From:  Chairman, Board for Correction of Naval Records 
To:      Secretary of the Navy 
 
Subj:   REVIEW OF NAVAL RECORD OF  
            
 Ref:      (a) 10 U.S.C. 1552 
         (b) 10 U.S.C. 654 (Repeal) 
         (c) UNSECDEF Memo OF 20 Sep 11 (Correction of Military Record following Repeal of U.S.C. 654) 
 
Encl: (1) DD Form 149  
         (2) Naval record (excerpts) 
 
1.  Pursuant to the provisions of reference (a), Petitioner, a former enlisted member of the Marine Corps, filed enclosure (1) with this Board requesting an upgrade to his discharge to reflect an honorable characterization of service.  
 
2.  The Board, consisting of , reviewed Petitioner's allegations of error and injustice on 16 April 2020, and, pursuant to its regulations, determined that the corrective action indicated below should be taken on the available evidence of record.  Documentary material considered by the Board consisted of the enclosures, relevant portions of his naval service records, and applicable statutes, regulations, and policies. 
 
3.  The Board, having reviewed all the facts of record pertaining to Petitioner's allegations of error and injustice finds as follows:   
 
    a.  Before applying to this Board, Petitioner exhausted all administrative remedies available under existing law and regulations within the Department of the Navy. 
 
    b.  Although enclosure (1) was not filed in a timely manner, it is in the interest of justice to review the application on its merits.   
 
    c.  Petitioner enlisted in the Marine Corps and began a period of active service on 15 February 1968.  On 10 September 1968, Petitioner submitted a sworn statement in which he admitted to committing homosexual acts.  As a result of the foregoing, Petitioner was notified of the initiation of administrative separation processing by reason of homosexuality.  On 7 November 1968, Petitioner was discharged with an other than honorable (OTH) characterization of service by reason of homosexuality.   
 
     d.  Petitioner requests the characterization of his discharge be upgraded to honorable. Petitioner contends his discharge was too harsh.   
 
     e.  References (b) and (c) set forth the Department of the Navy's current policies, standards, and procedures for correction of military records following the “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) repeal of 10 U.S.C. 654.  It provides service Discharge Review Boards with the guidance to grant requests to change the characterization of service to “honorable,” narrative reason for discharge to “secretarial authority,” SPD code to “JFF,” and reentry code to “RE-1J,” when the original discharge was based solely on DADT or a similar policy in place prior to enactment of it and there are no aggravating factors in the record, such as misconduct. 
 
CONCLUSION: 
 
Upon review and consideration of all the evidence of record, and especially in light of references (b) and (c), the Board concludes that Petitioner’s request warrants relief.  In this regard, the Board noted Petitioner’s overall record of military service and current Department of the Navy policy, as established in reference (b) and (c).  
 
In view of the above, the Board directs the following corrective action. 
 
RECOMMENDATION: 
 
That Petitioner be issued a new Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214) indicating an “Honorable” characterization of service, “secretarial authority” narrative reason for separation, “RE-1J” reenlistment code, “JFF” separation code, and “MARCORSEP 6214” separation authority.     
 
That a copy of this report of proceedings be filed in Petitioner’s naval record. 
  
That, upon request, the Department of Veterans Affairs be informed that Petitioner's application was received by the Board on 27 February 2019. 
 
4.   It is certified that a quorum was present at the Board's review and deliberations, and that the foregoing is a true and complete record of the Board's proceedings in the above entitled matter. 
 
5.  Pursuant to the delegation of authority set out in Section 6(e) of the revised Procedures of the Board for Correction of Naval Records (32 Code of Federal Regulation, Section 723.6(e)) and having assured compliance with its provisions, it is hereby announced that the foregoing corrective action, taken under the authority of reference (a), has been approved by the Board on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy. 
 
                                                                      
6/15/2020