Can my son fight being chaptered out after drug use and DUI?

Back in the day he would have been sent to CCF. We were told it was Charlie's Chicken Farm. It seems to me that all branches are looking for ways to clean house. If someone is close to retirement and makes a bad decision they will kick you out instead of allow you to serve some form of punishment and then retire. Times have changed and so have the rules as far as what they will tolerate.

(Join to see) Your son may have been a good kid, but he is a man now. Everyone in the military knows that you can not take illegal drugs. He did not learn from this mistake, because a short time later, he was caught drinking and driving. Good men do not repeatedly make these kinds of very poor choices. Maybe he can turn his life around and be a good man at whatever he does next in life.

As a 3 time commander (now retired) I can bluntly say that 2% of the command problem children occupied 95% of my time. It decreased unit combat effectiveness. Your son may, and I mean may, have a shot at remaining in by convincing the command (First Sergeant and Commander) that he will pull his head out of his ass and be a productive member of the unit, increasing combat effectiveness verse decreasing it. Personally, once someone demonstrated they were a liability to the unit, I would ensure they were gone. Combat is too serious to waste time on problem children. He had his chance, and it is up to the command whether or not he remains.

At this point, let's forget about his military career, and focus in on the rest of his life. It sounds like your son is making bad choices based on the company he keeps, so to speak... He needs to be around healthy people. People who don't do drugs, who don't drink, or behave in such a way that they seem to find themselves in trouble. Even if he is kicked out that doesn't mean his life is over. It just means he doesn't have a calling to be in the military. Nonetheless, he needs help! You as a parent, needs to see to it that he gets that help. Be pro active, pull out the disciplinary paddle if you have to. You are the parent and are responsible for telling him to straighten up his act. Drugs and alcohol do not allow you to be all you can be.

Sorry but I would recommend he gets out. Regardless of he is relatively new to the Army or not. He is more of a danger and a risk to those around him and that alone is not worth keeping him in. I wouldn't want someone like that to be with me in a combat situation. He is of questionable moral and ethical character and can't be fully relied on to make sound decisions. I know it seems harsh to hear but the truth is usually is. He may be a good kid but that doesn't mean he is a good soldier.

Stick a fork in him because he is done.

Sir,
For what I just read, and my personal interpretation of your son's situation, it has to be really bad for a unit to process him out. I personally made some bad choices when I was in the Army, involving alcohol which lead to a DUI. I can say that you and your son can't do anything about this. What's done is done, there is no turning back. Ok, he probably is a good kid, but that doesn't mean he can't make bad choices in life, in general. Relatively new to the Army? How long has he been in for? Maybe this needs to happen so he can wake up and make better choices.

Sir, It would seem that your son has (how we say in the Army) "Stepped on his crank, more than once. While I can sympathize with your concern as a parent, there are some fundamental facts that can not be dismissed. The only time a Chain of Command will recommend an SM the opportunity to attend a rehab is someone they (the CoC) deem as "salvageable", because he is fairly new to this unit it is a gamble this move would prove fruitful. The DUI in of itself is another major disaster.

With regard to your son having any chance of remaining in the Army, to be honest it looks very bleak. The only thing he can try and do is damage control meaning he basically throws himself at the mercy of the court (so to speak). He would need to provide cause to his CoC why they would need to keep him. He would in essence have to sell himself. If this should fail, admit everything he did with a plausible explanation. This may not convince the CoC, but it may lessen the severity of his reclassification code he will receive.

You mentioned this "He was not a repeat user of the drug. He tried it for the first time and had a bad reaction. He panicked and thought he was dying and called his 1st Sgt. for help. Ambulance came for him." This part is important because did he call his 1SG? If he did and told his 1SG he screwed up then there may be some help for him it is called "self disclosure" meaning that because he admitted to using a controlled substance he is not supposed to be charged under UCMJ. However, this is case dependant, meaning the CoC will either charge him or not charge him under UDMJ due to their understanding of the situation. Now bear in mind when I was a Unit Prevention Leader (UPL) this was a stipulation that was in place. I am unaware of any updated changes that my null this. However, bear in mind the Army has a zero tolerance stance with certain behaviors such as drug use. The DUI is another zero tolerance aspect. Your son may be able to argue his self disclosure but he still must face the DUI charge which in most circumstances is a more serious charge because he endangered others. Sorry that I cannot be of more help with this stressful situation. Best of luck

First you need to get him some type of counseling. Drugs and DUI can mean something is wrong. Also when he gets chaptered out it’s going to be a shock and he could go into depression. They are going to strip him of everything and send him home, it’s going to shock him. He needs to find his next goal or “mission”. If he doesn’t have anything to motivate him that could be bad. Great people aren’t always great Soldiers. He just couldn’t adapt and that happens. It’s not the end of the world.

He used up his chance by pissing hot. If he has a clearance that may be revoked making him useless