AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
 	CASE NUMBER

 FD-2021-00379	
					
GENERAL:  The applicant was discharged on 21 March 2010 in accordance with AFI 36-3208 with a General Misconduct (Drug Abuse). The applicant appealed for an upgrade of his discharge characterization to Honorable, a change to the discharge narrative reason, and a change to the reenlistment eligibility code.  The Board was conducted on 18 November 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 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 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.

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’s record of service included an Article 15, a Letter of Reprimand, and a Letter of Counseling. His misconduct included being late for mandatory PT formation, failure to show for mandatory readiness training day formation and drug abuse. 

Due to evidence of  post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a mental health condition 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 10 USC §1553.

The applicant requested a discharge upgrade.  The applicant stated that he experienced anxiety from taking tests at Tech school and the anxiety and pressures of life continued to build while being station in Japan.  He got divorced while he was stationed in Japan and he stated it caused him to become bitter, angry, and depressed.  He stated that experiencing these emotions caused him to revert to using SPICE. He stated he feels he paid the ultimate price for all the mistakes he made ten years ago. 

The Board reviewed the applicant’s entire service record.  The applicant’s leadership provided ample opportunity for the applicant to correct his misconduct. Also, there was no evidence to indicate that the applicant was unaware of the Air Force’s Zero Tolerance policy against abuse.  The Board did not find evidence of impropriety or inequity to warrant any changes to the discharge.  The Board concluded the negative aspects of the applicant’s service outweighed the positive contributions he made during his Air Force career.
 
After a thorough review of the service record and input from the Board’s psychiatrist/ psychologist, the DRB found that aspects of the applicant’s mental health condition may have mitigated some of the applicant's misconduct, however, it could not completely explain or excuse the misconduct sufficiently to warrant upgrading the 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 23 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)