain his burden of having suffered either an error or injustice.  It appears, from the available medical records and Department of Veterans Affair’s (DVA) files, that no evidence of mental illness existed during his period of service but appeared to manifest itself ten years after his discharge, and then only when he went through personal trauma related to separation and divorce.  Therefore, in the absence of persuasive evidence to the contrary, we find no compelling basis to recommend granting the relief sought in this application.

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THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT:

The applicant be notified that the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of material error or injustice; that the application was denied without a personal appearance; and that the application will only be reconsidered upon the submission of newly discovered relevant evidence not considered with this application.

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The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2003-01473 in Executive Session on 2 March 2004, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

	Panel Chair
	Member
	Member

The following documentary evidence was considered:

    Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 24 Apr 03. 
    Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
    Exhibit C.  Letter, BCMR Medical Consultant, dated 5 Dec 03.
    Exhibit D.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 19 Dec 03.
    Exhibit E.  Letter, Applicant, dated 16 Jan 04.

                                   
                                   Panel Chair