RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:	DOCKET NUMBER:  BC-2012-04127
		COUNSEL:  NONE
	 Deceased)	HEARING DESIRED:  NO
	 (Applicant)

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APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

Her deceased husband’s Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharge be 
upgraded to “Honorable.”

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APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

Her husband was given an unfair discharge because of his race.  He 
was the only African-American in the Security Police Squadron and 
his commander and the chain of command tried to do anything to get 
him out of the Air Force.  Prior to his discharge, he was demoted 
from the grade of staff sergeant (SSgt, E-5) to the grade of airman 
second class (A2C, E-3).  He had honorable service prior to the 
events that occurred at his last assignment.  He worked for 37 years 
without any problems.

In support of her request, the applicant provides a copy of the 
decedent’s military records.

Her complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A.

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STATEMENT OF FACTS:

On 6 Jul 1951, the decedent enlisted in the Regular Air Force for a 
period of four years and on 5 Jul 1955, he was discharged in the 
grade of SSgt for the purpose of reenlistment.  His service during 
this period was “Honorable.”

On 6 Jul 1955, the decedent reenlisted in the Regular Air Force for 
a period of six years.

On 20 Sep 1960, his commander notified him that he was recommending 
he be discharged.  The specific reason for his action is reflected 
in the Notification Memorandum at Exhibit A.

On 23 Sep 1960, the decedent acknowledged receipt of the discharge 
notification.

On 2 Dec 1960, he was discharged from the Air Force with a OTH 
discharge.  He served a total of 9 years, 4 months and 26 days of 
active duty.

On 23 May 1961, the decedent submitted a request to the Air Force 
Discharge Review Board (AFDRB) for an upgrade to his discharge.

On 11 Oct 1961, the decedent was notified that the AFDRB considered 
his application and concluded that a change in the type or nature of 
your discharge is not warranted.

On 5 Aug 2013, a request for post-service information was forwarded 
to the applicant for review and comment within 30 days (Exhibit C), 
as of this date, no response has been received by this office.

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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.  Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate 
the existence of an injustice.  Although no evidence has been 
provided which would lead us to believe the decedent’s discharge was 
improper at the time it was affected, in the interest of justice, we 
believe partial relief is warranted based on clemency.  Prior to the 
incident that led to the decedent’s separation, he served honorably 
for a period of approximately eight years.  The separation policy 
was in transition at the time of his discharge in 1960 and although 
it appears his records were completed based on the new criteria 
(from undesirable to OTH); his records may have simply been changed 
to OTH, rather than reviewed for a change of character under the new 
guidelines.  While not condoning the decedent’s misconduct, we 
believe under current standards, the characterization of his service 
is excessively harsh.  In addition, it has been more than 53 years 
since his separation and it appears likely that he had made a good 
post-service adjustment.  After thoroughly reviewing the evidence of 
record, we are convinced the interest of justice can best be served 
by removing this blemish from his records and upgrading his 
discharge to general (under honorable conditions) on the basis of 
clemency.  We considered upgrading his discharge to honorable; 
however, we do not believe that an upgrade to a fully honorable 
discharge is warranted.  Accordingly, we recommend that his records 
be corrected to the extent indicated below.

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?
THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT:

The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force 
relating to FORMER MEMBER be corrected to show that on 2 Dec 1960, 
he was discharged with service characterized as general (under 
honorable conditions).

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The following members of the Board considered this application in 
Executive Session on 17 Sep 2013, under the provisions of AFI 36-
2603:

    , Panel Chair
    , Member
    , Member

All members voted to correct the record as recommended.  The 
following documentary evidence was considered in AFBCMR BC-2012-
04127:

    Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 23 Aug 2012, w/atchs.
    Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
    Exhibit C.  Letter, AFBCMR, dated 5 Aug 2013, w/atch.