Dear Fenway,
Upgrade of military discharge is not applied for in a letter, but in a form.
First of all, you need to fill out DD Form 293. This is an
"Application for the Review of Discharge or Dismissal from the Armed
Forces of the United States". It is the form used to request military
discharge upgrade.
Application for the Review of Discharge or Dismissal from the Armed
Forces of the United States
<http://arba.army.pentagon.mil/documents/dd0293.pdf> (PDF Document)
How do you fill in this form?
(1)-(5) You have to fill in your information (where did you serve,
your name and personal details, how were you discharged, etc. - " If
the former member is deceased or incompetent the surviving spouse,
next of kin, or legal representative may apply (application must
include supporting documentation, i.e. certified copy of marriage
license, death certificate, or powers of attorney)." (SOURCE:
"Applying for an Upgrade of Your Discharge/Dismissal",
<http://www.carson.army.mil/LEGAL/TDS/Jag/Chapters.htm>)).
In (6), you have to write the reasons, why you think that you deserve
an upgrade, in other words, the issues that are unique to you.
If you have any documentation that support these reasons (signed
statements from people involved in the incident, etc.), you add them,
and list them under (8).
In (9) you are asked to fill in what type of review you're asking them to do.
(10) to (13) is all formalities: signing up regarding the truthfulness
of the documents and the statement; and the details of your counsel.
The Chapter Rights and Benefits Information site includes more
information on the application:
Applying for an Upgrade of Your Discharge/Dismissal
<http://www.carson.army.mil/LEGAL/TDS/Jag/Chapters.htm>
Additional Info
===============
"In order to upgrade a military discharge, one must convince a
discharge review board that there was an error or an "injustice" in
the original discharge characterization." (SOURCE: US Military @
About.com, FAQ, <http://usmilitary.about.com/od/justicelawlegislation/f/faqupgrade.htm>).
"Under the law, you must make your application for discharge upgrade
within 15 years of discharge. If your discharge is older than 15
years, you must apply for a change to your military records." (SOURCE:
US Military @ About.com, "When to Apply for an Upgrade of your
Discharge", <http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/dischargeupg_2.htm>)
Rod Powers, "Upgrading Your Military Discharge", US Military @
About.com, <http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/dischargeupg.htm>
- five pages of very useful information regarding the procedures
you'll go through.
I hope this answers your question. Please contact me if you need any
further clarification on this answer before you rate it. My search
terms:
["upgrade" "military discharge"],
"DD Form 293",
DD Form 293,
"upgrade of a military discharge" |
