Opinion ID: 15670
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Any report with an entry of “FAIL” in

Text: Part IVa, item 3, indicating noncompliance with AR 350-15; or an entry of “NO” in Part IVa, item 12, indicating noncompliance with AR 600-9. AR 623-105, ¶4-27. The ABCMR found that Stoneburner’s OER met none of the criteria set out above and did not contain ratings and comments so derogatory that the report would have an adverse impact on Stoneburner’s career. Stoneburner contends that the evaluation remarks indicating that he should continue to serve at duty positions of similar levels of responsibility were the same as a comment of “do not promote.” English, the rater, gave all “1's,” the highest rating, in all 14 attributes in part IVa. In Part IVb, the performance and potential evaluation, he marked the box “Always exceeded requirement.” In the comments section, the rater stated “LTC 11 Stoneburner has performed his duties as Operations and Training Officer in an exemplary manner. . . . LTC Stoneburner is a fine U.S. Army Reserve Officer and has demonstrated his ability to serve on active duty with the competence to make a professional contribution.” When presented with the choices for promotion, English marked the box “Promote with contemporaries.” He did not select “Promote ahead of contemporaries,” “Do not promote,” or “Other.” In commenting on Stoneburner’s potential, he wrote, “LTC Stoneburner should be continued in the U.S. Army Reserve as an Individual Ready Reservist when he reaches his mandatory release from active duty in June 1990.” None of these ratings or comments were sufficient to cause the senior rater to consider them derogatory and consequently classify this as a referred report. The senior rater, Richardson, assigned mediocre ratings to Stoneburner in his portion of the OER. Under Part VIIa, when given nine levels from which to choose in assessing Stoneburner’s potential, he marked the fifth level. He commented that Stoneburner “should continue to serve at that level on a higher headquarters staff where he can make significant contributions to the mobilization and training readiness of Reserve Component units.” Stoneburner argues that his OER is similar to the OER in Muse, where the rated officer received “superior” ratings in one portion of his report but obviously disparaging remarks in another portion. Muse v. United States, 21 Ct.Cl. 592 (1990). In Muse, the 12 “superior” ratings were accompanied by clearly contradictory comments: “[Muse’s] performance as trial counsel was erratic. he was frequently criticized for ineffective courtroom performance. He is not a good public speaker and was not always thoroughly prepared in court.” Id. at 606. We find that the raters’ comments on Stoneburner’s performance and potential a far cry from the derogatory comments found in Muse’s OER. We conclude that Stoneburner’s raters’ comments do not rise to a level that could be considered adverse to his career. In sum, none of the ratings or comments fall within the guidelines for a referred report. Although interviews with both English and Richardson during the OSRB investigations reveal that both raters doubted Stoneburner’s potential for advancement, the OER did not reflect this. A review of the summary judgment proof reflects that the ABCMR had the entire record before it in making its decision. That record included the reports and investigations conducted during Stoneburner’s two appeals to the OSRB, as well as a third investigation by the OSRB at ABCMR’s request. The ABCMR also considered the OER, Stoneburner’s application for correction of military records, his military personnel records, the opinions from the OSRB and the pertinent Army regulations and C.F.R. sections. Thus, we find that Stoneburner has not established that the ABCMR’s decision was not based on substantial evidence or that it was either arbitrary or capricious. Accordingly, we affirm the 13 district court’s ruling on that point.