RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2011-05090 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD) be upgraded to Honorable. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He enlisted on 5 Dec 83 for four years, and received an Honorable discharge. Later, he reenlisted for six years but fell short of expectations. He apologizes for his actions at the time, and today conducts himself as a proud veteran. Enough time has passed for him to be forgiven. In support of his request, the applicant provides an expanded statement. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachment, is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant entered the Air Force on 6 Dec 83, and received a BCD on 16 Mar 84 after being found guilty at a special court- martial of one specification of drug abuse and one specification of failure to go. Pursuant to the Board’s request, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) provided a copy of an Investigative Report, which is at Exhibit C. On 23 Jul 12, a copy of the FBI Investigative Report and a request for post-service information was forwarded to the applicant for review and comment within 30 days. As of this date, no response has been received by this office (Exhibit F). The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are described in the letter prepared by the Air Force office of primary responsibility which is included at Exhibit D. ________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFLOA/JAJM recommends denial indicating there is no evidence of an error or injustice. The applicant was a member of the Air Force from 6 Dec 83 to 16 Mar 94. On 13 Feb 1992, then an airman basic, he pled guilty to one specification of wrongfully using cocaine, in violation of Article 112(a), Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), and one specification of failure to go, in violation of Article 86, UCMJ. He was convicted by a special court-martial of both offenses. He was sentenced to a BCD and confinement for four months. Under 10 U.S.C. § 1552(f), which amended the basic corrections board legislation, the Board’s ability to correct records related to courts-martial is limited. Specifically, Section 1552(f)(1) permits the correction of a record to reflect actions taken by a reviewing authority under the UCMJ. Additionally, section 1552(f)(2) permits the correction of record related to action on the sentence of courts-martial for the purpose of clemency. Apart from these two limited exceptions, the effect of section 15523 (f) is that the Board is without authority to reverse, set aside, or otherwise expunge a court-martial conviction that occurred on or after 5 May 1950. The applicant offers no allegation of injustice. He simply requests an upgrade to his BCD because, in his mind, it should be forgiven due to the passage of time. The applicant alleges no error in the processing of the special court-martial conviction against him and his record of trial shows no error in the processing of the court-martial. In addition, the applicant pled guilty at trial. The applicant’s sentence to a BCD and confinement for four months was well within the legal limits and was an appropriate punishment for the offense committed. A BCD was and continues to be part of a proper sentence and properly characterizes his service. Clemency in this case would be unfair to those individuals who honorably served their country while in uniform. It would be offensive to all those who served honorably to extend Veteran’s Benefits to someone who committed crimes such as the applicant’s while on active service. Upgrading the applicant’s BCD is not appropriate. A complete copy of the AFLOA/JAJM evaluation is at Exhibit D. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: A copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant on 11 May 12 for review and comment within 30 days. As of this date, no response has been received by this office. (Exhibit E). ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT: 1. The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing law or regulations. 2. The application was not timely filed; however it is in the interest of justice to excuse the failure to timely file. 3. Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice. We note that this Board is without authority to reverse, set aside, or otherwise expunge a court-martial conviction. Rather, in accordance with Title 10, United States Code, Section 1552(f), actions by this Board are limited to corrections to the record to reflect actions taken by the reviewing officials and action on the sentence of the court-martial for the purpose of clemency. We find no evidence which indicates the applicant’s service characterization, which had its basis in his court- martial conviction and was a part of the sentence of the military court, was improper or that it exceeded the limitations set forth in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). We have considered the applicant’s overall quality of service, the court-martial conviction which precipitated the discharge, and the seriousness of the offenses to which convicted. Based on the evidence of record, we cannot conclude that clemency is warranted. Therefore, we find no basis upon which to favorably consider this application. ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of material error or injustice; the application was denied without a personal appearance; and the application will only be reconsidered upon the submission of newly discovered relevant evidence not considered with this application. ________________________________________________________________ The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2011-05090 in Executive Session on 28 Aug 12 under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 20 Dec 11, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. FBI Report Exhibit D. Letter, AFLOA/JAJM, 11 Apr 12. Exhibit E. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 11 May 12. Exhibit F. Letter, AFBCMR, dated 23 Jul 12. Panel Chair