In today's Military, can you survive an Article 15 or Letter of Reprimand and still have a successful career?

Not anymore. The QMP is automated. Any field grade A15 or letter of reprimand will automatically flag you in the next QMP board. Good luck appealing....

Today that's very difficult. Before there was some chance. If you have a UIF you can't re-enlist. Game over! The type discharge is now a factor.

I enlisted at 22 following my graduation from FSU. I finished the basic Korean course at DLI as the top graduate among my peers, the only one to receive a 3/3 on the DLPT (17 other classmates). I then was the Honor Graduate at my follow-on tech school. After this, I was stationed in Korea where I received my first Article 15 for Drunk and disorderly and disrespecting an NCO. I used poor judgement and drank more than I should have. When security forces picked me up, I was disrespectful (So they say..I may have, but I only know what was told to me the following day). I received a suspended bust and loss of pay, restriction to base. 6 months later, I was out with some friends. One became intoxicated to the point that I had been 6 months prior. My friend disappeared and when we bumped into each other in the barracks, he was very angry looking and when I approached him he turned to me and pinned me to the wall by my throat. After unsuccessfully trying to push him off of me, I punched him. This led to my second Article 15 for "assault" (an article 15 for self-defense probably wouldn't make sense). A few months later I arrived to my follow on base and was told that I would be going to the chopping black, AFQRB. 9 months later I was honorably discharged (Sep 2014). I immediately transitioned to grad school. The following year I applied to the San Antonio Fire Department, ranked 9th out of thousands of applicants on the civil service exam. Upon reaching the personal history statement, I fully disclosed my article 15s with full explanations of the nature of each. I was disqualified from employment within days.

To answer the question, yes. Even if I hadn't gotten the second Article 15, I would have gone to the chopping block and gotten discharged. My supervisor told me that of all of the people with negative indicators that were going to the chopping block in my squadron, my commander only recommended keeping one (PT failure).

Forget it. Post Desert Storm the Army has gone to pot, It was already cracking up in the late 80's with new QMP ratings and PC invading everywhere. The only way you're going to dodge those bullets now is having friends in high places and/or where the decisions to bust you are made. Or having something on them.

The Days of having a Career with a letter of Reprimand or Article 15 are over for the most part. I say that because there will always be the exception to the norm. In the Green Machine it's who "likes" you in the higher part of your Command. If they think you are a salvageable and they like you paperwork can get lost in the red tape...ex. I knew guy in my Section that went U.A. before the deployment to Desert Storm, turned himself in after and he not only stayed in he ended up becoming a Sgt by the time I got out. Because people in the higher command spoke up in that Marines favor, That happen just before I got to my unit, Over on the Rock (Okinawa) I was in the process of receiving Battalion Office hours, but after questioning by my Co. 1stSgt. the lieutenant (my OIC) that was bringing the charges against me dropped the charges, that was the 1st time lol. the next time I was to receive Battalion Office Hours, was my second time on the Rock. The (Butter Bar) lieutenant (new OIC) that was bringing the Charges against me ended up dropping the charges he filed. Both incidents were with the same command. I didn't know who in my chain of command got my back but I was grateful. That was the day before I got my Good Cookie lol, and that was at the time Clinton started to make staying in harder and offering early retirements for people not to re enlist. No I wasn't the best Jarhead out there we all screwed up at one point or another, but the hierarchy knew I did my job, no matter when or where or what conditions I was needed.

A number of factors effect whether a service member's career will be over after a LOR or NJP. Many folks mentioned how early in the career. Severity of the offense, duty performance other than the offense, timing of the offense during the member's enlistment, etc all play into the career affect on the service member. An article 15 shortly before you are up for re-enlistment will probably get you non-recommended. However, an absolute rockstar who still has several years until they are up for re-enlistment and rebounds quickly to superior performance has a good chance of surviving depending on the nature of the infraction. The First Sergeant would be the best source to ask based on individual consideration.

As a NCO you are more likely to not survive an Article 15. As it stands now a "NCOER" even 10yrs back will more than likely keep you from promotion and definitely from re-enlistment.

As has always been the case it depends on how early within the service members career and under what circumstances. Yes, Soldiers can still overcome an Srticle-15 Non-Judicial punishment.

Yes, based on MOS and the needs of the military. Everything is based on the needs of the service.

Yes you can, I had multiple page 11's from a dark period in my career, but at the end of the day I still picked up E-5 in under 5 and only separated for medical reasons.