Posted on Jul 24, 2018
What are my chances for getting an RE code upgrade?
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I’m trying to re-enlist into the Army. Long story short I joined the reserves when I was 17 in 2006 and was discharged in 09. I was told the reason was to many unexcused absents but received nothing in writing. Didn’t really think much of it because I had no desire to go back. Fast forward to 2015. I decide I wanna go back and I call my unit for my discharge paperwork. They tell me they don’t have it and to get my records from the archives. So I get my records and there’s nothing in there about my discharge stuff. So I give up. Fast forward to 2018. I talked to a recruiter and he said he’d help me get my paperwork. Of course he can’t find it. We call HRC and they told me if no one has it then it doesn’t exist. Couple days later my recruiter said he found my recode but still no documentation on my discharge paperwork. He told me it was a recode 4 and I was kicked out for failure of the drug rehabilitation program. Couple problems here. One I never received any paperwork about any of this. Not a failed test or the option to go to rehab. I wasn’t even given any discharge paperwork when I was told I was done. My record has absolutely no record of a failed drug test or discharge stuff. The recruiter also jumped on the HRC website and couldn’t find anything after AIT. He told me they didn’t submit anything. I still don’t have a piece of paperwork with my recode on it. He told me someone sent it to his email. I plan on sending in a dd form 293. The recruiter things my unit was really jacked up and fucked me over. They literally didn’t submit anything to my file. Now I know you need to submit documentation to support your claims for an upgrade but I literally don’t have anything but medical shit and stuff from basic and AIT. I don’t talk to anyone or know anyone who was in my unit at the time. Pretty much the army fucked up. I found out I was out one day at drill during lunch. My platoon SSG pulled me aside and said “ dude your not in the army, you have to leave”. When I say I don’t have anything I mean not a single piece of paper standing why I was discharged and for what reason. I just want to get back in. The recruiter said he’s write a letter backing my story up because he’s seen my file too. Anyone else know what my chances are for getting it upgraded?
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RE Code
RE Code
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 3
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First, sounds like a lot of excuse making. "Unexcused absences"? The military is not high school. You chose not to show up and you got "fired" just like you would have at any other job. As for your RE code, I doubt that you will get it upgraded. As I have told any number of people on here already - and you could have easily looked up those previous questions on this subject - you demonstrated your inability to do the job and the military is probably not likely to waste time and money giving you a second chance.
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SGT Joseph Gunderson
Your whole story sounds suspect. First you said that you were told you had "unexcused absences" and then you say that you were told it was "drug rehab failure". Now, I've seen some pretty shabby paperwork keeping, but if you were ejected there would be something. Next, everyone has to have paperwork of some kind if they are given an RE 4 code; there has to be a reason for this kind of code. As for keeping paperwork after your discharge, that actually isn't the job of the unit to do; they are required to keep only certain documents and only for a certain time period. It is your job to keep that documentation. I'm thinking that either that you are failing to tell the whole story, not that I give a damn, but I am sure that this audience is not getting all of the information. Regardless, your RE code is probably not getting upgraded for any reason.
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SGT (Join to see)
SGT Joseph Gunderson - PFC Tony Dichristopher
“My platoon SSG pulled me aside and said “ dude your not in the army, you have to leave”. is that really how it happens? No DD214? Just pack your sh*t and go?
Tony, something sounds a little off. I was in the Army for a minute, and I never saw anyone get the ‘Milton’ treatment from Office Space. The Army doesn’t just fix the glitch. They beat the glitch with a sledge hammer and kick it out the window.
Anyway, best of luck.
“My platoon SSG pulled me aside and said “ dude your not in the army, you have to leave”. is that really how it happens? No DD214? Just pack your sh*t and go?
Tony, something sounds a little off. I was in the Army for a minute, and I never saw anyone get the ‘Milton’ treatment from Office Space. The Army doesn’t just fix the glitch. They beat the glitch with a sledge hammer and kick it out the window.
Anyway, best of luck.
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SPC (Join to see)
PFC Tony Dichristopher - Did you not save any of the documents you were given? I can't believe you were never given anything since AIT. It is my understanding if you were enlisted during the "electronic age" where all of your records can be accessed online you should have been able to access them at least while you were still enlisted. If you were actually discharged you would or should have been provided with at least a DD214.
I would try to get a hold of your records from the Archives or wherever they're stored for more recent enlistees. Mine come from the Archives in St. Louis and they lost most of mine, but I was fortunate to save everything I was given which includes what they lost. I agree with other posters that this doesn't sound right.
I would try to get a hold of your records from the Archives or wherever they're stored for more recent enlistees. Mine come from the Archives in St. Louis and they lost most of mine, but I was fortunate to save everything I was given which includes what they lost. I agree with other posters that this doesn't sound right.
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SSG (Join to see)
I can say one thing it is not that easy to kick someone out of the Reserves without some paper work, I was a UA, the paper work for unexcused absences it lengthy to say the least. We have to send a certified letter everytime you miss drill, plus counseling statements from your first line leader must be submitted. All of that plus letters from the 1st SGT and Commander etc all must go up the chain of command. The company level cannot discharge you. As for popping hot and being discharged for drug testing again the paper work is lengthy and again it must go up to a much higher command than the company level. Maybe you should contact the RRC that was over that unit.
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You do not get chaptered out of the Army for unexcused absences without a paper trail. Hell, you don't get chaptered for any reason without ANY kind of paper trail. There is counseling forms. There are certified letters sent. JAG is involved. JAG ensures that the unit performed each and every step right and crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's before they approve the paperwork to be sent higher. Because at every single level from company all the way up to USARC, the packet is QA'd by every Command and JAG level. Even if one level blesses off but the next level finds the packet is not complete, it is sent back down all the way to the beginning to start it all over. Once everything has been approved of, orders are cut discharging you from service. Believe me, there is paperwork somewhere. Find out the JAG office that supported your unit, BN, BDE, and DIV, because again each level needs to review and sign off. Also, since you joined the Reserves, you could also have your recruiter contact USARC, as the USARC CG is usually the final stopping point of chapter paperwork right before it all comes back down for distro of discharge papers.
Not going to lie, it feels to me that there is so many holes in your explanation that it looks like swiss cheese. But, regardless, have your recruiter contact the JAG offices and contact USARC.
Not going to lie, it feels to me that there is so many holes in your explanation that it looks like swiss cheese. But, regardless, have your recruiter contact the JAG offices and contact USARC.
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PFC Tony Dichristopher
It’s tough to write out but according to my recruiter and the my file from the archives and the HRC website. There is no paper trail for drug abuse. I don’t even remember being told I failed. I knew about the absence and have those in my file but according to the recruiter it was drug related. I never received an article 15. I never received discharge paperwork. Hell I didn’t even know I was discharged until someone pulled me aside and told me I was and I had to leave.
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PFC Tony Dichristopher
I don’t even know how he got my re code. He said he never got any discharge paperwork. Someone had found my recode and that was it.
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SSG (Join to see)
PFC Tony Dichristopher - Maybe your recruiter is yanking your chain for some reason. How does it get the code and not have some paper work to prove it.
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