AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
	CASE NUMBER

FD-2021-00298	
					
The applicant was discharged on 30 May 2017 in accordance with AFI 36-3207 with a General discharge for Misconduct (Drug Abuse).  The applicant appealed for an upgrade of his discharge characterization to Honorable, a change to the discharge narrative reason, and upgrade of the reenlistment eligibility code.

The applicant was not represented by counsel.    

The applicant appeared and testified before the Discharge Review Board (DRB), without counsel, via video teleconference using Zoom on 2 November 2021.  No witnesses were present to testify on the applicant’s behalf. 

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 his 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 an Article 15.  His misconduct included:  on divers occasions, wrongfully used Oxandrolone, a schedule III substance commonly known as steroids.

The applicant requested an upgrade in his discharge to Honorable and to change his RE code. The member explained that the steroid use was a one-time isolated incident during a 14 year career of proven excellence and integrity. He stated that while he takes full responsibility for his actions and understands that it was wrong, he believed that the discharge was handled unjustly due to the fact that his record and character of dedicated and selfless service outweighed the singular offense. The member stated that he loved serving and hopes to be able to rejoin and continue on. The member concluded that if afforded the opportunity, he planned to pick up where he left off. 

The DRB found no impropriety or inequity in the applicant’s discharge to warrant an upgrade. The Board took note of the applicant's duty performance as documented by his performance reports, awards and decorations, and other accomplishments. After reviewing the service record, the DRB found no evidence to indicate the applicant was unaware of the Air Force policy of zero tolerance for illegal drug use.  The Board found the negative aspects of the applicant’s willful misconduct outweighed the positive aspects of his military service.  

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 3 November 2021.  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)