AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
	CASE NUMBER

 FD-2022-00318 	
					
SUMMARY: 

The applicant was discharged on 21 December 2018 in accordance with AFI 36-3208 with an Entry Level Separation. The applicant appealed for an upgrade of her discharge characterization, a change to the discharge narrative reason, and a change to the reenlistment eligibility code.

The applicant appeared and testified before the Discharge Review Board (DRB), without counsel, via video teleconference using Zoom on 3 November 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 requested a change to her Reentry Code.  The applicant stated that she made false claims that she had self-mutilated prior to joining the miliary.  As a result of her claims, she was discharged for fraudulent entry. The applicant stated that at the time, she was 18 years old and only joined because her parents wanted her to.  She stated that after a few weeks she began to enjoy the military, but it was too late because she had previously reported cutting herself and the military had already started the process to discharge her.  She stated that since her discharge she has had time to reflect on her transgressions and is now ready to come back and serve.  

During the personal appearance, the applicant contended that the discharge narrative was inequitable because of the stigma it places on her and it makes it impossible to get a government job or rejoin another service. The applicant emphasized that she did not have any mental health issues and she lied because, at the time, she didn’t want to be in, but as she spent her time in basic training, she learned that she loved the Air Force and had a passion for it. 

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 acknowledges that the applicant desires to return to military service, however, she did not provide sufficient evidence that she in fact did not have a history of a mental health condition. Additionally, the evidence the applicant provided did not indicate to the Board that the applicant would not have a recurrence of a similar type of incident in the future.   

FINDING:  The DRB voted unanimously to deny the applicant’s request to upgrade her 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 awarded characterization of service shall remain “Entry Level Separation”, the narrative reason for separation shall remain “Fraudulent Entry”, and the reentry code shall remain “2B”. 
The AFDRB results were approved by the board president on 6 November 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)