I am writing regretfully to inquire about the disposition of other than honorable discharges. I served proudly as a Navy Corpsman from Oct 80-Feb. 84. My last months were horrific as I saw the end of my marriage and my spiral into drugs and alcohol take over. Though I was subsequently other than honorably discharged I have spent a lifetime turning things around and have been a Celebrate Recovery Ministry leader for years. Recently after seeing my sons off to college and being able to financially provide for that, I have found myself accepted back to college in hopes of completing the sum 45 hours or so I need toward my BS. Financially this year has torn my small business apart and I finally reckognize a need to make amends to the navy and would hope that in some small way my three years would mean more than the few months I fell apart. Have you run into this situation before. And is there a chance for redemption?
To start with, assuming you were 20 when you enlisted that means you are now 49. Back out the three years that you served and it adjusts your age to 46. That is too old to re-enter the service, any branch. Even if you were 17 when you enlisted, that still only drops you down to 43 which is still too old (must be able to complete 20 years of service by age 60, except for Army which allows one to go to 62). The age situation makes all other questions moot.
There are opportunities to change the status of a discharge, but it isn't easy.
Usually this is done by the Branch of Service. Best bet is to contact a competent advisor or VSO to help you out.
"There are those who believe there are two types of people in the world: Those who believe there are two types of people; and those who don't." John Mahoney...
