Hi! I had to go through an attorney to get my discharge upgraded, since my circumstances were a bit different. My DD-214 shows Entry Level Separation, RE Code 2C, JFX, and Personality Disorder.
Back in 2004, during my senior year, I made up my mind to sign up for the United States Air Force at seventeen years of age, and signed with my now late dad signing as my guardian and got into the delayed entry program for the Air Force. My three major reasons behind this are I wanted to serve my country, get an amazing education, and a stellar career with the United States Air Force. By the time I graduated in May 2004, I was ready to ship out to Air Force Basic Military Training in Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas in late July.
I got to Lackland Air Force base late at night, and was processed into the 320th squadron. As soon as I got into the dormitories, the first couple of days or so, I had to take care of the administrative paperwork for direct deposit, etc. After that, the two military training instructors started calling me Osama in front of the flight of recruits that were also under the same two military training instructors, and they laughed at me, then subsequently did the same thing to me. A couple of other military training instructors (male and female) also did the same thing, but only one other flight’s recruits did the same thing along with their assigned military training instructor. This happened anytime and anywhere I was around.
Whenever I did shave in the mornings, and because of no fault through my own, I was told to shave my five o’ clock shadow, and was still called Osama, even after shaving. Whenever we had a class, whether outdoors or indoors, and if it was with my training instructors or any other that were being racial towards me, it was never in the presence of their superiors. If the supervisor or the commander of the squadron came in to give a class on chain of command or a lecture, the military training instructors would not be racial towards me.
The other time I never experienced any racism was on Sunday, due to church and such. Due to the racism that I experienced during training, I was sent to the supervisor for multiple infractions, and I did tell him of the issue going on, and even though his order was issued throughout the squadron, this had no effect, as it kept happening even behind his back. The racism still continued, and it got to a point where the commander already had in his mind that I was refusing to train with all the infractions that I had from the past three weeks, without the slightest consideration of the racism that I was going through. Based on this, he sent me to the 319th squadron to be phased out of military life and back into civilian life.
While waiting to be processed out, one recruit from the same 320th squadron still kept calling me Osama and viewed me as an inferior person, until his subsequent departure from the United Air Force. Shortly thereafter, I was processed out, and returned home to my family with my head lowered in shame, and from the hurt from the racism that I experienced, when it was unprofessional, and is a direct violation of the three core values of the Air Force: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.
After that experience, I went to four different colleges and went all the way to my masters degree, worked several jobs as tech support, got married in India in February 10, 2016, brought my wife to the United States under the proper USCIS processes from India, and now I am working with the number one global POS company called NCR.
I talked to an attorney last year and started the process to get my Personality Disorder discharge upgraded. The advisory replied after some weeks, and stated that my discharge was indeed wrong, and it can be, under liberal conditions, considered for Secretarial Authority, even though they believe it should be Condition Not a Disability. My attorney sent a response to the advisory opinion that my discharge be indeed set for Secretarial Plenary Authority, since Condition Not a Disability carries a similar prejudice to the Personality Disorder.
Since February 24th of this year, my case is still in Post Adjudication Status, and I pray that it comes back in my favor.
Back in 2004, during my senior year, I made up my mind to sign up for the United States Air Force at seventeen years of age, and signed with my now late dad signing as my guardian and got into the delayed entry program for the Air Force. My three major reasons behind this are I wanted to serve my country, get an amazing education, and a stellar career with the United States Air Force. By the time I graduated in May 2004, I was ready to ship out to Air Force Basic Military Training in Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas in late July.
I got to Lackland Air Force base late at night, and was processed into the 320th squadron. As soon as I got into the dormitories, the first couple of days or so, I had to take care of the administrative paperwork for direct deposit, etc. After that, the two military training instructors started calling me Osama in front of the flight of recruits that were also under the same two military training instructors, and they laughed at me, then subsequently did the same thing to me. A couple of other military training instructors (male and female) also did the same thing, but only one other flight’s recruits did the same thing along with their assigned military training instructor. This happened anytime and anywhere I was around.
Whenever I did shave in the mornings, and because of no fault through my own, I was told to shave my five o’ clock shadow, and was still called Osama, even after shaving. Whenever we had a class, whether outdoors or indoors, and if it was with my training instructors or any other that were being racial towards me, it was never in the presence of their superiors. If the supervisor or the commander of the squadron came in to give a class on chain of command or a lecture, the military training instructors would not be racial towards me.
The other time I never experienced any racism was on Sunday, due to church and such. Due to the racism that I experienced during training, I was sent to the supervisor for multiple infractions, and I did tell him of the issue going on, and even though his order was issued throughout the squadron, this had no effect, as it kept happening even behind his back. The racism still continued, and it got to a point where the commander already had in his mind that I was refusing to train with all the infractions that I had from the past three weeks, without the slightest consideration of the racism that I was going through. Based on this, he sent me to the 319th squadron to be phased out of military life and back into civilian life.
While waiting to be processed out, one recruit from the same 320th squadron still kept calling me Osama and viewed me as an inferior person, until his subsequent departure from the United Air Force. Shortly thereafter, I was processed out, and returned home to my family with my head lowered in shame, and from the hurt from the racism that I experienced, when it was unprofessional, and is a direct violation of the three core values of the Air Force: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.
After that experience, I went to four different colleges and went all the way to my masters degree, worked several jobs as tech support, got married in India in February 10, 2016, brought my wife to the United States under the proper USCIS processes from India, and now I am working with the number one global POS company called NCR.
I talked to an attorney last year and started the process to get my Personality Disorder discharge upgraded. The advisory replied after some weeks, and stated that my discharge was indeed wrong, and it can be, under liberal conditions, considered for Secretarial Authority, even though they believe it should be Condition Not a Disability. My attorney sent a response to the advisory opinion that my discharge be indeed set for Secretarial Plenary Authority, since Condition Not a Disability carries a similar prejudice to the Personality Disorder.
Since February 24th of this year, my case is still in Post Adjudication Status, and I pray that it comes back in my favor.
- Has anyone else faced similar experiences of racial discrimination during military training? How did you handle it, and were you able to address it effectively within the military structure?
- For those who have gone through discharge upgrades, what advice or insights can you share about the process and dealing with legal aspects, especially when facing issues like Personality Disorder as the reason for discharge?
- I'm curious to know about people's opinions on the effectiveness of the military's efforts in preventing and addressing racial discrimination. Do you think there has been improvement over the years, or do challenges persist?
- For individuals who have successfully transitioned to civilian life after a military service, what kind of support or resources did you find most helpful in rebuilding your life and pursuing a career?
- Has anyone encountered challenges related to military discharge characterization and sought legal assistance for an upgrade? What was your experience, and do you have any tips for others navigating a similar situation?
- In your opinion, how should military institutions handle cases of racial discrimination and harassment to ensure a fair and inclusive environment for all recruits?
- For those who have experience with the legal side of military discharges, how long did the process take for you, and what were some key factors that influenced the outcome?
- Do you think the three core values of the Air Force (integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do) are consistently upheld, or have you observed instances where they were compromised, as in the case described here?
- If you have experience with the upgrade process for Personality Disorder discharge, what challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
- Can anyone share insights or experiences regarding the impact of discharge characterization on civilian life, especially in terms of employment opportunities and personal relationships?
