Discharges   From   ïhe   Armee   Forces
July 1970
This memo outlines the types and reasons for discharge and the more common circumstances under which each is given. It applies to officers and enlisted men, active
duty personnel and reservists. Following the discussion of each reason for discharge
is a list of the relevant regulations for each branch of the armed forces. Men trying for discharges should talk with an experienced military counselor or attorney or
get in touch with CCCO.
According to the law, no man has the right to be discharged merely at his own request;
however, various grounds for discharge have been set out by law and by the Dept. of
Defense on the basis of what is most beneficial to the armed forces and, so it is
claimed, to the individual concerned. There are two types of discharge: 1) administrative, and 2) punitive. While some of the former may be based in part on a
man's behavior, the latter are issued only as part of the sentence of a court-martial.
I. GRADES OF DISCHARGE
There are five grades of discharge for enlisted men and four for officers.
For Enlisted Men
HONORABLE (DD Form 256) An Honorable Discharge is usually issued to one who has
performed all of his military obligation, but it may also be given to a
man discharged early. In general, to receive it one must have had at least "good"
conduct and efficiency ratings and not have been convicted by a General Court-Martial
nor by more than one Special Court. However, if a man's record is generally good
despite a few lapses, he can still be given the Honorable Discharge.
GENERAL (DD Form 257) A Genera1 Discharge is issued Under Honorable Conditions
(UHC) and is granted to a man "whose military record is not sufficiently
meritorious to warrant an honorable discharge." COs whose applications are not
approved but who serve one or two stockade sentences are sometimes given General
Discharges for reason of "unsuitability." A man who gets this discharge is entitled
to the same federal and state veterans' benefits as onn who gets an Honorable Discharge, but some employers refuse to hire men with other than Honorable Discharges.
UNDESIRABLE (DD Form 258) An Undesirable Discharge may be issued for misconduct,
unfitness, or security reasons. One's commanding officer can recommend
a UD, but the man and his attorney can appear before a board if he wants to challenge
the recommendation. One can waive the board hearing if he wants the discharge. The
veterans' benefits to which a man is entitled will be determined by the Veterans
Administration on a case by case basis. Although the discharge is issued by administrative action and is not officially considered "punitive," it sometimes hurts a
man's chances of getting a job he wants more than a Bad Conduct Discharge.
BAD CONDUCT (DD Form 259) Issued under conditions "other than honorable," the Bad
Conduct Discharge can be given only by a Special or General Court-
Martial and cannot be given unless the accused is represented by legally trained
counsel in the presence of a military judge and a verbatim transcript is kept of
the court proceedings. A Bad Conduct Discharge bars a man from many veterans'
benefits and privileges.
CCCO
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