RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
             AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2007-01582
            INDEX CODE:  110.02
            COUNSEL:  NONE
            HEARING DESIRED:  YES

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

His reenlistment code of 4D (ineligible to reenlist; grade is senior  airman
or sergeant, completed at  least  9  years  total  active  federal  military
service {TAFMS}, but fewer than 16 years TAFMS, and has  not  been  selected
for promotion to  staff  sergeant)   and  narrative  reason  of  Personality
Disorder be changed to allow him entry into the Army Reserves.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

He does not have a Personality Disorder and has been refused employment  and
re-entry into the military.

He did not appreciate his  former  spouse’s  infidelity  and  his  chain  of
command’s lack of action on  that  matter.   He  did  not  feel  that  as  a
noncommissioned officer and military policeman that it was right to  enforce
rules selectively.  He could not in good conscious enforce  rules  when  his
wife was allowed to commit adultery.

He sought counseling and could not get  an  assignment  or  change  his  Air
Force Specialty, and the only way out of a bad situation  was  to  agree  to
have a Personality Disorder.  One  does  not  all  of  a  sudden  develop  a
Personality Disorder after ten years of military service.

He signed all his discharge papers under extreme duress.

He has been psychologically evaluated to be a Memphis police officer and  to
work at a nuclear power plant.

He has been an asset to society and  changing  his  discharge  would  vastly
improve his life and productivity to society.

It is becoming very difficult to gain employment with his  current  DD  Form
214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.

He seeks to pursue  a  career  in  law  enforcement  and  his  discharge  is
hampering his efforts.

He has been turned down for several good jobs  which  he  needs  to  earn  a
living.

In support of his request, the applicant provided a  statement,  a  copy  of
his DD Form 214, and a copy of an evaluation from the  Life  Skills  Support
Center conducted during his separation process.

The applicant's complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A.

_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant entered the active duty  Air  Force  on  14  Sep  94  and  was
progressively promoted to the grade of staff sergeant.

On 23 Aug  01,  the  applicant  received  a  Letter  of  Counseling  for  an
unauthorized purchase with his Government Travel Card.

On 23 Feb 02, the applicant received a Letter of Counseling for  failure  to
report for duty at the prescribed time.

On 6 Jul 04, the Life Skills Center provided an evaluation  which  diagnosed
the applicant with Axis I:  Major Depressive  Disorder,  Recurrent,  Severe,
Without  Psychotic  Symptoms,  Partner   Relational   Problems;   Axis   II:
Personality Disorder  not  otherwise  specified  with  Borderline  features.
After the evaluation, the applicant was returned as psychiatrically fit  for
duty with the exception of handling weapons or ammunition and not  requiring
a medical board.  However, it was noted that although he was not  imminently
suicidal, he was a continuing risk to do harm to himself  and  others.   The
Life Skills recommendation was for an expeditious administrative  separation
due to unsuitability for further military service.

On 15 Jul 04, the applicant received an Article 15,  Record  of  Nonjudicial
Punishment,   physically   controlling   a   vehicle   while   the   alcohol
concentration in his breath was .133 grams of  alcohol  per  210  liters  of
breath or greater.

On 5 Aug 04, the applicant’s commander notified  him  of  pending  discharge
actions. The applicant waived his right to a discharge  board,  declined  to
submit statements in his own behalf, and submitted an unconditional  waiver.


The staff judge advocate found the case legally sufficient, and  on  13  Aug
04, the discharge authority accepted the  applicant’s  waiver  and  directed
that he be discharged prior to the expiration of his term of service  for  a
condition  that  interferes  with  military  service-mental  disorder.   The
commander further directed  the  applicant’s  service  be  characterized  as
honorable and he not be offered a period of probation and rehabilitation.

The applicant was discharged on 2 Sep 04 with an honorable discharge  and  a
narrative reason of Personality Disorder.

_________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The BCMR Medical Consultant recommends denial of the request.   The  service
medical records indicate extensive involvement with mental health  providers
spanning approximately 8 years.

Personality  Disorders  are  lifelong  patterns  of  maladjustment  in   the
individual’s personality structure which are not medically disqualifying  or
unfitting but may render the  individual  unsuitable  for  further  military
service and may be cause for administrative action by the individual’s  unit
commander.  Personality Disorders are frequently exacerbated by  stress  and
may present with symptoms consistent with Adjustment Disorder.

Adjustment Disorder and Personality Disorder are conditions  that  alone  or
together may render  an  individual  unsuitable  for  military  service  and
subject to an administrative  discharge.   During  periods  of  stress,  the
manifestations  of  Personality  and  Adjustment  Disorders  including   the
maladaptive coping mechanisms typically become more apparent and  thus  more
readily  identified  by   mental   health   professionals.    Manifestations
(symptoms and behavior) of personality  and  adjustment  disorders  wax  and
wane over time, depending on the nature and degree of stressors  present  at
any given time.  The fact that he may be functioning well at  this  time  at
home is consistent with the diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder.

A history of Personality Disorder severe enough  to  warrant  administrative
discharge is disqualifying for reenlistment into the  military.     However,
it 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 usual support system of family and friends, or is  assigned
duties that do not suit him.

At the time of discharge, there were no options available to  commanders  to
separate individuals for Adjustment Disorder.  Individuals  with  Adjustment
Disorders were usually separated with  Personality  Disorder  given  as  the
reason for discharge.  On 2 Feb 07, Adjustment Disorder was  approved  as  a
valid separation code.  While the option to use this code was not  available
at the time of the applicant’s discharge, the need for a separate  code  for
adjustment disorder has long been  recognized  by  medical  authorities,  to
lessen the stigma of this type of discharge.  In this  case,  the  applicant
exhibited many signs of Personality Disorder and although  not  specifically
identified by mental health providers while on active duty, his  combination
of depression, relationship problems, and adjustment  disorder  approximates
a Personality Disorder diagnosis, which was frequently  used  at  that  time
for those who had adjustment disorder alone.  The  mental  health  providers
at that time also noted that the applicant was  capable  of  performing  his
duties and  hence,  no  Medical  Evaluation  Board  was  indicated  for  the
applicant’s recurrent depression.

The preponderance of evidence of  the  record  shows  that  the  applicant’s
discharge was appropriately handled from a medical point  of  view.   Action
and disposition in this case are proper and equitable reflecting  compliance
with Air Force directives that implement the law.

The BCMR Medical Consultant’s complete evaluation is at Exhibit C.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

A copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant on 10  Oct
07 for review and comment within 30 days.  As of this date, this office  has
not received a 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.  Sufficient relevant evidence  has  been  presented  to  demonstrate  the
existence of  error  or  injustice.   We  note  that  at  the  time  of  his
discharge, the narrative reason of Adjustment Disorder  was  not  available;
however, an individual separating today with the  same  condition  would  be
assigned  a  narrative  reason  of  Adjustment  Disorder.   Accordingly,  we
conclude it would be unfair and an injustice for him to continue  to  suffer
the adverse effects of the  characterization  of  Personality  Disorder  and
further  conclude  that,  in  the  interest  of  justice,  the   applicant’s
narrative  reason  should  be  changed  to  Secretarial  Authority  and  his
separation code should be changed to “KFF”.   Therefore,  we  recommend  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  2  September  2004,  he  was
separated under the provisions of AFI 36-3208,  paragraph  1.2  (Secretarial
Authority) with a Separation Program Designator code of KFF.

_________________________________________________________________

The following members of the Board considered  Docket  Number  BC-2007-01582
in Executive Session on 29 November 2007, under the provisions  of  AFI  36-
2603:

      Mr. Michael K. Gallogly, Panel Chair
      Ms. Janet I. Hassan, Member
      Mr. Mark J. Novitski, Member

All members voted to correct the records,  as  recommended.   The  following
documentary evidence was considered:

     Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, w/atchs, dated 26 Jun 07.
     Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
     Exhibit C.  BCMR Medical Consultant Memorandum, dated 3 Oct
                 07.
     Exhibit D.  SAF/MRBR Letter, dated 10 Oct 07.



                                   MICHAEL K. GALLOGLY
                                    Panel Chair











      AFBCMR BC-2007-01582






      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:


            The pertinent military records of  the  Department  of  the  Air
      Force relating to XXXXXXX, be corrected to show that  on  2  September
      2004, he was separated under the provisions of AFI 36-3208,  paragraph
      1.2 (Secretarial Authority) with a Separation Program Designator  code
      of KFF.






                                                             JOE G.
      LINEBERGER
                                                             Director
                                                             Air Force
      Review Board Agency