US Military

Please visit this page with a laptop / desktop and not your phone, thank you. This section of my website is currently under construction so I apologize for the mess. Some data and information pertaining to my military service which I am authorized to disclose, will be included but not limited to: Armed Forces Career Center Chattanooga Tn, Delayed Entry Program Chattanooga Tn, Military Entrance Processing Station Knoxville Tn, Naval Training Center San Diego Ca, Recruit Training Command San Diego Ca, Damage Control “A” School Treasure Island Ca, Naval Base Point Loma San Diego Ca, USS Dixon AS-37 NBPL San Diego Ca, Naval Station Pearl Harbor Honolulu HI, Naval Air Facility Adak Ak, Naval Medical Center San Diego Ca, Naval Base 32nd Street San Diego Ca, Naval Support Activity Mid-South Millington Tn, Yokota Air Base Japan, Tripler Army Medical Center Honolulu HI, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Nashville VA Medical Center, and Washington DC. Due to very strict federal laws, regulations, restrictions, gag orders, the UCMJ, and my prior Classified Security Clearance I am not allowed discuss all military matters, military commands, military documents, military nuclear operations, military ICBMs, military nuclear submarines, military medical matters, military payments, military agreements, military operations, or military data and information. For a list of all VA Medical Facilities please visit here. Thank you!

US Dep. of Veterans Affairs Section

Right alongside being an Honorably Retired Military Member of The United States Navy, one of the most significant honors ever awarded to me by this great nation we call America is to be in the upper echelon ranks of The US Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA and their employees are the gatekeepers and custodians of ongoing annual healthcare for our dedicated service members, warriors, combat veterans, peace time veterans, and their amazing families who support them. I have the utmost respect and gratitude for the VA and their teams of professionals who continue to assist myself and my team, thank you so very much, from one veteran to many many more.

2024 – Awarded In Home Skilled Nursing, PT, OT, & HS for 90 days.
2024 – In Progress Home Loan No PMI & No Down payment of $425,000.00.
2024 – Awarded “Travel Pay” For All Clinic Appointments & ER Visits.
2023 – Awarded Federal Protection Under The VA “20 Year Rule”.
2020 – Awarded Federal Protection Under The VA “55 Year Old Rule”.
2016 – Awarded “Vocational Rehabilitation” At Belmont University.
2013 – Awarded Federal Protection Under The VA “10 Year Rule”.
2011 – Awarded Federal Protection Under The VA “8 Year Rule”.
2008 – Awarded VA Home Loan with No PMI and No Money Down.
2008 – Awarded Federal Protection Under The VA “5 Year Rule”.
2005 – Awarded “SMC-S Status” Automatically Due To Combined Ratings.
2004 – Awarded “Priority Group 1 Status” Highest Level At VA.
2003 – Awarded “Permanent & Total Status” Closed Claim For Life.
2003 – Advanced to “100% Rating Status” with 3 Service Connected Disabilities.
2003 – Removed “Individual Unemployability Status” Due To Combined Ratings.
2003 – Awarded 1 Service Connected Disability At 30% Rating.
2002 – Advanced 1 Service Connected Disability Up To 100% Rating.
2001 – Awarded “70% Plus Individual Unemployability Rating Status”.
2001 – Advanced 1 Service Connected Disability Up To “60% Status”.
1998 – Advanced to “50% Rating Status” with 2 Service Connected Disabilities.
1991 – Awarded “Vocational Rehabilitation” At Belmont University.
1989 – Converted US Navy “30% Disability Rating Status” To VA with 1 Service Connected Disability.
1988 – Awarded & Paid Monthly Into The VA / Navy GI Educational Bill.

United States Naval PDRL Section

United States Naval TDRL Section

United States Naval TPU Section

United States Naval USS Dixon Section

1999 – Navy Certificate of Recognition Cold War Service Veteran, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
1995 – Navy Certificate of Retirement Honorable Service, Vice Admiral, Frank L Bowman.
1995 – Navy Certificate of Appreciation, Commander in Chief President Bill Clinton.
1990 – Navy Certificate of Appointment Second Class Petty Officer, Captain Charles Beers Jr.
1989 – Navy Promotion, Divisional Damage Control Petty Officer, Ensign, L.H. Benton.
1989 – Navy Ribbon Battle “E”, USS Dixon As-37, Battle Readiness Secretary of the Navy.
1989 – Navy Qualified Radiation Worker, Nuclear Spill Cleanup Team, USS Dixon AS-37, San Diego CA.
1989 – Navy Citation R-1 Lifeboat SHIPALT Welding, USS Dixon AS-37, Captain, W.L. Norris.
1989 – Navy Letter Repair “R” Award USS Dixon AS-37, Sub Base, Secretary of the Navy.
1989 – Navy Letter “Atta Boy” 56 Alpha Ventilation System, USS Dixon AS-37, Ensign, L.H. Benton.
1988 – Navy Ribbon Meritorious Unit Commendation, USS Dixon As-37, Secretary of the Navy.
1988 – Navy SQUIP Certificate of Completion, Sheet Metal Layout, Naval Sea Systems Command.
1988 – Navy Certificate of Appointment Third Class Petty Officer, Captain R.N. Lee, USS Dixon.
1988 – Navy Certificate Petty Officer Indoctrination Course, USS Dixon As-37, Captain R.N. Lee.
1988 – Navy “Dream Sheet” Awarded Top Pick to Any Duty Station In The World, Treasure Island CA.
1988 – Navy Certificate of Merit, Graduated Top 10% DC “A” School, Commander D.S. Harrison-Brown.
1987 – Navy Advancement Fireman E3, NTC Recruit Training Command, Company 219, San Diego CA.
1987 – Navy Promotion Company 219 Squad Leader, Company Commander, Petty Officer 1 Bright.
1987 – Navy “DEPer Member”, Delayed Entry Program, Garrison Recruiting Command, Chattanooga TN.

United States Naval DC “A” School Section

United States Naval NTC/RTC Section

United States Naval DEPer Section

Legal Definitions Section

Bad Conduct Discharge, colloquially referred to as a “big chicken dinner” or “big crazy duck”, from the initialism, can only be given by a court-martial (either special or general) as a punishment for an enlisted service member. Bad conduct discharges may be preceded by a period of confinement in a military prison. The discharge itself is not issued until completion of the appellate review process, or in the cases of discharges involving a prison sentence, completion of both the sentence and the appellate review process. Many or all veterans’ benefits are forfeited in the case of a Bad Conduct Discharge, and those discharged through a general court-martial will also not be eligible for disability compensation. Even then, although these veterans can still receive health care, they will not be able to do so through the VA.”

Capital Punishment by the United States Military “The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces ruled in 1983 that the military death penalty was unconstitutional, and after new standards intended to rectify the Armed Forces Court of Appeals’ objections, the military death penalty was reinstated by an executive order of President Ronald Reagan the following year. Currently, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 14 offenses are punishable by death. Under the following sections of the UCMJ, the death penalty can be imposed in both times of war and peace: 1: Mutiny or sedition, 2: Misbehavior before the enemy (including cowardice), 3: Subordinate compelling surrender, 4: Improper use of countersign, 5: Forcing a safeguard, 6: Espionage, 7: Aiding the enemy, 8: Improper hazarding of vessel, 9: Murder, 10: Desertion, 11: Assaulting or willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, 12: Lurking as a spy or acting as a spy, 13: Misbehavior of a sentinel or lookout.” 14: Under article 120, rape was once punishable by death, but the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Coker v. Georgia and Kennedy v. Louisiana that the death penalty for rape is unconstitutional.”

Cole War Service Veteran Certificate “The Cold War Recognition Certificate was authorized by the United States Congress in 1997 to recognize “all members of the Armed Forces and qualified Federal government civilian personnel who faithfully and honorably served the United States during the Cold War Era from September 2, 1945, to December 26, 1991″. The Department of Defense designated the Department of the Army as the executive agent for the Cold War Recognition Certificate Program.”

Conscription “In the United States of America, military conscription, commonly known as the draft, has been employed by the U.S. federal government in six conflicts: the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. In the United States conscription ended in 1973, but males aged between 18 and 25 are required to register with the Selective Service System to enable a reintroduction of conscription if necessary. PresidentGerald Ford had suspended mandatory draft registration in 1975, but President Jimmy Carter reinstated that requirement when the Soviet Union intervened in Afghanistan five years later. Consequently, Selective Service registration is still required of almost all young men. There have been no prosecutions for violations of the draft registration law since 1986. Males between the ages of 17 and 45, and female members of the US National Guard may be conscripted for federal militia service pursuant to 10 U.S. Code § 246 and the Militia Clauses of the United States Constitution.”

Desertion :According to the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice, desertion is defined as (a) Any member of the armed forces who–(1) without authority goes or remains absent from his unit, organization, or place of duty with intent to remain away therefrom permanently;(2) quits his unit, organization, or place of duty with intent to avoid hazardous duty or to shirk important service.  Any person found guilty of desertion or attempt to desert shall be punished, if the offense is committed in time of war, by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct, but if the desertion or attempt to desert occurs at any other time, by such punishment, other than death, as a court-martial may direct.”

Disabled Veteran is ” an individual who has served on active duty in the armed forces, (except as provided under section 2108a ) has been separated therefrom under honorable conditions, and has established the present existence of a service-connected disability or is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension because of a public statute administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs or a military department”. In 2022 it is estimated there are 16.2 million US Military Veterans in the USA. Approx. 5.3 million veterans have at least 1 service connected disability, making them “service connected”.

Discharge / Separation “Most often, when someone leaves the US military, they are separated, not discharged. Enlisting in the US military generally entails an eight-year commitment, served with a combination of active and reserve service.^[16] Individuals who voluntarily separate from active duty with fewer than eight years normally fulfill the balance of their term in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). In the U.S., discharge or separation is not military retirement; personnel who serve for 20 years or longer are retired, and are transferred to the Retired Reserve. Members who are seriously disabled are also retired (receiving what is referred to as a Medical Retirement) rather than discharged. To receive an honorable discharge, a service member must have received a rating from good to excellent for their service. Service members who meet or exceed the required standards of duty performance and personal conduct, and who complete their tours of duty, normally receive honorable discharges.”

Dishonorable Discharge “a dishonorably discharged military member is basically no longer a veteran, they are “stripped” of nearly all previous status. “Colloquially referred to as a “duck dinner”, is the worst type of discharge in the US military. It can only be handed down to a military member by a general court-martial. Dishonorable discharges are rendered by conviction from a general court-martial for extreme offenses (e.g., treason, espionage, desertion, sexual assault, or murder). With a dishonorable discharge, all or almost all benefits are forfeited, regardless of any past honorable service; this type of discharge is regarded as shameful in the military. As with many bad conduct discharges, dishonorable discharges are normally preceded by military prison sentences and are formally issued after completion of both confinement and the appellate review process. In most states, a dishonorable discharge is deemed the equivalent of a felony conviction, with the concomitant loss of many civil rights. Veterans who have been dishonorably discharged lose the ability to own firearms, work government jobs, receive government assistance and loans, and in some jurisdictions to vote, hold public office, or serve in a jury.”

Entry Level Separations “which are accompanied by an uncharacterized discharge, are given to individuals who separate prior to completing 180 days of military service or when discharge action was initiated prior to 180 days of service. The vast majority of these administrative separations occur during recruit training or “boot camp”. This type of discharge (over 19,000 in 2019) does not attempt to characterize service as good or bad. Rather, an uncharacterized discharge is the absence of a characterization of service, as the individual being discharged does not have sufficient time in service in order to fairly characterize the individual’s service. However, this type of discharge often attaches a reason such as pregnancy, performance in training, or medical issues. An individual with an ELS may, under certain conditions, be allowed to re-enlist in the military.”

Gag Order “(also known as a gagging order or suppression order) “is an order, typically a legal order by a court or government, restricting information or comment from being made public or passed onto any unauthorized third party. The phrase may sometimes be used of a private order by an employer or other institution. Uses of gag orders include keeping trade secrets of a company, protecting the integrity of ongoing police or military operations, and protecting the privacy of victims or minors. Conversely, as their downside, they may be abused as a useful tool for those of financial means to intimidate witnesses and prevent release of information, using the legal system rather than other methods of intimidation. Strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) orders may potentially be abused in this way. Gag orders are sometimes used in an attempt to assure a fair trial by preventing prejudicial pre-trial publicity, although their use for this purpose is controversial since they are a potentially unconstitutional prior restraint that can lead to the press’s using less reliable sources such as off-the-record statements and second- or third-hand accounts. In a similar manner, a “gag law” may limit freedom of the press, by instituting censorship or restricting access to information.”

General Discharges “more formally referred to as “general discharges under honorable conditions” are given to service members who engaged in minor to moderate misconduct, or performed satisfactorily but failed to meet performance standards expected of military members. Reasons for such a characterization of service vary, and are utilized by the unit commander as a means to correct unacceptable behavior prior to initiating discharge action (unless the reason is drug abuse, in which case discharge is often mandatory).”

Honorable Discharge “To receive an honorable discharge, service members must have received a rating from good to excellent for their service. Service members who meet or exceed most of the required standards of duty performance, committed no or minimal misconduct, and who complete their tours of duty, normally receive honorable discharges.”

Other Than Honorable (OTH) Discharge “An Other Than Honorable discharge represents a significant departure from the conduct and performance expected of all military members, and is issued for more serious misconduct, such as assault, security violations, excessive trouble with authorities, and possession or use of prohibited drugs. Veterans with Other Than Honorable discharges who are deemed “Dishonorable for VA Purposes” because of a regulatory bar may still qualify for health care, but only for service-related condition or injuries. If the veteran is barred for statutory reasons, even this limited health care is not available. Additionally, most veterans with an OTH discharge cannot re-enlist or use the GI Bill. “

Permanent Disability Retired List (PDRL) “PDRL is the Permanent Disability Retirement program designed to provide permanent disability benefits to members of the military with service-connected disabilities. Required determinations of disability are made by the Secretary of the Military Departments and include the following categories according to Title 10 USC: “Based upon accepted medical principles, the disability is of permanent and stable nature. The disability is not the result of the member’s intentional misconduct or willful neglect, and was not incurred during a period of unauthorized absence. The member has at least 20 years of ACTIVE service or the Secretary of the Military Departments rates the disability at least at 30%. The disability cannot be noted at the time of the member’s entrance on active duty and the disability is the proximate result of performing active duty.”

Petty Officer Second Class “is the fifth enlisted rank in the U.S. Navy^[1] and the U.S. Coast Guard, just above petty officer third class and below petty officer first class, and is a non-commissioned officer. It is equivalent to the rank of sergeant in the Army and Marine Corps, and staff sergeant in the Air Force. Petty Officers serve a dual role as both technical experts and as leaders. Unlike the sailors below them, there is no such thing as an “undesignated” Petty Officer. Advancement to petty officer second class is dependent on time in service, performance evaluations by superiors, and rate (technical specialty) examinations. The advancement cycle is currently every 6 months. Only a certain number of billets (job openings for this rate) open up biannually and all third-class petty officers compete. The top scorers are chosen for advancement, but only in sufficient quantities to fill the billets available. To address a Petty Officer, one would say, “Petty Officer Meyer”.

Retired Military Members Use of Rank “All retired military members are permitted to use their military titles socially and in connection with commercial enterprises. Such military titles must never be used in any manner which may bring discredit to the uniformed services. When military titles are used by members to sign their names to documents that pertain to them personally, they must show that they are in a retired status after the grade. Social and business calling cards must reflect the retired status.” Full page at DOD located here.

Security Clearance “to get access to classified information, an in-depth background investigation is conducted primarily by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, and the recipient signs a nondisclosure agreement. If issues of concern surface during any phase of security processing, coverage is expanded to resolve those issues. At lower levels, interim clearances may be issued to individuals who are presently under investigation, but who have passed some preliminary, automatic process. Such automatic processes include things such as credit checks, felony checks, and so on. An interim clearance may be denied (although the final clearance may still be granted) for having a large amount of debt, having a foreign spouse, for having admitted to seeing a doctor for a mental health condition, or for having admitted to other items of security concern (such as a criminal record or a history of drug use.). When security concerns arise for an individual, which could bar them from holding a security clearance, adjudicators may also look at the Whole-Person Concept as a source of potential mitigation so that the person may still be granted a security clearance.”

Temporary Disability Retirement List (TDRL) “TDRL is the Temporary Disability Retirement program designed to enable all eligible members with a rated disability the opportunity to receive retirement benefits including medical coverage for members and dependents and a monthly stipend until medical conditions can become stabilized or corrected. TDRL is enacted by General Military Law under Title 10 USC Chapter 61, section 1200 series, and further outlined by the Headquarters of the Military Departments through Directives and Instructions. The department of the Navy has designated SECNAVINST 1850.4F as the governing instruction for the administration of Disability Evaluation. Under Title 10 USC, TDRL is a maximum of a 5-year program. In accordance with Memorandum for Assistant Secretary of the Navy dated February 7, 2017, member’s placed onto the TDRL program on or after January 1, 2017 may spend a maximum of 3 years on the TDRL program. At the end of the 3 or 5 years depending on date of placement, General Military law requires all pay and benefits to cease, regardless of reason for a delay in final processing.”

Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) “is the foundation of the system of military justice of the armed forces of the United States. The UCMJ was established by the United States Congress in accordance with their constitutional authority, per Article I Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, which provides that “The Congress shall have Power . . . to make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval forces” of the United States. Within the exceptions below, as codified in Article 2 of the UCMJ, personal jurisdiction attaches, regardless of the physical global location of the service member, over all members of the Uniformed Services of the United States: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps, and Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Additionally, the following categories of service members are subject to the UCMJ as indicated: 1., Retired members of the regular component who are entitled to retirement pay, per Article 2(a)(4) of UCMJ, regardless of the authority under which retired from active service and transferred to the retired list of their respective service’s regular component, 2., Retired members of the reserve component, whether entitled to retired pay or awaiting retired pay at age 60 as a gray area reserve retiree, who are receiving hospital care from an armed force, per Article 2(a)(5) of UCMJ.”

Veteran – “The term “veteran” means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released there from under conditions other than dishonorable. Veteran has the meaning given the term in 38 U.S.C. 101(2). A Reservist or member of the National Guard called to Federal active duty or disabled from a disease or injury incurred or aggravated in line of duty or while in training status also qualify as a veteran.”