How do I upgrade my discharge?

[Dude]

What is the name of your state? California.

Well I just got out of the brig 2 months ago (for being AWOL) and I'm free from the Army! I'm still waiting for my DD214 so I'm actually still in the Army Hahahaha. When I eventually get my papers how do I go about upgrading my discharge. my attorney said I had to wait about 6 months before I can do this but where do I go to get it done?

Dude.

[JETX]

Dude....
Re-enlist and you might be able to hack it on the second try.

[RealAmerican]

Magic is probably your best bet, you will need to prove that you were either innocent of being awol or unjustly discharged. Neither of those will be applicable to your situation. I think that you will see the gravity of your situation when you start applying for jobs or think about going to school. You laugh now but a year from now I bet there isn't a day that goes by that you won't wish that you hadn't made the series of bad decisions that brought you to that point. To answer your question completely, you will not upgrade your discharge, ever.


"Man's capacity for evil makes democracy necessary and man's capacity for good makes democracy possible."

[Dude]

Well RealAmerican, I'm already a Wildland Fire Fighter (working for the Government hahaha) and I'm going to college so I don't know what your talking about. . . If anyone ran a background check on me it was to see if I have any felonies which I don't.

So I guess all those classes the Brig made everyone take about getting our Discharges upgraded were bull****? I don't know, I mean they told us to do it no matter what kind of crime we commiited.

But still, where do I go to even try to upgrade?

[mlane58]

Originally Posted by RealAmerican

Magic is probably your best bet, you will need to prove that you were either innocent of being awol or unjustly discharged. Neither of those will be applicable to your situation. I think that you will see the gravity of your situation when you start applying for jobs or think about going to school. You laugh now but a year from now I bet there isn't a day that goes by that you won't wish that you hadn't made the series of bad decisions that brought you to that point. To answer your question completely, you will not upgrade your discharge, ever.


"Man's capacity for evil makes democracy necessary and man's capacity for good makes democracy possible."

You really need to stop spewing the crap of not getting a job because of a bad discharge. The majority of employers don't ask for a DD Form 214 and it isn't going to show up on any standard background check.

[cyberspook]

Originally Posted by Dude

Well RealAmerican, I'm already a Wildland Fire Fighter (working for the Government hahaha) and I'm going to college so I don't know what your talking about. . . If anyone ran a background check on me it was to see if I have any felonies which I don't.

So I guess all those classes the Brig made everyone take about getting our Discharges upgraded were bull****? I don't know, I mean they told us to do it no matter what kind of crime we commiited.

But still, where do I go to even try to upgrade?

Well you could start by doing a key word search on this forum. This question is very common here and can easily be researched by even the most primitive of minds.

My question to you is: If you are a Wildland Fire Fighter working for the government and your present discharge seems to be of no consequence, then why do you want a upgrade?

Oh and by the way I don't care what they told you in the Brig, discharge upgrades are neither automatic or even easy for that matter.

[RealAmerican]

I believe you about as much as I believe in leprechauns. Did you tell your new job as a fire fighter how you were discharged? If you haven't gotten your DD-214 then you haven't had enough time to even enter the academy yet. You can live your online fantasy if you want (hahahahaha). To answer the other reply, employees do ask what your work history has been the past couple of years and a gap is not very attractive to any of them, if you want to make some real money or have an actual career. Eventually your discharge will get you, I promise you that much. I am glad you are continuing your education, the GI Bill is paying for mine. How about you? After my Masters I can enjoy my money, no student loans. I stand by my statements and will bet my whole portfolio that I am right. My original statement is correct that your discharge will not be upgraded because you want it to be. You would think that in all those classes that they told you to try and get an upgrade they would have told you how. You need to prove that it was either unjust or given in error. Good luck and I hope your attitude will improve someday.

"Man's capacity for evil makes democracy necessary and man's capacity for good makes democracy possible."

[Dude]

RealAmerican here is the story. The warrant never worked, (I found out from my attorney when I turned my self back in.) So I just went to college. My college is paid for by the State of California (BOG, for poor families), in return I owe nothing. My college has a Wildland Fire academy which I graduated 2 1/2 years ago. I turned my self in a year ago.

You are right that my BCD will make it harder to get certain jobs, like working for California Department of Fire, (that's why I want to try and upgrade my BCD). It's a good thing the Forest Service will hire anyone, even felons. Yes they do that.

As for the shabby manditory classes the military prison makes you take before you leave. They never told us that we had to prove our discharge was unjust or given in error. They just made it seem like if we did good things in the civilian world and we filed for a review it would be easy. Well from what I understan it's not so easy.

I can only try if I want to move from Wildland to Municipal.

Dude.

[RealAmerican]

You are obviously feeling the effects of your bad decisions. I have a heart and I understand that people make bad decisions. Your first few posts came off like alot of the awolers that post on this board that make my blood boil. You might want to check into the effect your BCD might have on the grants you received or why the State of California paid for what is considered a convicted felon to go through college, most states frown on that sort of thing. I understand in your case it would be considered a fugitive from justice. You sir, have made your bed and now you must sleep in it. No matter how well you do in your life, you still are what would be considered a convicted felon now and my humble opinion still remains the same. You will not at any time ever be able to upgrade your discharge, short of saving the life of someone very very important. Best of luck and stay safe.


"Man's capacity for evil makes democracy necessary and man's capacity for good makes democracy possible."

[JETX]

[url]http://www.nlgmltf.org/pdfs/DischargeUpgrade_Memo.pdf[/url]

[ElvisG]

You need to submit a DD-293 form. Everything you need to know is on the back of the form.

[url]http://members.aol.com/forvets/htomd.htm[/url]

[mlane58]

Originally Posted by RealAmerican

I believe you about as much as I believe in leprechauns. Did you tell your new job as a fire fighter how you were discharged? If you haven't gotten your DD-214 then you haven't had enough time to even enter the academy yet. You can live your online fantasy if you want (hahahahaha). To answer the other reply, employees do ask what your work history has been the past couple of years and a gap is not very attractive to any of them, if you want to make some real money or have an actual career. Eventually your discharge will get you, I promise you that much. I am glad you are continuing your education, the GI Bill is paying for mine. How about you? After my Masters I can enjoy my money, no student loans. I stand by my statements and will bet my whole portfolio that I am right. My original statement is correct that your discharge will not be upgraded because you want it to be. You would think that in all those classes that they told you to try and get an upgrade they would have told you how. You need to prove that it was either unjust or given in error. Good luck and I hope your attitude will improve someday.

"Man's capacity for evil makes democracy necessary and man's capacity for good makes democracy possible."

You are absolutely wrong! Having been in HR for over 25 years and worked for several large government contractors and civilian employers, not once has a dd Form 214 been asked for. I am also retired military, so don't tell me I don't know what I am talking about. You can stand by your statements all you like, but if you haven't noticed. they are quickly crumpling around you.

[cyberspook]

Originally Posted by ElvisG

You need to submit a DD-293 form. Everything you need to know is on the back of the form.

[url]http://members.aol.com/forvets/htomd.htm[/url]

Nice page ;-) The information is accurate, however you should probably point out that these requests for upgrade are often denied. The applicant needs to prove that the discharge is in error or not fair. The military usually does a pretty good job of proving that the discharge was correct.

[RealAmerican]

Originally Posted by mlane58

You are absolutely wrong! Having been in HR for over 25 years and worked for several large government contractors and civilian employers, not once has a dd Form 214 been asked for. I am also retired military, so don't tell me I don't know what I am talking about. You can stand by your statements all you like, but if you haven't noticed. they are quickly crumpling around you.

If you worked for my HR department, I would fire you. Kidding, but in my professional life I feel it is necessary to see a DD214 to know what kind of person I am hiring. I understand that the DD214 is most likely not asked for in a majority of jobs. My point is that any employer worth their salt will want to know your employment history and a gap in that history is not attractive. My dad's company absolutely wants to see the DD214 of any ex-military applicants to get a feel of what kind of person they really are, at my suggestion. There is no reason that you would have to disclose you were ever in the military but is definitely a bullet on my resume that I am proud to submit when I can. Glad you could take the time to post just to disagree with me. My original advice is still the same and remains correct that the discharge will not be upgraded. The rest was just filler.


"Man's capacity for evil makes democracy necessary and man's capacity for good makes democracy possible."

[cyberspook]

Just to throw my two cents in. Only one time have I ever had a potential employer ask for a copy of my DD214. It takes about 6 months just to get a copy of your DD214 if you have lost it. Most employers don't even know what a DD214 is.