RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
IN THE MATTER OF:	DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2019-00612
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX	COUNSEL: NONE
HEARING REQUESTED: NO

APPLICANT’S REQUEST
Her general (under honorable conditions) be upgraded to honorable, in light of the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT).
APPLICANT’S CONTENTIONS
The philosophy of sexual orientation has changed over the years, as well as, the DADT concept. The applicant’s complete submission is at Exhibit A.
STATEMENT OF FACTS
The applicant is a former Air Force airman first class (E-3).
On 23 April 1985, the applicant’s commander recommended she be discharged from the Air Force, under the provisions of AFR 39-10, Administrative Separation of Airmen, for Homosexuality. The specific reason for the action was the applicant engaged in homosexual conduct with a female.

On 25 June 1985, the discharge action was found legally sufficient, and the discharge authority approved the recommendation on 26 June 1985.

On 17 July 1985, the applicant received an honorable discharge. Her separation code and corresponding narrative reason for separation is HRA (Homosexual Acts).
For more information, see the excerpt of the applicant’s record at Exhibit B.
APPLICABLE AUTHORITY
On 20 September 2011, with the repeal of the law commonly known as DADT, Title 10 U.S.C. § 654, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued supplemental policy guidance on correcting military records of former service members who had been discharged under that law or a precursor. The guidance applied to the following types of requests: changing the narrative reason for a discharge; re-characterizing service as honorable; changing a reentry code to one allowing immediate eligibility to reenter service. The guidance directed that such requests should normally be granted when both of the following conditions are true: (1) the original discharge was based solely on DADT or a similar policy in place prior to enactment of DADT; and (2) there were no aggravating factors in the record, such as misconduct. For meritorious cases, the guidance further directed the use of “Secretarial Authority” as the new narrative reason for separation, with Separation Program Designator code “JFF” and reentry code “1J.” Finally, the guidance noted that while each request must be evaluated individually, an honorable or under honorable conditions (general) discharge should normally be considered to indicate the absence of aggravating factors.
The complete DoD policy is at Exhibit C.
APPLICANT’S REVIEW OF APPLICABLE AUTHORITY
The Board sent a copy of the DoD policy to the applicant on 11 March 2020, for comment (Exhibit D), but has received no response.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
1.	The application is timely.
2.	The applicant exhausted all available non-judicial relief before applying to the Board.
3.	After reviewing all Exhibits, the Board concludes the applicant is the victim of an injustice. While the Board finds no error in the original discharge process, the Board recommends relief based on the repeal of DADT. The absence of aggravating factors in the applicant’s record meets the criteria of the DoD policy on records correction following the repeal of DADT. Although the applicant requests her discharge be upgraded to honorable, the Board notes the applicant’s DD Form 214 reflects she received an honorable character of service at the time of discharge; therefore, no action is required on this portion of her request. Accordingly, the Board recommends correcting the applicant’s record as indicated below.
RECOMMENDATION
The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force relating to APPLICANT be corrected to show her DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, dated 17 July 1985, be amended to reflect a Separation Code of “JFF,” a Narrative Reason for Separation of “Secretarial Authority,” and a Reenlistment Code of “1J.”
CERTIFICATION
The following quorum of the Board, as defined in Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-2603, Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR), paragraph 1.5, considered Docket Number BC-2019-00612 in Executive Session on 8 May 2020:

, Panel Chair
, Panel Member
, Panel Member
All members voted to correct the record. The panel considered the following: Exhibit A: Application, DD Form 149, w/atchs, dated 25 November 2019.
Exhibit B: Documentary evidence, including relevant excerpts from official records. Exhibit C: DoD Policy on Correcting Military Records after Repeal of DADT, dated
20 September 2011.
Exhibit D: Notification of DoD Policy, SAF/MRBC to applicant, dated 11 March 2020.
Taken together with all Exhibits, this document constitutes the true and complete Record of Proceedings, as required by AFI 36-2603, paragraph 4.11.9.