DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY 
BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF NAVAL RECORDS  
701 S. COURTHOUSE ROAD, SUITE 1001 
ARLINGTON, VA 22204-2490
 
Docket No: 6364-18 
Date: Ref Signature 


Dear 

This is in reference to your application for correction of your naval record pursuant to Title 10, 
United States Code, Section 1552. After careful and conscientious consideration of the entire 
record, the Board for Correction of Naval Records (Board) found the evidence submitted was 
insufficient to establish the existence of probable material error or injustice. Consequently, your 
application has been denied. 

Although your application was not filed in a timely manner, the Board found it in the interest of 
justice to waive the statute of limitations and consider your application on its merits. A three-
member panel of the Board, sitting in executive session, considered your application on 
10 July 2019. The names and votes of the members of the panel will be furnished upon request. 
Your allegations of error and injustice were reviewed in accordance with administrative 
regulations and procedures applicable to the proceedings of this Board. Documentary material 
considered by the Board consisted of your application, relevant portions of your naval record, as 
well as applicable statutes, regulations, and policies. 

You enlisted in the Navy and began a period of active duty on 15 July 1960. On 
13 December 1962, you were discharged from active service and you received a general (under 
honorable conditions) characterization of service and transferred to the United States Naval 
Reserves (USNR). On 14 July 1966, you were discharged from the USNR with a general (under 
honorable conditions) characterization of service. 

The Board carefully considered your request to upgrade your discharge from your active duty 
and USNR service because it has been over 55 years since your discharge. You state you were 
not informed you would receive a general characterization of service, and your service records 
were burned in the fire at the National Archives in St Louis, Missouri. The Board noted the lack 
of available service records. In the absence of official records, the Board relies on a presumption 
of regularity to support the official actions of public officers and, in the absence of substantial 
evidence to the contrary, will presume that they have properly discharged their official duties. 
The Board, therefore, concluded there is insufficient evidence to warrant relief in your case. The 
Board, in its review, discerned no material error or injustice in the discharge, nor did it find that 
an upgrade was warranted merely given the passage of time. 

It is regretted that the circumstances of your case are such that favorable action cannot be taken. 
You are entitled to have the Board reconsider its decision upon the submission of new matters, 
which will require you to complete and submit a new DD Form 149. New matters are those not 
previously presented to or considered by the Board. In this regard, it is important to keep in 
mind that a presumption of regularity attaches to all official records. Consequently, when 
applying for a correction of an official naval record, the burden is on the applicant to 
demonstrate the existence of probable material error or injustice.