AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
	CASE NUMBER

FD-2021-00600	
					
SUMMARY: 

The applicant was discharged on 7 October 2015 in accordance with AFI 36-3208 with an Honorable Discharge for Non-retention on Active Duty. The applicant appealed for an upgrade of his discharge narrative reason and a change to the reenlistment eligibility code.

The applicant appeared and testified before the Discharge Review Board (DRB), with counsel, via video teleconference using Zoom on 5 April 2022. 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. 

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 through counsel contended that denying reenlistment requires a process and from what they observed in the service records, the applicant’s chain of command did not follow a proper process to discharge the applicant. They stated that there is absolutely no indication in his records as to why he was denied reenlistment. They explained that there was no non-judicial punishment, no counselling statements or reprimands and no misconduct. They concluded that the discharge the applicant received is inconsistent with his service record and are not supported by the information provided in his records.  

During the personal appearance, the applicant through counsel contended that there was deprivation of due process in that; he was never given the opportunity to improve or adjust his performance before being denied re-enlistment. He was only given the choices of demotion or non-retention, and the applicant stated he wanted to retain his honor so he chose to separate with his current rank. 

The evidence in the applicant’s record and the information he provided during his testimony, do not support the contentions made by the applicant and his attorney. Although the applicant, through his attorney, contended that there was no basis for his discharge, with the narrative reason non-retention on active duty and a Reenlistment code that prevents reentry into the military, during his testimony he described occurrences when his chain of command expressed concern with his level of performance and he explained in his responses that he did not prefer to accomplish many of the supervisory tasks assigned to him.

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.
 
CONCLUSION:  After a thorough review of the available evidence, to include the Applicant’s issues, summary of service, service/medical record entries, and discharge process, the Board found the discharge was proper. Therefore, the narrative reason for separation shall remain Non-retention on Active Duty and the reentry code shall 2X. The AFDRB results were approved by the board president on 6 April 2022.  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)