AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
	CASE NUMBER

FD-2021-00259	
					
The applicant was discharged on 7 Jun 16 in accordance with AFI 36-3208 with a General discharge for Misconduct (Minor Infractions).  The applicant appealed for an upgrade of her discharge characterization to Honorable, a change to the discharge narrative reason, and a change to the reenlistment eligibility code.  The Board was conducted on 16 Sep 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 to deny the applicant’s request to upgrade her discharge characterization to Honorable, to change the discharge narrative reason to Secretarial Authority, and to change the reenlistment eligibility code to 2C / 3K.

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 Article 15s, a Letter of Reprimand, and a Letter of Counseling.  Her misconduct included: Violated contact order on at least two occasions; failed to comply with time line of submitting CDC volume; failed to properly document leave.  

Due to evidence of mental health conditions found in the applicant’s medical record, the Board considered the case based on the liberal consideration standards required by guidance from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and/or 10 USC §1553.

The applicant requests an upgrade because she feels she was completely robbed of the military experience that she dreamed of. She goes on to explain that she was a victim of sexual assault from her supervisor but was naïve and too scared to tell anyone about it.  She goes on to say that she was constantly harassed by him up until someone else reported the conduct. He was removed from the unit but, she had another bad encounter with another supervisor. She explains that the flight chief would sexually harass her and punish her by making her stay late or post her at the same busy gate for an entire work rotation if she didn’t do what he said. She states that he would send constant sexual text messages and ask for nude pictures. Additionally, he would come to her dorm and knock on the door constantly. She states that she told a friend that she wanted out of the military by any means necessary, because in civilian life, this never happened to her. The member explains that she purposely violated a protection order against her friend to get kicked out. She states that she went to therapy for this but it felt like a band aid and wasn’t helping. She explained that suicide was very real to her and the effects of all this still have an impact on her life now. She concludes that the MST from the military gave her PTSD and that a General discharge is no reflection of her character or who she is. 

The DRB reviewed the applicant’s entire service record and found no evidence of impropriety or inequity to warrant an upgrade of the discharge. The Board determined that, through the administrative actions taken by the chain of command in this case, the applicant had ample opportunities to change her negative behavior. The Board concluded the negative aspects of the applicant’s service outweighed the positive contributions she made during her Air Force career.    

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. There is evidence the applicant experienced sexual harassment during her time in service, however, there is no evidence of a nexus between the sexual harassment and the applicant’s misconduct. The applicant did not provide any evidence of the impact of the sexual harassment that would have contributed to her misconduct

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 her request was not approved. 

The DRB results were approved by the board president on 22 Sep 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)