AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
	CASE NUMBER

 FD-2022-00336	
					
SUMMARY: 

The applicant was discharged on 11 April 2018 in accordance with AFI 36-3208 with a General Discharge characterization and his Narrative Reason for Separation was 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 record 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 multiple Article 15s, a vacation of suspended non-judicial punishment, a Letter of Reprimand, and multiple Letters of Counseling.  His misconduct included:  
Operating a vehicle while drunk; failure to go at the time prescribed to appointed place of duty; introduced marijuana onto a military installation; wrongful possession of marijuana; failure to report at the time prescribed to appointed place of duty; and arrived late for duty (x2). 

The applicant requested an upgrade to his discharge characterization.  The applicant explained that after being pulled over while he was in a car with his friend, marijuana was found in their possession. He stated that he was subjected to a urinalysis which came back negative, but he was still discharged for drug abuse due to the possession. The applicant requested an upgrade to Honorable so that he may use his education benefits and concluded that he made a mistake and deeply regrets 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 applicant acknowledged that he made a mistake but did not provide any evidence that indicates his discharge process was inequitable or improper.  The board acknowledges the applicant’s present service characterization renders him ineligible for Department of Veteran Affairs education benefits.  However, this is not a matter of inequity or impropriety which would warrant an upgrade. The DRB found no evidence to indicate the applicant was unaware of the Air Force policy of zero tolerance for drug abuse. The possession of an illicit drug is within the Air Force’s definition of drug abuse. Therefore, the Board deemed the discharge received by the applicant 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 record, 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”. The AFDRB results were approved by the board president on 28 October 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)