DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF NAVAL RECORDS 701 S. COURTHOUSE ROAD, SUITE 1001 ARLINGTON, VA 22204-2490 Docket No: 6623-19 Ref: Signature Date This is in reference to your application of 28 April 2019 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 that 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 9 December 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, together with all material submitted in support thereof, relevant portions of your naval record, and applicable statutes, regulations, and policies. You enlisted in the Navy and began a period of active duty on 1 October 1997. In your application for correction you state that you enjoyed boot camp and subsequently reported to USS . You note that at the start of your career, you received non-judicial punishment (NJP) for pulling a shipmate from his rack while he was sleeping. You received a second NJP on 22 November 2000, for wrongful use of a controlled substance (marijuana). On 5 January 2001, you were discharged from the Navy on the basis of a Pattern of Misconduct and received an other than honorable characterization of service and a reentry (RE) code of RE-4. In your petition to the Board, you ask that your characterization of service be upgraded and that your RE-4 be changed. You provide a detailed personal statement in which you note you were raised without a father, and sought a career with the Navy for a better life path and to serve our country. You state that upon reporting to the USS , you were young and most of the people in your division frowned upon you and insulted you. You note that you relied on your lieutenant and Senior Chief as the most influential people in your division. You also state that you began to struggle with alcohol consumption. While onboard the USS , you contend that you learned that your birth father, whom was absent from your childhood, was the NCO of the crash crew on the flight deck and the DAPA counselor of your division. You state your working environment, your drinking, and seeing your father for the first time started to take its toll on you. You assert that once it was known that your father was the NCO of the crash crew, you started to receive too much attention. You contend that you did not have the intention of separating from the military due to drug abuse. You also indicated that you may have had an undiagnosed form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Board reached out to you for amplifying information or supporting documents pertaining to your claim that you may have been suffering from PTSD. On 11 November 2019, you asked that the statement regarding undiagnosed PTSD be removed from consideration. The Board, in its review of your entire application, carefully weighed all potentially mitigating factors, including your statement about your personal struggles and pressures onboard the USS . The Board found, however, that even considering the challenges of your division’s work environment, your struggles with alcohol, and the upheaval of meeting your father, that the seriousness of your misconduct of wrongful use of a controlled substance could not be overcome. The Board concluded that your use of marijuana while in an active duty status supported both the other than honorable characterization of service and the RE-4, and that no corrective action is warranted. 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. Sincerely, 1/27/2020