RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS

         AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS


IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER:  BC-2002-03206
            INDEX CODE:  110.02, 100.03
            COUNSEL:  NONE

            HEARING DESIRED:  NO

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

His narrative reason for separation and reenlistment eligibility  (RE)
code be changed.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

His discharge was related to the  emotional  distress  he  experienced
from the unexpected passing of his father.  He felt overwhelmed by the
mental and physical demands that were required of  him,  coupled  with
the grief he felt over the loss of his father.  It has been  over  two
years since his father’s death and he now feels capable and  confident
he can become a productive Air Force member.

In support of his request, the applicant submits a personal statement,
a letter from his family physician and a letter of recommendation from
Sykes Enterprises.  Applicant’s complete submission, with attachments,
is at Exhibit A.

_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant enlisted in the Regular Air Force as an airman basic  on
29 December 1999 for a term of 4 years.  On 2 May 2000, the  applicant
was notified by his commander that he  was  recommending  that  he  be
discharged from the Air  Force  for  conditions  that  interfere  with
military service, mental disorders.  He was advised of his  rights  in
this matter.  He acknowledged receipt of the notification on the  same
day, waived his right to consult counsel, and elected  not  to  submit
statements on his  own  behalf.   The  package  was  reviewed  by  the
assistant staff judge advocate and found to be legally sufficient.  On
9 May 2000 he was  administratively  discharged  with  an  entry-level
separation  under  the  provisions  of  AFI  36-3208,   Administrative
Separation of Airman,  (Personality  Disorder).  He  served  four  (4)
months and eleven (11) days on active duty.

While  in  basic  military  training  (BMT),  the  applicant’s  father
unexpectedly died and he went home on emergency leave  for  three  (3)
days.  He returned and completed BMT.   While  in  technical  training
school, he self referred to the mental health clinic with feelings  of
overwhelming grief and worry regarding his mother’s welfare.   He  was
meeting the standards of his technical training  but  his  supervisors
were  also  concerned   about   progressive   deterioration   in   his
performance.  In addition, the applicant expressed his  desire  to  be
discharged.  His initial diagnosis  was  Bereavement  on  the  initial
April 2000 mental health  clinic  medical  record  entry  and  he  was
returned to duty.  The final mental  health  recommendation  dated  10
April 2000, rendered a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder with Depressed
Mood and recommended administrative separation.

_________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The BCMR Medical Consultant reviewed applicant’s  request  and  opined
that the narrative reason for discharge can be changed to  Secretarial
Authority and states that no change in the characterization of service
or reenlistment eligibility (RE) code  is  warranted.   The  applicant
developed symptoms of grief depressed mood while in technical training
that was diagnosed as Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood and  was
administratively discharged for this unsuiting condition with an entry-
level separation.  The difficulty  was  triggered  by  the  unexpected
death of his father and worry regarding  his  mother’s  welfare.   The
decision to discharge was in part influenced by the applicant’s desire
to be discharged, and his training supervisor’s concern regarding  the
risk of retention.

Adjustment Disorder with  Depressed  Mood  results  from  identifiable
stressors that overcome  the  individual’s  ability  to  cope  and  is
frequently  associated  with  significant  impairment  in  social  and
occupational functioning.  The emotional and behavioral responses  may
be in excess of what would normally be expected given  the  nature  of
the stressors.  Manifestations can include  depressed  mood,  anxiety,
and disturbances of conduct.  One of the key  features  of  Adjustment
Disorder is that the condition typically resolves with relief  of  the
stressors.  Individuals who develop Adjustment  Disorder  due  to  the
stress of the routine rigors  of  military  service  with  or  without
concomitant personal issues are not suited for  military  service  and
are subject to administrative discharge by their commander.

When an Adjustment Disorder that interferes with  functioning  in  the
military environment is solely  the  result  of  a  set  of  stressful
circumstances that are both unusual and unrelated to military service,
consideration for reentry is reasonable if it can  be  concluded  that
the individual would clearly not respond in a similar fashion  to  the
stresses expected in a  military  operational  environment,  including
combat.   Stressful  life  circumstances  such  as  marital   discord,
divorce, or death of a parent, are commonly experienced by members  of
the military, the majority of whom continue to function effectively in
their jobs in  spite  of  their  sad  feelings.   When  an  individual
responds  to  a  common  life  stressor  to  the  degree  of  becoming
dysfunctional, their ability to cope  with  the  extreme  stresses  of
military combat and operational environments is called into  question.
The applicant developed his symptoms in  response  to  the  unexpected
death of his father.  The  severity  and  progressive  nature  of  his
symptoms were becoming evident  to  his  training  staff  and  in  the
opinion of the mental health staff presaged the onset of  failure  and
continued worsening if he was not discharged.  The applicant continued
to exhibit symptoms of fatigue and dyspepsia probably related  to  his
Adjustment Disorder for approximately a year following his  discharge.
The fact that he is functioning well at this time at home confirms his
diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder.  The fact  that  he  is  functioning
well at this time also does not predict that he will respond  well  to
the stresses of military operations, deployment, or combat when he  is
separated from his familiar surroundings and social support system, or
continue to function in his job when the lives of others depends on it
when he experiences another death in  the  family  or  other  personal
stress.

The applicant’s DD  Form  214  states  the  reason  for  discharge  as
“personality disorder”.  The DoD uses the term “personality  disorder”
administratively to  include  all  unsuiting  character  and  behavior
disorders including Adjustment Disorder,  Personality  Disorders,  and
Impulse  Control  Disorders.   This  term  is  confusing  because  the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders  uses  the  term
“personality disorder” in  a  specific,  defined  manner  to  classify
specific disorders of  personality  that  do  not  include  Adjustment
Disorder or Impulse Control Disorder.  Prior regulations used the more
inclusive and less confusing “character and behavior disorder”.  Since
the applicant was not diagnosed with a personality  disorder  and  was
further not noted to demonstrate maladaptive traits  suggestive  of  a
personality disorder, it is inaccurate to list the narrative reason as
personality disorder, even though administratively it is correct.

Action  and  disposition  in  this  case  are  proper  and   equitable
reflecting compliance with Air Force  directives  that  implement  the
law, however the narrative reason for discharge in this case should be
changed to Secretarial Authority, but no change  in  the  reenlistment
code is warranted.

The Medical Consultant’s evaluation is at Exhibit C.

AFPC/DPPRS concurs with the BCMR Medical Consultant and recommends the
narrative  reason  for  separation  be  changed  to   “JFF-Secretarial
Authority”.

The DPPRS evaluation is at Exhibit D.

AFPC/DPPAE recommends denial.   The  RE  code  of  2C,  “Involuntarily
separated with an honorable discharge; or entry-level characterization
of service” is correct.

The DPPAE evaluation is at Exhibit E.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

Copies of the Air Force evaluations were forwarded to the applicant on
14 Mar 03, for review and comment within 30 days.  As  of  this  date,
this office has received no response.

_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT:

1.  The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing  law
or regulations.

2.  The application was timely filed.

3.  Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented  to  demonstrate
the existence of an error or injustice in regard to his  request  that
his reenlistment eligibility (RE) code be changed.  After  a  thorough
review of the documentation provided and the evidence of  record,  the
majority of the Board is of the opinion that given  the  circumstances
surrounding his separation from the Air Force, the RE code assigned to
the applicant was  proper  and  in  compliance  with  the  appropriate
directives.  Applicant has not provided any evidence, which would lead
the majority for the Board to believe otherwise.   Therefore,  in  the
absence of evidence to the contrary, the majority of the  Board  finds
no compelling basis to recommend a change in his RE code.

4.  Notwithstanding the aforementioned, we note that the BCMR  Medical
Consultant has indicated that the narrative reason for his separation,
Personality  Disorder,  is  inappropriate  under   the   circumstances
surrounding the decision to separate him from the Air Force.  We agree
with the BCMR Medical Consultant in this matter and  believe  that  it
would be an injustice for  him  to  continue  to  suffer  the  adverse
effects of such characterization.  Accordingly, we recommend that  his
records be corrected to the extent indicated below.

_________________________________________________________________







THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT:

The pertinent military records of the  Department  of  the  Air  Force
relating to APPLICANT be corrected to show that on 9 May 2000, he  was
separated  under  the  provisions  of  AFI  36-3208,   paragraph   1.2
(Secretarial Authority), with a separation code of “KFF.”

_________________________________________________________________

The following members of the Board considered Docket  Number  BC-2002-
03206 in Executive Session on 20 May 2003, under the provisions of AFI
36-2603:

                 Mr. John L. Robuck, Panel Chair
                 Mr. Billy C. Baxter, Member
                 Mr. Kenneth Dumm, Member

By a unanimous vote, the  Board  recommended  granting  the  narrative
reason change.  However, by a majority  vote,  the  Board  recommended
denial of the RE code change.  Mr. Dumm voted to grant the applicant’s
request for the RE code  change  and  elected  to  submit  a  minority
report.  The minority report is appended at Exhibit G.

The following documentary evidence was considered:

      Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 29 Aug 02, w/atchs.
      Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
      Exhibit C. Letter, BCMR Medical Consultant, dated 18 Dec 02.
      Exhibit D. Letter, AFPC/DPPRS, dated 6 Feb 03.
      Exhibit E. Letter, AFPC/DPPAE, dated 10 Mar 03.
      Exhibit F. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 14 Mar 03.
      Exhibit G. Minority Report, dated 30 May 03.





      JOHN L. ROBUCK
      Panel Chair

AFBCMR BC-2002-03206




MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF

      Having received and considered the recommendation of the Air Force
Board for Correction of Military Records and under the authority of
Section 1552, Title 10, United States Code (70A Stat 116), it is directed
that:

      The pertinent military records of  the  Department  of  the  Air
Force relating to             APPLICANT, be corrected to show that  on
9 May 2000, he was separated under  the  provisions  of  AFI  36-3208,
paragraph 1.2 (Secretarial  Authority),  with  a  separation  code  of
“KFF.”








  JOE G. LINEBERGER

  Director

  Air Force Review Boards Agency