1. Applicant's Name: a. Application Date: 19 June 2019 b. Date Received: 24 June 2019 c. Counsel: None 2. REQUEST, ISSUES, BOARD TYPE, AND DECISION: The applicant requests an upgrade of the characterization of service from general (under honorable conditions) to honorable. The applicant seeks relief contending, in effect, his discharge was inequitable because it was based on an isolated incident that does not reflect the true scope and circumstances of his military service. He deployed to Afghanistan, attended schools, earned numerous awards and decorations. He was diagnosed with insomnia and anxiety disorder and feel that there was an underlying undiagnosed issue of PTSD. The issues of anxiety disorder, insomnia, and undiagnosed PTSD contributed to his incident in a major way. His PTSD symptoms he frequently dealt with, and the event of a separation from my wife at the time, led him to go AWOL for eight days. Per the Board's Medical Officer, a voting member, based on the information available for review at the time in the service record, the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA), and Joint Legacy Viewer (JLV), notes indicate diagnoses of Anxiety Disorder NOS. The applicant is 30% service-connected from the VA. The VA has also diagnosed the applicant with Depression and Anxiety. Due to the basis of separation not being in file, there is insufficient evidence to determine if the applicant had a BH diagnosis that is mitigating for the misconduct which led to separation from the Army. In summary, the separation was proper and equitable. In a records review conducted at Arlington, VA on 9 September 2020, and by a 5-0 vote, the Board denied the request upon finding the separation was both proper and equitable. (Board member names available upon request) 3. DISCHARGE DETAILS: a. Reason / Authority / Codes / Characterization: Misconduct (AWOL) / AR 635-200, Paragraph 14-12c(1) / JKD / RE-3 / General (Under Honorable Conditions) b. Date of Discharge: 23 April 2015 c. Separation Facts: No (1) Date of Notification of Intent to Separate: NIF (2) Basis for Separation: NIF (3) Recommended Characterization: NIF (4) Legal Consultation Date: NIF (5) Administrative Separation Board: NIF (6) Separation Decision Date / Characterization: NIF 4. SERVICE DETAILS: a. Date / Period of Enlistment: 13 September 2011 / 5 years b. Age at Enlistment / Education / GT Score: 25 years / Associate Degree / 124 c. Highest Grade Achieved / MOS / Total Service: E-4 / 11B1P, Infantryman / 3 years, 7 months, 2 days d. Prior Service / Characterizations: None e. Overseas Service / Combat Service: Alaska / SWA / Afghanistan, 5 December 2011 to 2 October 2012 f. Awards and Decorations: AGCM, NDSM, ACM-CS, GWOTSM, OSR, MOVSM, NATO MDL, CIB g. Performance Ratings: NA h. Disciplinary Action(s) / Evidentiary Record: NIF i. Lost Time / Mode of Return: AWOL for 9 days, 4 February 2015 to 12 February 2015; apprehended by civil authorities. Applicant also had 32 days of excess leave, 23 March 2015 to 23 April 2015. j. Diagnosed PTSD / TBI / Behavioral Health: Chronological Record of Medical Care, dated, 28 January 2015, revealed the applicant was diagnosed with insomnia, occupational disorder and an anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified. It also showed current risk factors were PTSD symptoms, anxiety disorders and sleep disorders. 5. APPLICANT-PROVIDED EVIDENCE: DD Form 293 (two pages); Item 1, self-authored statement (three pages); Item 2, chronological record of medical care (five pages); Item 3, medication profile (two pages); Item 4, Wayland Baptist University Diploma and transcripts (three pages); Item 5, The University of Southern Mississippi Official Transcript (two pages); Item 6, Certificate of Completion, Crisis Line Training; and Item 7, Certificate, Court Appointed Special Advocates. 6. POST SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The applicant states he completed a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Justice Administration while active duty. He also earned another bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Southern Mississippi. He began pursuing his interest while volunteering as a crisis counselor with Standing Together Against Rape (S.T.A.R.) while stationed in Alaska. He continued pursuing his interest and volunteered as a child advocate with CASA of Harrison County, MS. 7. REGULATORY CITATION(S): Army Regulation 635-200 sets forth the basic authority for the separation of enlisted personnel. Chapter 14 establishes policy and prescribes procedures for separating members for misconduct. Specific categories include minor disciplinary infractions, a pattern of misconduct, and commission of a serious offense, to include abuse of illegal drugs, convictions by civil authorities and desertion or being absent without leave. Action will be taken to separate a member for misconduct when it is clearly established that rehabilitation is impractical or unlikely to succeed. Army policy states that an under other than honorable conditions discharge is normally considered appropriate; however, a general, under honorable conditions or an honorable discharge may be granted. Paragraph 14-12c(1) allows for an absentee returned to military control from a status of absent without leave or desertion to be separated for commission of a serious offense. National Defense Authorization Act 2017 provided specific guidance to the Military Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records and Discharge Review Boards when considering discharge upgrade requests by Veterans claiming Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in connection with combat or sexual assault or sexual harassment as a basis for discharge review. Further, it provided that Boards will include, as a voting board member, a physician trained in mental health disorders, a clinical psychologist, or a psychiatrist when the discharge upgrade claim asserts a mental health condition, including PTSD; TBI; as a basis for the discharge. In August 2017, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness provided further clarifying guidance to the Military Discharge Review Boards and Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records when considering requests by Veterans for modification of their discharge due to mental health conditions, including PTSD; TBI; sexual assault; or sexual harassment. Liberal consideration will be given to Veterans petitioning for discharge relief when the application for relief is based in whole or in part on matters relating to mental health conditions, including PTSD; TBI; sexual assault; or sexual harassment. Special consideration will be given to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) determinations that document a mental health condition, including PTSD; TBI; or sexual assault/harassment potentially contributed to the circumstances resulting in a less than honorable discharge characterization. Special consideration will also be given in cases where a civilian provider confers diagnoses of a mental health condition, including PTSD; TBI; or sexual assault/harassment if the case records contain narratives supporting symptomatology at the time of service or when any other evidence which may reasonably indicate that a mental health condition, including PTSD; TBI; or sexual assault/harassment existed at the time of discharge might have mitigated the misconduct that caused a discharge of lesser characterization. Conditions documented in the service record that can reasonably be determined to have existed at the time of discharge will be considered to have existed at the time of discharge. In cases in which a mental health condition, including PTSD; TBI; or sexual assault/harassment may be reasonably determined to have existed at the time of discharge, those conditions will be considered potential mitigating factors in the misconduct that caused the characterization of service in question. All Boards will exercise caution in weighing evidence of mitigation in cases in which serious misconduct precipitated a discharge with a less than Honorable characterization of service. Potentially mitigating evidence of the existence of undiagnosed combat related PTSD, PTSD-related conditions due to TBI or sexual assault/harassment as causative factors in the misconduct resulting in discharge will be carefully weighed against the severity of the misconduct. PTSD is not a likely cause of premeditated misconduct. Caution shall be exercised in weighing evidence of mitigation in all cases of misconduct by carefully considering the likely causal relationship of symptoms to the misconduct. 8. DISCUSSION OF FACT(S): The applicant requests an upgrade of the characterization of service from general (under honorable conditions) to honorable. The applicant's available record of service, the issues and documents submitted with his application were carefully reviewed. The applicant's record is void of the specific facts and circumstances concerning the events which led to his discharge from the Army. However, the applicant's record does contain a properly constituted DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), which was not authenticated by the applicant's digital signature. This document identifies the reason and characterization of the discharge and government regularity is presumed in the discharge process. The DD Form 214 indicates the applicant was discharged under the provisions of AR 635-200, Chapter 14, paragraph 14-12c, by reason of misconduct (awol), with a characterization of service of general (under honorable conditions). Barring evidence to the contrary, the presumption of government regularity prevails as all the requirements of law and regulation were met and the rights of the applicant were fully protected throughout the separation process. Further, the DD Form 214 shows a Separation Code of JKD (i.e., misconduct, awol), with a reentry eligibility (RE) code of 3. The applicant seeks relief contending, his discharge was inequitable because it was based on an isolated incident that does not reflect the true scope and circumstances of his military service. However, the merit of this contention cannot be substantiated because the facts and circumstances leading to the discharge are not contained in the available record. The applicant further contends, he deployed to Afghanistan, attended schools, earned numerous awards and decorations. The applicant's service accomplishments and the quality of his service prior to the incident (s) that caused the initiation of discharge proceeding were carefully considered. The applicant also contends, he was diagnosed with insomnia and anxiety disorder and feel that there was an underlying undiagnosed issue of PTSD; the issues of anxiety disorder, insomnia, and undiagnosed PTSD contributed to his incident in a major way. A chronological record of medical care, shows the applicant was diagnosed with insomnia, occupational disorder and an anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified. It also showed current risk factors were PTSD symptoms, anxiety disorders and sleep disorders. The applicant additionally contends, his PTSD symptoms he frequently dealt with, and the event of a separation from my wife at the time, led him to go AWOL for eight days. He had many legitimate avenues through which to obtain assistance or relief and there is no evidence in the record that he ever sought such assistance before committing the misconduct which led to the separation action under review. If the applicant desires a personal appearance hearing, it is his responsibility to meet the burden of proof and provide the appropriate documents (i.e., the discharge packet) or other evidence sufficient to explain the facts, circumstances, and reasons underlying the separation action, for the Board's consideration because they are not available in the official record. Based on the available record, the discharge was consistent with the procedural and substantive requirements of the regulation, was within the discretion of the separation authority and that the applicant was provided full administrative due process. 9. BOARD DETERMINATION: In a records review conducted at Arlington, VA on 9 September 2020, and by a 5-0 vote, the Board denied the request upon finding the separation was both proper and equitable. 10. BOARD ACTION DIRECTED: a. Issue a New DD-214 / Issue a New Separation Order: No b. Change Characterization to: No Change c. Change Reason to: No Change d. Change Authority to: No Change e. Change SPD / RE Code to: No Change Authenticating Official: Legend: AWOL - Absent Without Leave GD - General Discharge NCO - Noncommissioned Officer SCM - Summary Court Martial BCD - Bad Conduct Discharge HS - High School NIF - Not in File SPCM - Special Court Martial BH - Behavioral Health HD - Honorable Discharge NOS - Not Otherwise Specified SPD - Separation Program Designator CG - Company Grade Article 15 IADT - Initial Active Duty Training OAD - Ordered to Active Duty TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury CID - Criminal Investigation Division MP - Military Police OMPF - Official Military Personnel File UNC - Uncharacterized Discharge ELS - Entry Level Status MST - Military Sexual Trauma PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder UOTHC - Under Other Than Honorable Conditions FG - Field Grade Article 15 NA - Not applicable RE - Reentry VA - Veterans Affairs ARMY DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD CASE REPORT AND DIRECTIVE AR20190012317 4