Applicant Name:  ?????

Application Receipt Date: 2010/10/28	Prior Review:     Prior Review Date: NA     

I.  Applicant Request:  Upgrade     Reason Change     RE Code Change    

Issues: The applicant states: "The narrative reason for my discharge is listed as parenthood because of the fact that my wife became mentally ill and was unable to care for my infant daughter because of the above I had to take care of my daughter, making it hard for me to go to work and care for my daughter since I had no help and not enough money to pay for the help I needed to care for my daughter.  I feel that I was unfairly discharged since I was separated with no benefits what so ever although I paid into the education system.  Please change my discharge status to honorable."

II.  Were Proper Discharge and Separation Authority procedures followed?	     
Tender Offer:   NA

See Attachments:  Legal     Medical     Minority Opinion     Exhibits 

III.  Discharge Under Review
Unit CDR Recommended Discharge: 	   Date: NIF
Discharge Received: 			   Date: 010309   Chapter: 5-8    AR: 635-200
Reason: Parenthood	   RE:     SPD: LDG   Unit/Location: 32d Combat Svc Spt Co, Fort Lewis, WA 

Time Lost: None

Article 15s (Charges/Dates/Punishment): None

Courts-Martial (Charges/Dates/Punishment): None

Counseling Records Available: Yes    No 

IV.  Soldier’s Overall Record
Age at current enlistment:  21
Current ENL Date: 990929    Current ENL Term: 03 Years  ?????
Current ENL Service: 	01 Yrs, 05Mos, 11Days ?????
Total Service:  		01 Yrs, 05Mos, 11Days ?????
Previous Discharges: 	None
Highest Grade: E3		Performance Ratings Available: Yes    No 
MOS: 92G10/Food Service Specialist   GT: 90   EDU: HS Grad   Overseas: None   Combat: None
Decorations/Awards: ASR

V.  Post-Discharge Activity
City, State:  Lakeland, FL
Post Service Accomplishments: None Listed

VI.  Facts, Circumstances, and Legal Basis for Separation

       a.  Facts and Circumstances:
       The specific facts and circumstances leading to the applicant's discharge from the Army are not contained in the available records.  However, the record does contain a properly constituted DD Form 214, (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), which was authenticated by the applicant's signature.  
       
       His DD Form 214 indicates that he was discharged under the provisions of Chapter 5, paragraph 5-8, AR 635-200, for parenthood, with a general, under honorable conditions discharge.  The DD Form 214 shows a Separation Code of LDG (i.e., parenthood), with a reentry eligibility (RE) code of 3.
       
       Further, evidence shows that on 1 March 2001, Orders 060-0028, DA, HQ, I Corps and Fort Lewis, Fort Lewis, WA, discharged the applicant from the Regular Army, effective date: 9 March 2001.

       b.  Legal Basis for Separation:  
       Army Regulation 635-200 provides the basic authority for the separation of enlisted personnel.  Paragraph 5-8 provides that a Soldier may be separated when parental obligations interfere with fulfillment of military responsibilities.  Specific reasons for separation because of parenthood include inability to perform prescribed duties satisfactorily, repeated absenteeism, late for work, inability to participate in field training exercises or perform special duties such as CQ and Staff Duty NCO, and non-availability for worldwide assignment or deployment according to the needs of the Army.  Unless the reason for separation requires a specific characterization, a Soldier being separated for the convenience of the government will be awarded a character of service of honorable, general under honorable conditions or an uncharacterized description of service if in entry-level status.  No Soldier will be awarded a characterization of service under honorable conditions under this chapter unless the Soldier is notified of the specific factors in his/her service record that warrant such a characterization, using the notification procedure.

       c.  Response to Issues, Recommendation and Rationale:  
       After a careful review of all the applicant’s available military records during the period of enlistment under review, the documents, and the issues submitted with the application, the analyst found no mitigating factors that would merit an upgrade of the applicant’s discharge.  
       
       The applicant’s record is void of the specific facts and circumstances concerning the events that led to the discharge from the Army.  However, the applicant’s record does contain a properly constituted DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), which was authenticated by the applicant's signature.  This document identifies the reason and characterization of the discharge and the analyst presumed government regularity in the discharge process.  
       
       The DD Form 214 indicates that the applicant was discharged under the provisions of Chapter 5, AR 635-200, paragraph 5-8 by reason of parenthood, with a characterization of service of general, under honorable conditions.  Barring evidence to the contrary, the analyst was satisfied that all requirements of law and regulation were met and the rights of the applicant were fully protected throughout the separation process. 
       
       The applicant's contentions were carefully considered.  However, the analyst is unable to determine whether these contentions have merit because the facts and circumstances leading to the discharge are unknown.  The burden of proof remains with the former Soldier to provide the appropriate documents or other evidence sufficient to explain the facts, circumstances, and reasons underlying the separation action, for the Board's consideration.  If the applicant desires a personal appearance hearing, it will still be her responsibility to meet the burden of proof since the evidence is not available in the official record.
       
       In view of the foregoing, and based on the available evidence, the analyst presumes government regularity in the discharge process and concludes that it appears that the reason for discharge and the characterization of service were both proper and equitable and recommends to the Board to deny relief.
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       

VII.  Summary of Army Discharge Review Board Hearing

Type of Hearing: 		Date: 8 November 2010         Location: Washington, DC

Did the Applicant Testify?  Yes     No  

Counsel: NA

Witnesses/Observers: NA 

Exhibits Submitted: DD Form 293, Court Order, dated 31 August 2000, DD Form 2366, Discharge Certificate from Active Duty, Discharge Certificate from USAR, Discharge Orders from USAR, and DD Form 214 for the period of service under review.

VIII.  Board Discussion, Determination, and Recommendation
After carefully examining the applicant’s record of service during the period of enlistment under review and considering the analyst’s recommendation and rationale, the Board determined that the discharge was both proper and equitable, and voted to deny relief.
        
IX.  Board Decision						
	XI.  Certification Signature
Board Vote:  							          Approval Authority:	
Character - Change 1    No change 4
Reason -     Change 0    No change 5
(Board member names available upon request)
								         EDGAR J. YANGER			 
								         Colonel, U.S. Army
X.  Board Action Directed					         President, Army Discharge Review Board
Issue a new DD Form 214  					
Change Characterization to: 			         
Change Reason to: NA
Other: NA										
RE Code: 
Grade Restoration:   No   Yes   Grade: NA
















Legend:
AWOL    	Absent Without Leave		GCM   General Court Martial	NA   Not applicable			SCM	Summary Court Martial
BCD   	Bad Conduct Discharge	GD      General Discharge	NIF   Not in the file			SPCM	Special Court Martial
CG 	Company Grade Article 15	HD      Honorable Discharge	OAD   Ordered to Active Duty		UNC	Uncharacterized Discharge  
DD 	Dishonorable Discharge	HS       High School Graduate	OMPF   Official Military Personnel File	UOTH  	Under Other Than Honorable 
FG	Field Grade Article 15		IADT   Initial Active Duty Training	RE     Reentry Code				Conditions 

ARMY DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD - CASE REPORT AND DIRECTIVE

Case Number AR20100024895
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