CASE NO:  AD97-00510

PART II - APPLICATION DATA
(Note: Part I deleted under the Privacy Act on Reading Room copy)

1.  Type of discharge (or characterization of service):  GD
 
2.  Date of discharge (or REFRAD):  890223

3.  Authority for separation:

	a.  Regulation:  Chapter 14, AR 635-200

	b.  Reason:	Misconduct - Commission of a Serious Offense
                           
4.  Prior review(s):  ( X ) NONE

PART III - SERVICE HISTORY
SECTION A - Period of Service Under Review

1.	Service data:                              2.  Awards and decorations:
                                                                                                       
a.  Period entered for:  4 Years               Type
b.  Entry date:  871021                        AAM
c.  Age:  23 Years   DOB:  640425              ASR                         
d.  Educational level:  15 Years                                           
e.  Aptitude area scores:  ( X ) NIF/NA
	    GT:  112                               3.  Highest grade achieved:
    f.  Actual creditable service:  1 Year             
        2 Months  19 Days                          Grade    
                                                   E3        

                                               4.  Performance evaluations:  
                                                   ( X ) NONE

					CASE NO:  AD97-00510

PART III - SERVICE HISTORY
SECTION A - Period of Service Under Review - Continued

5.  Periods of unauthorized absence:  
                                                                    
    Status       Inclusive dates                       
	AWOL         880922-881029                                         
	Mil conf     890103-890113                                         
	Civil conf                                                         
	Other                                                              

6.  Nonjudicial punishment:  ( X ) NONE

7.  Court-Martial data:  
	
    SCM for AWOL (881220).

8.	Remarks:  Creditable service differ from DD Form 214, item 12(c), the  	enlistment date is incorrect, should be (871021)

SECTION B - Other Service Data

                                   ( X ) NONE

            

	CASE NO:  AD97-00510

PART IV - PREHEARING REVIEW
SECTION A - Analyst's Assessment

1.  Summary of facts and circumstances concerning discharge:

    890124:  Unit commander notified the applicant of initiation of separation 
             action under the provisions of Chapter 14, AR 635-200, for misconduct, 
             commission of a serious offense.  He was advised of his rights.
    890202:  Separation authority waived rehabilitation and approved separation with 
             a general discharge.
    890223:  Applicant was discharged.

2.  Issue(s) of propriety and/or equity on DD Form 293 or incorporated by reference:

    See attached DD Form 293.

3.  Exhibit(s) submitted:

	A-1:  DD Form 293, dated 961205

PART IV - PREHEARING REVIEW
SECTION B - Medical and/or Legal Advisory Opinion
( X ) NONE

PART V - SUMMARY OF REVIEW HEARING

	a.  Applicant testified:    (   ) Yes   ( X ) No

	b.  Witness(es) testified:  (   ) Yes   ( X ) No

2.  Exhibit(s) submitted at hearing:  ( X ) NONE

				CASE NO:  AD97-00510

PART VI - ISSUES AND FINDINGS

1.  a.  Applicant's issue(s) of propriety and/or equity:
	    ( X )	Same as those listed on DD Form 293 and Part IV, Section A, Paragraph 2.
	    (   )	Revised issue(s) furnished in writing by applicant as follows:
	    (   )	Additional issue(s) identified during review/hearing as follows:

    b.  Request:  ( X ) Recharacterization    (   ) Change of Reason

2.  Finding(s), conclusion(s), and reason(s) for the Board's decision(s) on issues of propriety and/or equity:

	a.  Propriety:	The applicant has not submitted an issue of propriety and the ADRB has not otherwise relied upon an issue of propriety to change the discharge. 
 
    b.  Equity:    The parenthetical numbers below correspond to the issue numbers on 			the DD Form 293, or in Part VI, Paragraph 1, above.  

       (1) The issue is rejected.  The US Army does not have, nor has it ever had, a policy to automatically upgrade discharges. Each case is decided on its own merits when an applicant submits a DD form 293 requesting a change in discharge.  Changes may be warranted if the Board determines that the characterization of service or the reason for discharge or both were improper or inequitable.  The Defense Discharge Review Standards specifically state:  "No factors shall be established that require automatic change or denial of a change in discharge."  
  The applicant's discharge was appropriate because the quality of service determination at the time of discharge was inconsistent with the Army's standards for acceptable personal conduct and performance of duty by military personnel. By  misconduct and poor duty performance the applicant diminished the quality of service below that meriting a fully honorable discharge.  The applicant provided no independent corroborating evidence demonstrating that either the command's action was erroneous or the applicant’s service mitigated the misconduct or poor duty performance.  The Board, being convinced that the reason for discharge and the characterization of service were both proper and equitable, voted to deny relief.

3.  Response to item(s) not addressed as decisional issue(s):  ( X ) NA

			CASE NO:  AD97-00510

PART VII - BOARD ACTION
SECTION A - Conclusions/Decisions/Vote

1.	Board conclusion(s):

	The discharge was:

	( X )	Proper.
	(   )	Improper as to characterization.  Change characterization to                                     .
	(   )	Improper as to reason.  Change reason to                         under                      .
	( X )	Equitable.
	(   )	Inequitable as to characterization.  Change characterization to                               .
	(   )	Inequitable as to reason.  Change reason to                        
		under                                 .
	(   )	Both proper and equitable, but characterization/reason for separation cited was an administrative/clerical error and should be changed to                      under                         .

2.  Voting record:      Change   No Change
	            Reason       0         5  
    Characterization       0         5   

	  The names and votes of the members of the Board are recorded in Part IX of this document and can be obtained by writing to the address below.  The request must contain the CASE NO. located in the upper right corner of this document.

                  Department of the Army Review Boards Agency
                  ATTN:  CPCD
                  1941 Jefferson Davis Highway, 2nd Floor
                  Arlington, VA  22202-4508

3.  Minority views:  ( X ) NA

				CASE NO:  AD97-00510

PART VII - BOARD ACTION
SECTION B - Verification and Authentication

Case report reviewed and verified	

                          	
MAJ WYRICK
Post Hearing Reviewer	

PART VIII - DIRECTIVE/CERTIFICATION
SECTION A - DIRECTIVE

(X) NONE

SECTION B - CERTIFICATION

Approval Authority:

EL CARTIO BARNES
Colonel, U.S. Army
President, Army Discharge
   Review Board

Official:

SHERRY HILL SARGENT
Major, U.S. Army
Chief, Secretary Recorder

EXHIBITS:
A - Application for review of discharge                   C - Other
B - Material submitted by applicant                  	

INDEX RECORD: 

AD9700510         970409    GD    890223    AR635-200 C14     A6730    NC 5-0 A
1          10 11 12        18    20        26                41       46 49  52

                  A9200   A0100   A9447                              
                 53      58      63                                  

			CASE NO:  AD97-00510

PART IX - VOTING RECORD

    Name                                   Reason          Characterization
                                           CHANGE   NC     HON  UHC   NC  UNCHAR

    1.  MAJ WYRICK, JIMMY              Mbr          X                 X      

    2.  LTC PHILLIPS, JOHN             Mbr          X                 X      

    3.  LTC SMITH, LILLIAN             Mbr          X                 X      

    4.  LTC WHISKER, JILL              Mbr          X                 X      

    5.  COL ALLEN, THOMAS              PO           X                 X