Docket No: 6493-19
Ref: Signature Date

From: Chairman, Board for Correction of Naval Records 
To:   Secretary of the Navy 

Subj: REVIEW OF NAVAL RECORD OF FORMER     USMC, 

Ref: (a) 10 U.S.C. §1552 
(b) SECDEF memo, “Supplemental Guidance to Military Boards for Correction of  Military/Naval Records Considering Discharge Upgrade Requests by Veterans  Claiming PTSD,” of 3 September 2014 
(c) PDUSD memo, “Consideration of Discharge Upgrade Requests Pursuant to  Supplemental Guidance to Military Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records  by Veterans Claiming PTSD or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI),” of 24 February 2016 
(d) USD memo, “Clarifying Guidance to Military Discharge Review Boards and Boards  for Correction of Military/Naval Records Considering Requests by Veterans for  Modification of their Discharge Due to Mental Health Conditions, Sexual  Assault, or Sexual Harassment,” of 25 August 2017 
(e) SECDEF memo of 25 Jul 2018 “Guidance to Military Discharge Review Boards and  Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records Regarding Equity, Injustice, or  Clemency Determinations,” of 25 July 2018 

Encl: (1) DD Form 149 


1. Pursuant to the provisions of reference (a), Petitioner, a former member of the U.S. Marine 
Corps, filed enclosure (1) with the Board for Correction of Naval Records (Board), requesting 
that his general characterization of service be upgraded to honorable. As noted below, the Board 
voted to upgrade his discharge characterization of service. 

2. The Board, consisting of   , reviewed the subject former member’s allegations of error and injustice on 23 September 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 enclosure, relevant portions of the subject former member’s naval records, and applicable statutes, regulations, and policies. 

3. The Board, having reviewed all the facts of record pertaining to the subject former member’s 
allegations of error and injustice, finds as follows: 

 a. Before applying to this Board, the Petitioner exhausted all administrative remedies available under existing law and regulations within the Department of the Navy. 

 b. The Petitioner enlisted in the Marine Corps on 26 March 1968 at the age of 17. The Petitioner’s record was nearly free of incident until his return from service in the Republic of  . Thereafter, between the period of April 1970 and April 1972, he engaged in several periods of unauthorized absence, culiminating in him submitting a request for discharge in lieu of a trial by court-martial. On 9 August 1972, he was discharged with an other than honorable characterization of service. 

 c. In 1977, the Petitioner sought relief from the Naval Discharge Review Board, and that body upgraded his characterization of service to general, under the Special Discharge Review Program, but it denied confirming this characterization, thus denying him veterans’ benefits. 

 d. The Petitioner provided the Board a significant number of documents demonstrating he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of his service in the Republic of , such that it impacted and mitigated the misconduct that he engaged in upon his return from the battlefield. 

CONCLUSION 

Upon review and consideration of all the evidence of record, in view of references (b) through (e), the Board finds the existence of an error or injustice warranting relief. Specifically, the Board concluded that Petitioner’s PTSD contributed to his misconduct and his subsequent discharge, such that the Board agreed to upgrade his discharge to an honorable characterization 
of service. 

RECOMMENDATION 

In view of the above, the Board directs the following corrective action: 

Petitioner’s naval record be corrected by issuing him a new DD Form 214 reflecting that the 
characterization of his service at his discharge from the Marine Corps was honorable, narrative reason for separation: “Secretarial Authority,” SPD code assigned “JFF,” reenlistment code “RE-1J,” separation authority “MARCORSEPMAN 6207.2,” 

Petitioner be issued an honorable discharge certificate. 

That no further changes be made to Petitioner’s record. 

A copy of this report of proceedings shall be filed in Petitioner’s naval record. 

That upon request, the Department of Veterans Affairs is informed that Petitioner’s application was received by the Board on 27 June 2019. 

5. 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. 

6. 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 Regulations 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 the reference, has been approved by the Board on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy.