EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- My story is one of struggle and a testament to resilience. I hope that as you read it, you understand my message: the integrity of our force depends upon the bravery of individuals to speak up and stand for what is right.
It begins in 2020 when I was assigned to a Security Forces squadron in Pacific Air Forces. I was a technical sergeant with 11 years of service at that time. Soon after my arrival, I noticed a toxic work environment and unhealthy culture within the unit, supported by quite a few grievances and hardships filed by my SFS teammates. Fundamentally, they felt squadron leaders were leveraging the enlisted performance report system to retaliate against members who complained about or identified squadron leadership issues.
I have always been a vocal person, and I have always encouraged those around me to use their voice. When I spoke up about the culture and elevated similar issues and concerns, I thought I was providing my leadership opportunity to address and fix detractors to a healthy unit climate. Unfortunately, that was the turning point of what became an arduous, multi-year battle to restore my professional integrity.
For bringing forward concerns shared by my teammates, I was characterized as insubordinate, toxic and even derelict. For the next 15 months, I experienced defamation, humiliation, reprisal and intimidation from a chain of command that continued to ignore deteriorating unit cohesiveness.
Not long after I first added my voice to the unit climate dialogue – or lack thereof – I was diagnosed with depression, extreme levels of stress and high levels of anxiety. I found myself navigating a work environment awash in bullying and partiality. For me personally, it led to an unjust EPR that misrepresented my performance and commitment.
I received that 2020 performance report in January 2021. Despite receiving multiple awards at the squadron, group, wing, major command, Air Force and, yes, Department of Defense levels for exceeding standards and exhibiting exemplary sustained performance, my ratings were conspicuously low. Furthermore, multiple changes were made to my report after the close-out date.
My battle started at the lowest level with my chain of command. That failed. I then filed a formal complaint with the Inspector General which was found unsubstantiated. Forty-one days after the IG's findings, I became the subject of a commander-directed investigation for failing to facilitate a climate of effective followership and creating a toxic work environment. Although the allegations were unsubstantiated, its retaliatory nature prompted me to file another formal complaint with the IG.
During this time, I also sought assistance from my Georgia state senator's office, which contacted my wing commander. The commander sent me a letter stating he would investigate the allegations regarding my evaluation. Concurrently, I filed an Equal Employment Opportunity complaint for harassment, bullying and intimidation, and an appeal with the Evaluation Reports and Appeals Board. The ERAB recommended I wait for the CDI results, upon completion of which they closed my case.
At this point, I had three active cases: an IG case for reprisal, a congressional inquiry in the hands of my wing commander and an EEO case.
The IG chain forwarded my reprisal case to the Secretary of the Air Force IG for further investigation, which found my claim unsubstantiated. The IG did, however, identify several non-reprisal issues that were appropriately addressed. My EEO case was also found unsubstantiated, and my congressional case went nowhere. So, I initiated another congressional with the same Georgia state senator's office in early 2022 due to my first congressional not being addressed thoroughly from the wing commander.
A second ERAB appeal was dismissed based on the limited purview of the board: “The ERAB is not an investigative body and … you currently have an open complaint with IG/EO; please return the case when you can provide a substantiated report corroborating your claims.”
I then initiated a second EEO case, which solidly substantiated my allegation of bullying with intent to harm in September 2023 – more than two years after filing and nearly four years after my assignment to that squadron began. With this new report, I appealed a third time to the ERAB.
In May 2024, the ERAB approved my application. While this seemed like a victory, it soon turned into another lost battle. Despite the approved application from the Air Force Personnel Center, my supplemental promotion consideration was denied by the ERAB because the wing legal office did not concur with the findings.
By October 2024, after nearly five years of fighting and exhausting all available non-judicial relief, I appealed to the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records. I received a response in June 2025; it was the light at the end of the tunnel. My appeal was approved, and my 2020 EPR was voided and removed from my records; it was replaced with a letter of evaluation with no rating for that period. The board also stated that I would be considered for supplemental promotion to the rank of master sergeant during the 2021 E-7 promotion cycle and any subsequent supplemental promotion cycles. With a clean, unprejudiced and fair record, I was promoted to master sergeant, backdated to 2021.
The restoration of my professional integrity was an arduous battle. I dedicated six years – more than an entire enlistment for many – to correcting a deeply personal injustice.
I share my story not for sympathy, but as a call to action to every service member who has ever felt wronged. Do not let fear silence you when injustice is witnessed. Upholding the integrity of our service is a duty we all share, and it often begins with the courage of a single voice. We all have a voice, we all have protected resources, and we all have wingmen to help us. The right path may be difficult, but individual resilience can pave the way for a more just and honorable force for the next generation of Airmen.