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) 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 other than honorable characterization of service be upgraded to a general (under honorable conditions).  As noted below, the Board voted to upgrade his discharge characterization of service to honorable. 
 
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 9 November 1967.  The Petitioner’s record was nearly free of incident until his return from service in the .  Thereafter, between the period of July 1970 and April 1972, he engaged in several periods of unauthorized absence, culiminating in him being convicted by a special court-martial and receiving a bad conduct discharge.  On 20 September 1972, he was discharged, and his DD Form 214 reflected his characterization of service as under other than honorable conditions. 
 
   c.  The Petitioner provided medical documentation from psychiatrists – covering both the time of his service, as well as more recently – which demonstrates that he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of his service in the , such that it impacted and mitigated the misconduct 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.  Note that the Petitioner requested an upgrade to a general discharge, but the Board determined that an honorable discharge was more appropriate. 
 
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 13 August 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 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.