Military Voices

Wednesday, April 07, 2021

Language Lesson

A sailor standing in a room writes Japanese characters on a whiteboard.

Navy Seaman Aeri Moon teaches a Japanese language class aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Mediterranean Sea, April 1, 2021.

Readout of Acting Under Secretary of Defense Amanda Dory's Participation in a Multinational Roundtable on Ukraine

April 7, 2021

Today, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Amanda Dory participated in a virtual meeting of NATO colleagues from Canada, Lithuania, Poland, and the United Kingdom, the key contributors to Ukraine security assistance. The meeting was hosted by UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace.

The leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and discussed concerns about the increase in Russian military activity in the region. Russia’s destabilizing actions undermine the de-escalation in tensions achieved through the OSCE-brokered agreement on July 27, 2020.

The leaders reiterated their commitment to providing training and support to build the capacity of Ukraine’s forces to preserve the country’s territorial integrity and continue progress toward NATO interoperability.

Dignified Duty

An airman shown in silhouette signals while holding onto two objects.

Air Force Senior Airman Katherine Buckley practices marshaling during nighttime dignified transfer training at Dover Air Force Base, Del., March 30, 2021.

Medical Assistance

A female airman wearing personal protective equipment helps another airman put on a medical gown.

Airmen assigned to the 775th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation flight from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., don personal protective equipment aboard a C-17 Globemaster III at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., March 31, 2021. Aeromedical evacuation personnel are responsible for caring for medical patients in-flight and preparing a safe environment for them as well as the aircrew.

COVID-19 Check-In

A guardsman wearing a face mask checks-in a patient before getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Army Spc. Jose Lopez, with the 856th Military Police Company, Arizona Army National Guard, checks-in a patient before the COVID-19 vaccination is administered on the Yavapai-Apache Nation in Camp Verde, Ariz., April 6, 2021. More than 900 Arizona National Guardsmen continue to assist at vaccination sites, testing locations and food banks throughout Arizona.

DOD Announces New Discharge Appeal Review Board Option

April 7, 2021

Today, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced a new board of appeals for Service members with separation dates on or after December 20, 2019. The Discharge Appeal Review Board (DARB) will provide final review of discharge or dismissal characterization upgrade requests when petitioners have exhausted all available administrative remedies.

Any DOD Service member separated on or after December 20, 2019, who has exhausted all available appeals with the appropriate Service Discharge Review Board (DRB) and Board for Correction of Military/Naval Records (BCM/NR), may apply to the DARB. If a current or former Service member is deceased or incapacitated, the surviving spouse, next of kin, or legal representative may apply on their behalf. The DARB is a document review board with no provision for personal appearances. Only records from the Service BCM/NR case file will be reviewed. Any petitioner wishing to present new evidence must first submit a reconsideration request to, and receive a decision from, their Service BCM/NR before that new evidence may be considered. If the DARB recommends that the petitioner’s service characterization be upgraded, this recommendation will be transmitted to the Secretary of the Military Department concerned for final action.

The DARB was created by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, and is the final level of administrative review provided by the Department. There are no provisions for further administrative appeal or reconsideration of recommendations by the DARB, or of the Secretaries’ final action. The DOD has designated the Air Force as lead agent to execute and operate the DARB process.

The DOD has sent information about the DARB, including guidance for members who wish to apply for reconsideration, to Veterans Service Organizations and Military Service Organizations in order to reach as many potential applicants as possible. Individuals who believe their discharge or dismissal was unjust, erroneous, or warrants an upgrade, are encouraged to apply for review. To learn more about the DARB and how to apply for review, visit the Air Force Review Board Agency Portal located at https://afrba-portal.cce.af.mil.