AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
	CASE NUMBER

FD-2020-00675	
					
The applicant was discharged on 11 Mar 20 in accordance with AFI 36-3208 with a General discharge for Misconduct (minor infractions).  The applicant appealed for an upgrade of his discharge characterization to Honorable.  The Board was conducted on 15 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. 
  
The DRB voted unanimously deny the applicant’s request to upgrade his discharge characterization to Honorable.

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 15, Letter of Reprimand, and Letter of Counseling.  His misconduct included:  failure to report for duty, and falling asleep on duty.

The applicant made no contentions that the discharge was inequitable. The applicant states that his 1st Sergeant asked if he wanted to stay in because he had kept getting paperwork for “dumb” things. The member states that he told the 1st Sergeant “no”, and now he realizes how ignorant that decision was. The member is asking for an upgrade to honorable so that he can join the reserves. He concludes that he wants his recently born child to be proud of him.  

The Board concluded the negative aspects of the applicant’s service outweighed the positive contributions he made during his Air Force career. The applicant believed he deserved a second chance despite his misconduct in order to have the opportunity to serve in the military again.  The DRB determined that, through the administrative actions taken by the chain of command in this case, the applicant had ample opportunities to change his negative behavior.  It found the seriousness of the applicant’s willful misconduct offset the positive aspects of his service

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.

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 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)