Balldy18

[Balldy]

Sir, I was accepted into  the military with one eye and when it became public knowledge I was discharged unsuitable. Is this fair?

[broncovet]

Unfortunately (or fortunately, for some!), the world really isnt always fair.  

In the 1970's, I thought it "was not fair" that I was not allowed to go to Vietnam and jump out of airplanes because I scored too high on the test.  Today, Im very glad I did not go "in country" Vietnam.  Most of my friends who did, are either deceased or have PTSD pretty bad.  So, in the end, I was happy with the result.  You may someday also, but you also may never know.  

Did your "one eye" appear on your military service entrance exam?  Based entirely on your post, you may have been discharged for "other reasons", other than your missing eye.  Not everyone can "hack" the military.  

As Chuck Knox used to say, "Play the hand you are dealt".  

Many of us can not change our height, weight, or even how many eyes we can see out of, tho some certainly try.  The idea is to "do the best you can" with what you have to work with.  You can not change many of your circumstances, but you can change how you respond to them.  

It sounds like you are going to need to re evaluate your career choice(s).  At least Some of the time, people get kicked out of one branch of service and do well in another.  

If it did not work out in the Army, you can try the Navy, or air force.  You may or may not get a different result.  

For many people, success revolves around "how persistent you are" and how many times you keep trying when you fail.  

Fantastic baseball players bat .300.  This means they strike out 70 percent of the time, and they are considered fantastic, and sometimes go to the hall of fame.  

Maybe you struck out this once, but you have "another" at bat.  Do the best you can with THIS next time you step up to the plate.  

Often, remember the 5 P's:  Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.  It seems to work when winging it fails.  

Edited May 23, 2023 by broncovet

[Rattler]

One the question is how far did you make it before the determined you had one eye? Intake? Basic? AIT? we need more info. A lot of people  got those kind of unsuitable discharges.

[broncovet]

I agree with Rattler.  Sometimes the military gives out "bad discharges" when they should not, or even bad discharges which are often "bad behaviour" due to acting out on a Veterans SC PTSD.  There is a way to "upgrade your discharge" (if this is necessary, and I have no idea your discharge paper).  

One way is to contact NVLSP, and ask them to help you "upgrade" your discharge.  (This is sometimes called "bad paper")

NVLSP is here:

https://www.nvlsp.org/what-we-do/lawyers-serving-warriors/assistance-with-discharge-upgrades-for-veterans-from-all-eras/

If the NVLSP agrees you were unfairly discharged, they have lawyers to represent you at no cost to you, who will help.  

[pacmanx1]

To get your discharge changed, in many cases, you would need to fill out a DD149 and send it off to your Branch of service. It does take some time for a review, but they should be able to inform you of what to do if anything.

DD Form 149, "APPLICATION FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORD
UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 10, U.S. CODE, SECTION 1552" (whs.mil)

[john999]

During or right after a war it is easier to get bad paper upgraded.  As time goes by it gets harder and harder because there is less good will towards ex-soldiers.  It is easier to get a general discharge upgraded to honorable than to get a bad conduct discharge upgraded to just a general discharge.  Same with undesirable discharges due to drug use etc.