OTHD question will i lose my clearence if i get OTHD?

If i go AWOL in the army national guard MD and i get OTHD, will i lose my secret clearance? There are a lot of things going on in my life right now but there is no way i can continue to stay with the army National guard. My NCO asked in a text if i would like to get discharged but im not entirely sure what to say. I feel like they wont understand what im going through. My brother was recently murdered, my two baby brothers got into a huge car accident and my parents kicked me out the house and sold my car. I am trying to get my life back together but i feel like i cant be in the Army National guard right now. I currently just got a government job. Is there any way that i will lose my job if i get a OTHD?A

You certainly put yourself at risk by receiving any other than an honorable discharge.

I am honestly very sorry for your losses. I would discuss the situation with your FSO and your NCO. You may be eligible for a hardship discharge or you may be able to receive some sort of deferment and get six months or more where you don’t have to report.

Are you getting help? Therapy? Victims groups? There’s a lot out there . . .

Do not go AWOL, you could be put in jail for that. They take that very seriously. I am a veteran who seperated in the last 10 years, and any personnel that went AWOL were punished to great extent. Some guys who went AWOL during/before/after deployment were actually put in Ft.Leavenworth (miitary prison).

I am very sorry to hear about your brother that passed away, and the brothers who were recently injured, it must be a difficult thing to deal with. Going AWOL is not the answer. With all this going on, is one weekend a month really that difficult to attend? If your leadership is offering you a discharge, go that route if you insist on leaving the Guard. It would be smarter to get some kind of discharge voluntarily rather than going AWOL. If you get a Other Than Honorable Discharge it will not make you lose your clearance unless it was for criminal/legal reasons. You will have to explain yourself at some point but like I said, the discharge alone shouldn’t cause your clearance to be revoked.

My advice, do your best to get through this tough time and stay in the Guard. I’m sure you will regret it later if you get out. Having served honorably in the military and fulfilling your enlistment is the right thing to do and will help you to have a positive, clean record. If you end this enlistment by going AWOL it will tarnish your reputation for a long time. Stick it out, keep your head up, and keep driving on.

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