DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY 
BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF NAVAL RECORDS 
701 S. COURTHOUSE ROAD, SUITE 1001 
ARLINGTON, VA 22204-2490

Docket No. 8834-18

From:  Chairman, Board for Correction of Naval Records 
To:    Secretary of the Navy 
          
Ref:   (a) 10 U.S.C. § 1552 
 
Encl:  (1) DD Form 149 with attachments 
 
1.  Pursuant to the provisions of the reference, Petitioner, a former enlisted member of the Marine Corps, filed the enclosure with this Board requesting that the general characterization of his discharge be changed.   
 
2.  The Board, consisting of , reviewed Petitioner’s allegations of error and injustice on 13 November 2019 and, pursuant to its regulations, a majority determined that the corrective action indicated below should be taken on the available evidence of record.  Documentary material considered by the Board consisted of the enclosures, naval records, and applicable statutes, regulations and policies. 
 
3.  The Board, having reviewed all the facts of record pertaining to Petitioner’s allegations of error and injustice finds as follows: 
       
        a.   Before applying to this Board, Petitioner exhausted all administrative remedies available under existing law and regulations within the Department of the Navy. 
        
        b.   Although the enclosure was not filed in a timely manner, it is in the interest of justice to waive the statute of limitations and review the application on its merits. 
        
        c.   Petitioner enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve, and began a period of active duty on 6 February 1952.  He served for two years and three months without disciplinary incident, but on 15 May 1954, he received non-judicial punishment (NJP) for a three hour and 40 minute period of unauthorized absence from his unit.  The Petitioner continued to serve without further disciplinary incidents.  On 5 February 1955, he was discharged under honorable conditions with a general characterization of service.  At the time of his discharge, he had a conduct average of 4.0, which was sufficient for a fully honorable characterization of service. 
  
CONCLUSION: 
 
Upon review and consideration of all the evidence of record, the Board concludes that Petitioner’s request warrants favorable action.  The Board’s finding is based on his periodic conduct marks.  The Board notes that his conduct average was sufficiently high to warrant a fully honorable characterization of service.  Based on the foregoing the Board concludes that no useful purpose is served by continuing to characterize his service as having been under honorable conditions and recharacterization to a fully honorable discharge is appropriate. 
 
RECOMMENDATION: 
 
In view of the foregoing, the Board finds the existence of an error and injustice warranting the following corrective action: 
 
That Petitioner’s Marine Corps record shall be corrected to show that Petitioner was honorably discharged on 5 February 1955. 
 
That he shall be issued a new Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214). 
 
That a copy of this report of proceedings shall be filed in Petitioner’s Marine Corps record. 
 
That, upon request, the Department of Veterans Affairs should be informed that Petitioner’s application was received by the Board on 3 October 2018. 
 
4.  It is certified that a quorum was present at the Board’s review and deliberations, and that the foregoing is a true and complete record of the Board’s proceedings in the above-entitled matter. 
 
5.  Pursuant to the delegation of authority set out in Section 6(e) of the revised Procedures of the Board for Correction of Naval Records (32 Code of Federal Regulation, Section 723.6(e)) and having assured compliance with its provisions, it is hereby announced that the foregoing corrective action, taken under the authority of the reference, has been approved by the Board on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy.