If you get an Other Than Honorable Discharge, consider this when trying to get things turned around... WHY did you get the OTH? Was it due to bad conduct, drug usage or possesion? Or could have it been a combination of things?.... If you CANT get your OTH over turned, keep in mind the reason you were discharged and adapt to it when going for a job interview... For instance, if you were kicked out for drug usage or possesion, why not join a big brother or sister organization to keep kids away from drugs?
Basically, what Im saying is, counter your OTH with something positive related to the same reason you were discharged! Trust me, it WILL help...
--Feel free to weigh in on this topic!
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I run a drug court. I have been an addictions counselor since 97 and had an OTH. I recently applied to the VA for a job and was denied because of my D/C. OTH in 86 for drug usage. I have done everything right. Turned my life completely around. Help addicts. This is how my country appreciates the turn around.
ReplyDeleteYou will never appease the military, the higher chain of command only cares about what they want and don't be fooled by their statements for upholding standards of the military. They pick and choose what standards (Double Standards)they feel will help their thought on the matter. Trust me I endured this double standard while in the military only to have recieved an OTH! While the officer had his hand shaken and told to move on to the next mission. By the way...I was given my OTH with 12 hours left on my contract.
ReplyDeleteThat is insane. 12 hours left. I would appeal. Anyway, THANK YOU for your service.
DeleteI'm going through now what you went through in 86, please if you can offer any advice or share on how you regain the ground your walking today, I would appreciate it.........
ReplyDeleteHow bout not mentioning military service in job applications? Easy as it is. A person cannot be judged just by the single opinion of a paper. Im in the process of getting one by the way (OTH) and I am not a bit scared or concern. They can stick it up their..@$$. Airman of the Month, Airman of the Quarter, Distingished Grad, many other awards, commit 1 offense and have not even found guilty on the courts, is not drug related. Impeccable past, no priors. Bottom line: Still dirtbag. Well, f them I don't give a damn on their opinion. Just watch me have success because I am greater than them. Amen to that. Do not fear the OTH because it is not a death sentence and you are not obligued to show. And if they do backgrounds, let em' try their best interrogating the reasons.
ReplyDeleteI was promised an A school with delayed entry program and shore duty. Instead, sent me to Norfolk to teach me how to chip paint off a ship. Months of trying to get my courses and schooling the hard way I went AWOL to go back to NY where I had my records. Got back to VA, ship gone, spent time in brig. At captains mast I showed my records, he said we were even and I can get my courses when we gat back to shore 4 months later but had to add 2 more years to my duty. I said I wanted out, period. He gave a choice, when we get back to shore for an honorable discharge or an OTH and send me home within a week. He said if I keep my nose clean for 6 months, I get an AUTOMATIC upgrade to honorable. Well, it's been almost 30 years with a perfect record, now I could use the honorable, asked for my paperwork and yep, still OTH. WTF? All I want is a simple check box for veteran owned buisness. I found out after my discharge that I had scoliosis and a short leg. How many damn times I gave 50 pushups for not standing at attention because of my short leg, bastards. I joined, did my bestm they broke my contract with A school and after 15 months of begging for course, I get an OTH ... Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteFuck veterans status.The majority of business owners are not veterans and you can still get a govt,state,city, job at least in California. OTH is not good, but its not a crime either, maybe for these career military assholes who can't make it outside the chicken coup and need a govt paycheck and free room and board. Your'eok dude just as long as you are not a felon the cards should fall into place.
DeleteI was recently discharged from bootcamp for a prior injury to my knee that served to be a problem shortly after attempting to go through bootcamp. (Military and Meps knew about the injury and after a lot of rehab and waivers, hesitantly cleared me to go)
ReplyDeleteThey gave me the option of rehabbing for a few months at bootcamp or going home, though medical told me it probably wouldn't help, and i would be better off trying to rehab it myself, and if it proved to work, try to come back. (Though also unlikely that i would be accepted again)
I literally had nothing to fall back on. I'm 19 years old and working in a factory to try to get myself into school. Is there any I could do for the VA or that the VA could to do for me?
Even if they just provided information on higher paying jobs that were looking for veterans, that would be a ton of help.
Please reply
Churst_93@yahoo.com
I may be out of line posting here as I am not nor ever was in the Military. However, my father was Staff Sgt. in the USMC for 14 years. He fought in WWII and Korea. I have his Purple Heart and DD214. I was going through his documents and was surprised when I read that he had an OTH. There is a code there I assume, coinciding with his offense. Is there anyway to find out what the issue was, or do you feel I should leave it alone. He has been gone for 30 years now. He was and always will be my hero no matter what he did. Should I let it rest with him or go with my curiousity?
ReplyDeleteIt's sad no one ever replied to this post. It's up to you. If it were me, I'd leave it alone. The men who discharged me never met me nor worked with me a day of my service. What matters to most who have served, is how we are perceived by those who we served with. Your father served and bled for his country. That is his honor.
DeleteI joined the Navy in 2005 and after around 2 months into A-school I made the ridiculous decision to just go AWOL, smoke some pot and then come back so I could get kicked out with an OTH.
ReplyDeleteI went to captain's mast, he recommended OTH and while waiting to be discharged, I left again. I have never been back and it is now 2012. I never finished my paperwork to be discharged (my excuse is that it was taking 6 months for them to process the discharges and I didn't feel like sitting in limbo for 6 months).
I have no idea where to go from here, I know I have had several background checks which all come up clean, I own a handgun and was granted a concealed carry permit.
I don't have any idea what my official status is with the Navy and I would like to find out what my status is in regards to my discharge, how do I find out?
@Anonymous Oct 1 2012: I went through a similar issue in 2001. Except I was kicked out for UA from the Navy; the USS Carl Vinson. I went UA multiple times that year. I was upset with my contract. I asked for an A school, but instead I was given undesignated. My recruiter Chief Perez, explained that the Seaman Apprenticship program was on the job training before I depart for A school. My asvap was a 78. He lied. I refused my contract when i left boot camp, I was told to suck it up. I did for a year then left again, and again until i was discharged with an Oth. I could not get my discharge up graded. I am an Emergency Medical Tech now. I graduate from college with a degree in Biology. I apply to med school in the fall 2013. I will never bring up my military service to anyone. I learned Chinese (simplified) just in case I have to move to the other side of the globe to make a decent living for my kids. There is nothing other than honorable about any of you, we all were just kids. Oh, and I have done many GREAT things since the Navy. Their opinion does not matter to me and it will not matter to me when I hire peopple oneday.
Deleteby the way Anonymous oct 1 2012; You should go back. You will just be processed out with an OTH. U might go to special court; but unless u did something more criminal than desertion, u will just be release back to ur holding command, then discharged with an OTH.
DeleteCritic101, thank you for your post. I wish the internet had been around when I chose OTH over court martial (see the lengthy post about the OTH receiver, Anonymous, from 1993 also posted today - that's me).
ReplyDeleteThe first few years after I got out, I did dive into drinking alot, had all kinds of bitterness and hurt feelings, and fear that I would be forever condemned to horrible jobs or homelessness. I used this, and the support and love of friends and family to pull my head out, and make a pretty darn good life for myself 20 years later.
I still fear trying to move too far up in my career however, afraid that the OTH will come up and destroy what I have worked so hard to build over being a model citizen for the last 20 years.
I would encourage the other posters here, own up - yes, you did something wrong most likely or no OTH. Own it. Move on from it. The military is NEVER going to give you a reprieve or second chance - it may not be fair, but what good does it do to dwell on being a victim? I wasted a few years feeling that way, and outside of some probable liver damage,alienating some good friends, and ruining a couple of relationships that might have turned into marriage and a good life, what did I get from it?
Once I let it go, and focused on making my life better, and appreciating the positive things I had in my life, my life got infinitely better.
Perfect? No. But much better!
Hang in there, and do the right thing in life - please!
I also received an oth in 1980 for awol on 3 accounts. the hell with the military yes I was wrong for this reason but like myself I wantto thank all of you for serving our country honorably or other than honorably or any other discharges we were all great soldiers at some point in our military career. I salute you all and good luck in life and the hell with looking back.
ReplyDelete