Tenacious: An Airman's journey to serve her country

Published Jan. 19, 2012
By 2nd Lt. Kwang Woong Kim
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- On Dec 28, 2011, then Staff Sgt. Jennifer Wallace, 92nd Force Support Squadron NCOIC of manpower and organization, reenlisted into the United States Air Force for six years and was promoted to technical sergeant on Jan 1.

Seems pretty typical, but in reality, Wallace underwent an excruciatingly long and complicated process of medical boards and challenges to have an opportunity to continue to serve in the United States Air Force.

It all began in 2006. While stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Wallace began experiencing knee problems. One diagnosis after another, doctor after doctor, medical specialists and multiple knee surgeries later, she was still unsure of the exact verdict of her knee problems. Wallace's outlook was getting worse. Going on and off crutches and profiles, enduring physical therapy and attempting multiple return-to-running programs, she found no success.

Fortunately, after a successful third surgery in April 2008, her knee problems stabilized to the point where she could run short distances. With her recent success, she was still able to meet all the deployment criteria, including running 100 yards, which saved her from a medical board.

"If you consider it in the context of 'Could you run 100 yards if someone was shooting at you,' I think my knees would have had to be pretty bad for that to not be true," Wallace said.

Problems arose once again after she arrived here in August 2009. While going through Security Forces augmentee training, her profile was deemed too generic and needed specific verification of her capabilities.

"I was sent to physical therapy for them to evaluate what I could do and make a recommendation for my profile," Wallace said. "The physical therapist I saw didn't believe that I should be deployable at all because she didn't think I would be capable of doing the Combat Airman Skills Training that is required for many deployments, so she recommended that I should be placed on a no-running profile, even though I was capable of running for short distances. She also put me on yet another return-to-running program."

She was back to square one.

By December 2009, it became clear that progress was lacking while in the return-to-running program. Her primary care manager began the medical evaluation board process.

"I knew next to nothing about the MEB process, other than that it was the scariest process in the Air Force for someone with any desire to stay in," Wallace said.

The MEB process is a way to determine whether someone's medical conditions are bad enough to prevent them from doing their job, both in the technical sense of performing the duties of their main job and in military sense of being able to deploy, train and perform military related duties. The MEB process, however, does not automatically mean a discharge or retirement.

Her knowledge of the MEB process grew after she met Rick Miller, 92nd Medical Group Physical Evaluation Board Liaison officer.

"Mr. Miller was a huge help during the whole process," said Wallace. "After talking with people from other bases who were also going through the MEB process, I can tell that he stands out among his peers with the thorough, pain-staking attention to detail approach he takes. That is just what is needed when it comes to a process that can have such a dramatic impact on people's careers. It was clear from just talking to him that he really cares about the work he does and the impact that it has."

As her case moved on, the MEB forwarded her case to the Informal Physical Evaluation Board.

"At this point, besides Mr. Miller, no one was really able to tell me how the process worked so I was on my own putting together my side of the story," Wallace said.
To challenge the IPEB, Wallace coordinated a letter from her commander and wrote a letter expressing her desire to stay in and the reasons why she should be allowed to. She did not receive the answer for which she had hoped.

The recommendation for Wallace was for discharge with severance pay, with a disability rating of 10 percent.

Knowing that she was never tested to show her capability of doing CAST training and having performed her duties without any issues, Wallace, unfazed, chose to challenge the IPEB decision.

"I am not one to easily give up," Wallace said.

"By this point in the process, Maj. Felicia Jensen was now our flight commander," Wallace said. "She sat down with me and after I explained my situation, she helped me come up with a plan for how to deal with my appeal. She helped me coordinate getting letters signed by the commander and by Chief Master Sgt. Donald Dufner, the Air Mobility Command career field functional manager recommending that I be retained and giving evidence supporting the fact that I was actually quite capable of doing my job."

With the aid of Jensen, Wallace was able to take the next step and speak with the Formal Physical Evaluation Board in person at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas to appeal the decision in August 2010. For the second time, the verdict from the board remained the same. "Recommend discharge with severance pay and a 10 percent disability rating."

Unwilling to give up her desire to remain in the Air Force, Wallace searched for more answers.

"While I was at the FPEB, I met with an attorney who specialized in MEBs," Wallace said. "He recommended that I should appeal, and ask for a Functional Capacity evaluation and try to get the results included in my appeal. He felt the FCE would be sufficient proof to show whether I could meet the deployment requirements."

A trip to Seattle and $700 later, Wallace endured a day of working with an occupational therapist for her FCE. After squatting, lifting, pushing, pulling, crawling, running, jumping and anything else to meet the requirements for training and deploying, her therapist wrote his report stating that she had met all the requirements for both.

With the promising news, Wallace, with the assistance of Jensen, wrote an appeal amid endorsements to the Secretary of the Air Force personnel counsel. Working with a new PCM, Wallace was able to obtain a new profile based on her successful FCE.

Even though Wallace's health improved and she was able to appeal, she understood that many cases do not get overturned unless there was overwhelming evidence. She began making plans for life after potential separation.

As time went by Wallace noticed major improvements to her knee as she found alternative and effective methods of physical training.

"I started to notice some improvements in what I could do," Wallace said. "Then I realized that although exercise bikes didn't agree with my knees, I had no problems with a real bike. So, I started riding around the neighborhood and a few other places. By this past June, I could run a half mile without any problems. So, I talked to my PCM again and he changed my profile to no running more than 800 yards, so that if personnel counsel looked at my profile, it would show the improvements I made."

Wallace continued on.

By September, no longer on physical therapy and able to run longer without discomfort, she grew confident in being able to accomplish the mile-and-a-half run and come off of her profile by October's PT test.

Preparations began. Wallace scheduled an appointment to no longer be on profile and scheduled to take her mock test.

Unfortunately for Wallace, before the mock test could happen, she was chosen for Charge of Quarters duty at Moses Lake, Wash. for ten days, cancelling her chance. A small setback, but she knew she could overcome. As she arrived to her duty location, she received a phone call from her PEBLO, Miller. She didn't receive the news she had hoped. The Secretary of the Air Force personnel counsel ruling was: "Recommend discharge with severance pay and a 10 percent disability rating."

Karma was not on her side.

Wallace had 90 days to finalize all necessary work for separation from the Air Force. Appealing the process remained an option for Wallace as she was now at another crossroads.

"I debated about whether I was going to appeal," Wallace said. "Two years was a long time to be in limbo about my future, and I knew that for this appeal, they wouldn't be able to keep me on medical hold until a decision was made. I would separate Dec. 31, 2011, unless I appealed and a decision was made before then, which from what I had seen of the whole process was unlikely. I had a line number for technical sergeant but because medical separation made me ineligible for promotion, my line number was removed. Instead, I would be separated as a technical sergeant without ever having the opportunity to wear the rank."

Wallace did not want to end her career without proving herself to the Air Force.

"In the end, I decided that I couldn't let the decision stand unchallenged when their decision was based heavily on the October 2009 physical therapy evaluation," Wallace said. "Based on my improvements, I met the criteria for deployment, and the only reason I didn't meet the requirements for CAST was just before the personnel counsel made their decision, a requirement was added stating that individuals on a profile for the run couldn't attend regardless of the capabilities."

Confident that she could pass the PT test without a profile, Wallace began making plans to appeal to the Air Force Board of Correction of Military Records and prepare for her upcoming PT test.

Obtaining letters from her PCM and her physical therapist, she was no longer on profile and cleared to run. With the help of Jensen and Capt. Pamela Nuila, Wallace's flight commander, Wallace prepared.

On Oct. 28, 2011, after years of what felt like an uphill struggle, she passed her PT test with a score of 82 and finished the run a full time bracket ahead of the minimum in 16:17, with the pacing of Jensen and Nuila. Wallace then consulted with her PCM, generating a lift on the profile and a statement for her appeal of "No more likely to have knee problems than an average person."

Wallace gathered all necessary paperwork for her appeal package to submit to AFBCMR by Dec. 1, 2011, hoping the package would arrive before 30 days, her day of separation.

As she researched the website of the board of corrections, she once again faced another unexpected answer. Cases involving separations averaged 8-10 months, well past the separation date.

"I thought about it, and decided that I didn't care if I was already separated and had a job when the AFBCMR made a decision," Wallace said. "If they would let me continue to serve in the Air Force, I would."

She submitted the appeal package and continued on preparing for separation.

Waiting day-after-day hoping for an answer, Wallace finally received a letter from the AFBCMR office Dec. 21, 2011. To her disappointment, she received an answer that the package was received.

She began to lose hope.

"I was fairly certain that even if a miracle happened and they made a decision before the end of the month, I probably wouldn't hear about it until after I separated anyway," Wallace said. "My coworkers had already planned my going away party."

A miracle came.

The next day, Wallace received a call. Her appeal was specially reviewed due to her separation date and results found Wallace fit to return to duty.

"After I got over the initial shock and disbelief that they had not only made a decision in time, but actually made the one I was hoping for," said Wallace. "I also found out that they were also going to reinstate my line number and I would put on January 1st, the same as I would have if it had never been taken away."

Instead of a going away party, it was now a promotion party for Wallace. To sweeten the deal, she also received a reenlistment bonus.

"I cannot thank everyone who has helped me through this process enough," said Wallace. "Major Jensen has helped me from the time she got here. I am quite certain that I wouldn't have made it to the point in the appeal process that I did, much less actually won. Her enthusiasm and unwavering faith in my abilities definitely helped, especially for the times when I doubted the wisdom of my decision to appeal. Captain Nuila's enthusiasm and optimism was a great help. She never doubted me for a moment, and always had something positive to say when I wasn't sure of myself. While I was getting ready to PT test, she helped me remember that even if I didn't run as fast as I hoped, the fact that I was willing to try meant a lot."

By January 1, Wallace reenlisted into the United States Air Force for six years, put on technical sergeant and was now fully qualified and deployable.