What is a "Less than Honorable Discharge" from the Military?
I read an article today about the alleged shooter of the Sikh mosque in Wisconsin, Wade Michael Page. In the article it said that he left the Army with a "... less than honorable discharge." What does that mean exactly? I have heard of a "dishonorable discharge", but to be honest I don't really know what the circumstances have to be to warrant that. I was never in the military myself. Any veterans out there who could clarify this?
2012-08-06T09:22:23Z
Edit - Thanks for the Wiki link, as I read that the "Other Than Honorable" seems to be the "worst" sort of discharge you can get without going before a court martial? According to the Wiki article it indicated this typically occurs of there is some sort of sentence in a civilian court, "in which a sentence of confinement has been adjudged or in which the conduct leading to the conviction brings discredit upon the service." So, for example, something like a repeat DUI where you ended up getting sentenced to some time in jail might lead to this?
NavyCrab2012-08-06T09:09:36Z
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It is called "Other than Honorable Discharge." A military member can receive the Other than Honorable Discharge for misconduct, pattern of bad behaviors, or security reasons. I think the guy you are talking about got drunk while on duty (may be multiple times).
5 types of discharge:
- Honorable - General - Other than Honorable - Bad Conduct - Dishonorable
EDIT: Yes, a repeated DUI may get a person an OTH Discharge.
First, i would have got to recognize what you imply through "lower than honorable" discharge. There are Honorable, basic (beneath honorable instances), as opposed to honorable, dishonorable, and unhealthy conduct discharges. Second, in spite of which discharge you received it'll follow you for existence. Should you've gotten whatever not up to a basic discharge you're frequently screwed. I can not see a enterprise supplying you with the job, a lot less a safety clearance with any discharge not up to general.
An 'other than honorable' is an administrative discharge. It differs from a Bad Conduct of Dishonorable discharge in that it can be given without a court martial.
The other types of administrative discharges are Honorable and General (under honorable conditions).
The story I read this morning says that the shooter had a dishonorable discharge. Seems the media can't get their stories straight.
Okay, an administrative discharge is an administrative discharge. It has NOTHING to do with characterizations of service (Honorable, "General" Under Honorable Conditions, Under Other Than Honorable Conditions, Bad Conduct and Dishonorable). So the poster above who said something about admin sep. is wrong. An admin separation can be for a number of things; Medical, school, to enlist in the reserves, etc. An admin. separation can also be for things like bad conduct, criminal stuff, etc. So it depends.
Less than honorable could be referring to any discharge characterization I mentioned above with the exception of straight "honorable".