AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
	CASE NUMBER

 FD-2021-00433	
					
The applicant was discharged on 14 May 2008 in accordance with AFI 36-3208 with a General discharge for Fraudulent Entry.  The applicant appealed for an upgrade of his discharge characterization to Honorable.  The Board was conducted on 21 December 2021.  

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.    

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 or 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 did not contend the discharge but requested an upgrade to Honorable because it more accurately reflected the conditions of his service. The applicant explained that the actions that led to his discharge happened pre-service and do not reflect who he is or the service he provided. The applicant stated that he understood that the consequences of omission led to the discharge and admitted the use after he fully grasped what “Integrity First” really meant. The applicant concluded that a single mistake does not reflect his character nor the commitment he had. 

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 found the negative aspects of the applicant’s willful misconduct outweighed the positive aspects of his military service. The board understood that the applicant served without incident for approximately 10 months, however the Board agreed that the omission of prior service drug use on multiple official forms is too egregious of an act to categorize the applicant’s service as Honorable. The characterization of the discharge received by the applicant was deemed to be appropriate.
  
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 21 December 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)