Opinion ID: 706912
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Bobby Haire

Text: 10 Haire enlisted in the Army in 1949, received an honorable discharge after nearly 2 1/2 years of service, and later reenlisted. During his second enlistment, while stationed in Germany, he requested leave to return home to deal with troubles involving his wife, but his request was not granted. Around that time, he began to drink heavily. Haire was convicted by summary court-martial of being drunk and absent without leave, and later convicted for unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon, for missing a bed check, and fighting. In 1955, after the court-martials, Haire received an undesirable discharge from the Army. 11 In 1986, more than 30 years after his discharge, Haire applied to the Board for an upgrade of his discharge classification. Haire's main argument was that he had only recently learned that the Army had changed its procedures for dealing with alcohol abuse, and that under current standards, he would have received counseling and treatment, and likely would not have received an undesirable discharge. 12 The Board issued a decision in which it noted Haire's contention that in today's Army he would either receive treatment or a better discharge. The Board did not address the merits or relevancy of this contention, but instead determined that the alleged error or injustice was, or with reasonable diligence should have been discovered on the date of discharge, and concluded, as with Dickson: 13 The subject application was not submitted within the time required. The applicant has not presented and the records do not contain sufficient justification to conclude that it would be in the interest of justice to excuse the failure to file within the time prescribed by law.