RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2013-02027 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His Under Other Than Honorable Conditions (UOTHC) discharge be upgraded to honorable. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He regrets that his actions as a teenager has cost him a career in the Air Force that he wanted since he was 14 years old. He is now 40 years old and a responsible adult. He appreciates the Board’s consideration of upgrading his discharge. The applicant did not provide any additional documentation in support of his request. The applicant’s complete submission is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: 1. The applicant enlisted in the Regular Air Force on 14 August 1991. He was progressively promoted to the grade of Senior Airman, E-4. 2. On 22 June 1993, the applicant was notified by his commander that she was recommending him for discharge from the Air Force under the authority of Air Force Regulation (AFR) 39-10, Administrative Separation of Airmen, paragraph 5-47 and 5-48, conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, substantiated by his frequent involvement in behavior that was inconsistent with acceptable Air Force standards as evidenced by administrative punishments he received for specific incidents of two failures to go, an alleged rape, writing a bad check, disobeying a lawful order, three failures to appear at appointed place of duty, failure of a career development course unit review exercise, failure to report for appointed time for training and misconduct involving a civilian conviction. The applicant acknowledged receipt of the notification of discharge and was advised of his right to present his case before an administrative review board, consult counsel, and submit statements in his behalf. The applicant waived his right to a hearing before an administrative review board and to submit statements in his behalf, but opted to consult counsel. Subsequent to the file being found legally sufficient, the discharge authority approved the recommendation and directed the applicant be discharged with an Under Other Than Honorable Conditions characterization of service without probation and rehabilitation. The applicant was discharged on 21 July 1993, and was credited with serving 1 year, 11 months and 18 days of active duty service. 3. On 20 February 1995, the applicant submitted an appeal for upgrade of his discharge to the Air Force Discharge Review Board (AFDRB). He was offered and declined a personal appearance before the AFDRB. The AFDRB found that neither evidence of record, nor that provided by the applicant substantiated an inequity or impropriety, which would justify a change of discharge. The AFDRB states that the applicant contends his discharge was inequitable because it was too harsh, that the civilian conviction he received did not relate to his work performance and should not have reflected on his type of discharge; and he has suffered enough stress through the court system and probation. The record indicates the applicant received, for misconduct, an Article 15 with a suspended reduction that was later vacated and he was reduced in rank; three Letters of Reprimand; five Letters of Counseling; a Memo for Record and a civilian conviction. The AFDRB opined that through these administrative actions, the applicant had ample opportunities to change his negative behavior. They concluded the misconduct was a significant departure from conduct expected of all military members. The Under Other Than Honorable Conditions discharge characterization received by the applicant was found to be appropriate. 4. The AFDRB further stated they realized the applicant’s pride he takes in being a former member of the United States military; however, no inequity or impropriety in his discharge was suggested or found in the course of the record review/hearing. They concluded that the applicant’s discharge was consistent with the procedural and substantive requirements of the discharge regulation and was within the discretion of the discharge authority and the applicant was provided full administrative due process. On 29 July 1996, the applicant was advised that since his case was denied by the AFDRB he had the right to a personal appearance with counsel and a right to submit an application to the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR). 5. On 12 December 2013, the applicant was given an opportunity to submit comments regarding his post service activities (Exhibit C). To date, a response has not been received. ________________________________________________________________ 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. We took notice of the applicant's complete submission in judging the merits of the case; however, we find no evidence of an error or injustice that occurred during the discharge process. Based on the available evidence of record, it appears the discharge was consistent with the substantive requirements of the discharge regulation and within the commander's discretionary authority. The applicant has provided no evidence, which would lead us to believe the characterization of the service was contrary to the provisions of the governing regulation, or unduly harsh. In the interest of justice, we considered upgrading the discharge based on clemency; however, there was no evidence submitted to compel us to recommend granting the relief sought on that basis. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis upon which to recommend granting the relief sought. ________________________________________________________________ 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. ________________________________________________________________ The following members of the Board considered this application in Executive Session on 28 January 2014, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence was considered in AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2013-02027: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 23 April 2013. Exhibit B. Applicant’s Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, SAF/MRBC, dated 12 December 2013. Panel Chair