AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
	CASE NUMBER

 FD-2022-00321 	
					
SUMMARY: 

The applicant was discharged on 13 April 2018 in accordance with AFI 36-3208 with a General Discharge for Misconduct (Drug Abuse). The applicant appealed for an upgrade of his discharge characterization.

The applicant was not represented by counsel and requested the board be completed based on a records only review.

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’s record of service included an Article 15. His misconduct included: wrongfully possessed 8 grams of marijuana; and on divers occasions, wrongfully used marijuana.

The applicant explained that he made a mistake and abused drugs after coming back from a deployment. He indicated that he confessed as he had a guilty conscience.  The applicant stated that this was the biggest mistake he ever made, and the use was out of character.  

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 no evidence to indicate the applicant was unaware of the Air Force policy of zero tolerance for illegal drug use.  It found the negative aspects of the applicant’s willful misconduct outweighed the positive aspects of his military service.  The discharge received by the applicant was deemed to be appropriate.

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 records, and discharge process, the Board found the discharge was proper. Therefore, the awarded characterization of service shall remain “General”, the narrative reason for separation shall remain “Misconduct (Drug Abuse)”, and the reentry code shall remain “2B”. If the applicant has additional evidence to present to the Board on his behalf, he can appeal for an in person appearance or apply to the Air Force Board for Correction of military records.  The AFDRB results were approved by the board president on 1 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)