AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
	CASE NUMBER

FD-2021-00033	
					
The applicant was discharged on 11 Mar 20 in accordance with AFI 36-3208 with a General discharge for Misconduct (Serious Offense). The applicant appealed for an upgrade of his discharge characterization to Honorable, and a change to the discharge narrative reason.  The Board was conducted on 30 Apr 21.  

The applicant was offered a personal appearance before the Discharge Review Board (DRB), but declined and requested the board be completed based on a records only review.  

The applicant was not represented by counsel.    

Pursuant to 10 USC §1553, the board included a member who is a psychiatrist/ psychologist with training on mental health issues connected with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), and training on mental health disorders.

The attached examiner’s brief (provided to applicant only), extracted from available service records, contains pertinent data regarding the circumstances and character of the applicant’s military service. 
  
FINDING:  The DRB voted unanimously deny the applicant’s request to upgrade his discharge characterization to Honorable, to change the discharge narrative reason to Secretarial Authority, and to change the reenlistment eligibility code to 2C / 3K.

DISCUSSION:  The DRB, under its responsibility to examine the propriety and equity of an applicant’s discharge, is authorized to change the characterization of service and the narrative reason for discharge if such changes are warranted.  If applicable, the board can also change the applicant’s reenlistment eligibility code.  In reviewing discharges, the board presumes regularity in the conduct of governmental affairs unless there is substantial credible evidence to rebut the presumption, to include evidence submitted by the applicant.  The Board completed a thorough review of the circumstances that led to the discharge and the discharge process to determine if the discharge met the pertinent standards of equity and propriety.  

The applicant’s record of service included Letter of Reprimand. His misconduct included domestic battery. 

The applicant contended the discharge was inequitable/improper.   The applicant is requesting an upgrade in accordance with the Hagel and Kurta memo. The applicant explains that his discharge does not truly capture his overall military performance. He states that it is evident that his MH conditions led to his poor choices. He explains that he felt burdened, stressed and depressed after deployment experiences and loss of close family members and friends. The member states that the event was solely based on accusations as he’s never considered to be violent in any shape or form. The member states that the way he handled the situation wasn’t thoughtful and very unlike him. He states that before the incident, he had never been in trouble. The member explains that he felt mistreated in the whole situation and that command should look out for their Airmen and do everything to protect them against such incidents. He concludes that he is very respectful and that education is very valuable to him.

The DRB board concluded the negative aspects of the applicant’s service outweighed the positive contributions he made during his Air Force career. The DRB was pleased to see the applicant has been successful since leaving the Air Force.  However, the Board reviewed the applicant’s entire service record and found no evidence of impropriety or inequity to warrant any changes to the discharge. The discharge received was deemed appropriate. 

After a thorough review of the service record and inputs from the Board’s psychiatrist/ psychologist, the DRB found no conclusive indication that any mental health issues had a direct impact on the applicant's misconduct or discharge. The DRB reviewed the Kurta and Hagel memos but concluded that the misconduct was not mitigated by mental health. Those factors along with the egregious nature of the domestic battery charge which he pled guilty could not be overlooked.

CONCLUSION:  
The Board found insufficient evidence of an inequity or impropriety that would warrant a change to the applicant’s discharge.  Therefore, the discharge received by the applicant was deemed to be appropriate and his request was not approved. 

The DRB results were approved by the board president on 5 May 21.  If desired, the applicant can request a list of the board members and their votes by writing to:  

Air Force Review Boards Agency
Attn: Discharge Review Board
3351 Celmers Lane
Joint Base Andrews, NAF Washington, MD 20762-6602  

Instructions on how to appeal an AFDRB decision can be found at 
https://afrbaportal.azurewebsites.us

Attachment:
Examiner's Brief (Applicant Only)