Docket No: 10183-19 
Ref: Signature date 
 
  
Dear 
 
This letter is in reference to your application for correction of your naval record, filed 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 with respect to your request to upgrade your characterization of service 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 the application on its merits.  A three-member panel of the Board, sitting in executive session, considered the application on 9 September 2020.  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 the application, together with all material submitted in support thereof, relevant portions of your naval record, as well as applicable statutes, regulations, and policies. 
 
You reenlisted in the Navy on 1 February 1989.  On 19 March 1990, you received nonjudicial punishment for failing to obey a lawful order and also for use of cocaine.  On that day you were also notified that you were being processed for administrative separation from the naval service and you waived your right to an administrative board.  In your commanding officer’s recommendation for discharge, he noted that you had attended inpatient Level III treatment during a prior enlistment, and that you had received three citations for driving under the influence.  On 17 April 1990, you were discharged with an other than honorable characterization of service. 
 
The Board carefully weighed all of your contentions as well as all potentially mitigating factors.  In your petition, you stated that you were under a lot of pressure at the time and that you began to self-medicate with alcohol.  You stated that you did not have the ability to complete a one-year aftercare program after your rehabilitation treatment, and that the stress at work was so high that you relapsed into a worst state.  You additionally stated that after your discharge, you learned how to deal with stress and you completed a welding certification and retired as a welder.  You also noted that you work with veterans’ groups and received disability compensation.  The Board commended you on your post-service accomplishments, but, ultimately, the Board determined that your contentions and mitigating factors did not rise to the level of an error or injustice warranting relief.   
 
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 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.   
 
Sincerely,