Wednesday morning at 11:30 was the scheduled time for Andrew's hearing. It was to be held in San Antonio at Randolf AFB. We left our house at 7:15 to give us enough time to pick up my dad at his hotel and then get over to where the hearing was to take place.
We walked into the conference room at 10:45 and already there were ten of our friends there ready to support us. Friends gradually trickled in and Andrew's military ADC (Area Defense Council, aka military lawyer), Captain C, arrive a few minutes later. Captain C was pleasantly surprised with the now twenty-ish people that had shown up to support us but the support kept coming. We had to go out and find chairs to seat how many people were coming to support Andrew. We counted them after the hearing and there were 65 chairs filled plus a few more that had decided to stand.
Right at 11:30, the room was called to attention and everyone stood up as Major General K walked in. He address everyone, thanked them for coming and reminded them why they were there - to support Andrew. If they were truly there to support Andrew, then they would support the process with respect and dignity. There were to be no jokes made, no booing, no audible gasping. Maj Gen K then opened the floor for Andrew to give his full side of the story, explaining why we were all there.
Andrew started with a story that took place 12 years ago, of the first and only time he has ever taken percocet. He had gotten his wisdom teeth pulled and was prescribed percocet for pain. Andrew only ever took one pill because he realized that he became a totally different person when on percocet. He became irrational, emotional, rude, extreme, and a bit out of control. He chopped down a tree in his back yard in the attempts to build a catapult. Like he had said - crazy, irrational, and extreme. So he threw away the rest of the pills, deciding to deal with the pain rather than give up control of his body and spirit.
Fast forward to the story I recounted in my last blog post. Andrew was terribly sick when his flight commander, BK, made a decision about their flight's punishment ending. He called him up and left an angry voicemail. When Andrew sent the apology text message, he joked that he was on percocet because percocet makes him irrational, emotional, and rude. He sent the text knowing that BK would know it was a joke, laugh about the voicemail and the text, and then forgive Andrew.
Andrew then talked about how he is a Mormon and that the LDS church has a health code for all of its members to live by. Andrew follows this health code. He has seen how people's lives are negatively effected when they abuse drugs and alcohol. He would never, and will never, break this health code he has sworn to live by, for it would not only put his life in jeopardy but put his ability to provide for his family in jeopardy, too.
I spoke after Andrew, attesting to his character, his higher standard of living, how he is as a father and as a husband. I testified that I am one hundred percent certain that Andrew did not take percocet. I testified that Andrew is a good man, a good USAF officer, and that he would never do something so selfish and detrimental to his physical and spiritual health as to take a drug illegally.
My dad spoke after me giving his testimony of Andrew's character and then our close family friend, BS, gave his testimony. Maj Gen K then opened the floor to anyone else who would like to add their testimony of Andrew.
Two people stood. The first was Brother W from church. He shared a story about a mother who, back during the Civil War, had five sons. Four of them were killed in combat. The fifth son was to be killed by firing squad for falling asleep at his post. The mother wrote President Lincoln, begging him to show mercy and pardon her only living son. Brother W then asked Maj Gen K to show mercy on Andrew. Yes, he sent a text that he should not have sent; but show mercy on him now and give him the opportunity to learn from this experience, become a better person and a better USAF officer.
Maj Gen K was impressed with what Brother W had said and opened the floor for anyone who thought they might top his testimony. A few seconds went by but then one of the reservists who works with Andrew stood up. He said he would not be able to top Brother W's testimony but he wanted to speak for everyone who had shown up to support Andrew. He said that they had not driven three hours for the view (the drive between Del Rio and San Antonio is nothing but barren, brown land). They came because they know Andrew's character. They know that he is a good man and would never do what his accusers have accused him of doing - taking prescription drugs illegally.
Maj Gen K then started to ask Andrew questions about his story. He still could not understand why Andrew would send these texts if there were no drugs. He closed the hearing stating that he would read over his notes and call Andrew in later that afternoon to make his final decision.
I was crushed. Maj Gen K had shown no positive emotion through the entire hearing. He was very skeptical of Andrew's answers and disapproving of what he had done.
We thanked everyone for coming and decided to wait in the conference room till Andrew was called to meet with Mag Gen K for his decision. The girls, my dad, BS, Andrew, and myself waited for 35 minutes. The call was made and Andrew went upstairs at 1:30. As the time passed, some of those who had been at the hearing returned from lunch to await the final decision.
An entire hour passed. I was nervous. I was preparing myself for the worst. In my mind, Andrew had been given the Article 15 and was so emotional that he had to go to a room to compose himself before coming down to give us all the news.
More and more people kept coming back from lunch but still no Andrew. There were a good 25-30 people in the room. Every time someone walked around the corner my heart would restart.
Finally, after an hour and a half, Andrew rounded the corner. I saw his face and immediately knew the General's decision. Andrew had not received the Article 15! We quickly walked to each other and hugged each other as tight as we could. Best feeling ever. I could not believe it was all finally over! Andrew's name was cleared.
Everyone cheered, gave hugs, hand shakes, back slaps. It was great! We all wanted to hear what had been going on the past hour and a half so we sat down to hear the story.
First off, Andrew said that the time up in Maj Gen K's office was far from a picnic. They weren't playing patty cake. The hour and a half was broken up into three segments. The first portion of their meeting, Maj Gen K grilled Andrew with all the same questions about the nature of his texts and how could they really be jokes. After twenty minutes Maj Gen K asked Andrew, and Capt C to leave his office. A few minutes later he asked them to come back in. He continued the questions for another thirty minutes then again asked Andrew and Capt C to leave his office. Fifteen minutes later he asked them to come back in. He looked at Capt C and told him, "I am terminating the Article 15." He then looked over at Andrew and said, "You are innocent on all charges." He then asked Capt C, his Chief and his adviser to leave the room.
Maj Gen K told Andrew that he expects more from him. During all the questioning, Andrew had told Maj Gen K that as embarrassing as it sounds, that he made the joke referencing drugs to fit in with his friends and peers. That is what a lot of the guys at work are doing to be funny and Andrew wanted to fit in. Maj Gen K told Andrew to not try and assimilate to the crowd, but to rise above them. To be an example. To hold a higher standard at all times, even with those that Andrew is closest with. He told Andrew that his family should be proud of him. He faced adversity head on and stood tall with his back straight, even when he was close to the cliff and could have fallen. He did not falter. He did not give in. And he should be proud. He told Andrew that he expects to hear good things about him.
I am so grateful for the outcome of the hearing. It is an answer to thousands of prayers said on our behalf. It sure took a long enough time, but maybe it had to go that far to right so many of the wrongs that were made at the start. Andrew still has a good fight ahead of him to get him back to flying, to get his referral OPR off his record, and his promotion back on track. It might be a while to get through the bureaucracy here at Laughlin, but it should be a bit easier now that Andrew has a paper with a two star general's signature stating that Andrew did NOT do prescription drugs illegally.
