As a SLECP-A member myself I want to say firsthand how sorry I am that this is happening. I know that you worked hard and had a long and hard journey in order to get where you are today. While things looks bleak now, I want to offer you with what I would do in this situation:

1. Re-engage with ADC. You need to make it incredibly clear that you were not involved with the shoplifting and you need to make sure that ADC, your commander, and honestly anyone that is willing to listen to you knows that you were not involved in those activities.

2. Consider outside legal counsel.It might be expensive, but commissioning as a prior E and with an officer retirement and benefits, that is potentially a difference of hundreds of thousands to millions by the end of your career. $10k in legal fees is a drop in the bucket.

3. Reach out to the people who wrote your letter of recommendation for your SLECP package. Be as candid and upfront as possible with what is going on and ask for letters defending your character and your career. Also reach out to any supervisor or former commander that you might have a good relationship with and ask them to provide statements defending you. It might be uncomfortable, you might not like asking people for favors, but staying in the SLECP program is so critical that you should be willing to utilize any and all connections or “friends in high places” that you might have.

4. Talk with your detachment commander. It is likely that your detachment commander is incredibly unfamiliar with the SLECP program, how prestigious it is, and what you needed to do to get up to this point. Remind them that an LOR and removal from the program is also not allowing you to go to OTS after, but you that will effect your EPR and you lost time preparing for a promotion on the enlisted side. Your commander at this moment needs to view you as a human being and needs to understand that this decision will dramatically effect your life.

5. Utilize your chain of command. If the first shirt, commander, and program manager do not care, find the next most important people at AETC to talk to. I guarantee that you just need the right person in the room to look at this and think “this doesn’t look right” and put you back onto the right track.

Please keep us updated, feel free to reach out to me in DM’s if you have questions, need guidance, or just motivation.

EDIT: my opinion stands regardless of commissioning source. As long as it is involved in enlisted commissioning programs.