Is there a way to find out if someone got a Dishonorable Discharge and a reason for it?

Answer 1

I think 9inches is watching to many spy movies. What you are speaking of is rather severe as you will learn....its not an either or situation....it is very rare and quite speical. DOD has the records and they are public records....ask your Congressman if you need help.

Department of Defense technically refers to a military discharge as separation. There are two basic types of separation, administrative separations, and punitive separations. Punitive separations occur as part of punishment for a crime, while all other types of discharges are considered administrative.

Administrative separation
Under most situations, a service member is granted an administrative separation. When the character of service can be determined, the overall quality of the individual's service, as well as the reason for separation, are reviewed. In instances where the member is being discharged due to no fault of his or her own, and there is a history of honorable service and no severe instances of bad conduct, an honorable discharge is issued. Exceptions are sometimes granted to those who, despite a history of poor conduct, showed otherwise exemplary service that would justify an honorable discharge. On the other hand, service members with a record of bad conduct are issued general discharges. General discharges are characterized in one of two ways, under honorable, or other than honorable (OTH) conditions. Other than honorable discharges are usually only issued in cases where an individual is being discharged as a result of a particular infraction that would otherwise warrant punitive action and discharge (for example, drug use).

If the term of service was unusually short (typically, less than six months), the discharge is considered uncharacterized, as insufficient time has passed to determine the character of one's service. Typically, these are issued to those who are discharged early on, such as failing basic training or demonstrating an inability to adapt to military life after basic training.

It is important to note that, even when "under honorable conditions," a general discharge is still considered to be "less than honorable." This distinction is critical in the context of eligibility for veterans benefits, where a "less than honorable" discharge can be a disqualifying factor. For example, burial benefits and the Montgomery G.I. Bill education program are both denied to veterans with a general discharge of either characterization. Benefits may be further reduced by the conditions of the general discharge, as well as the specific offenses leading to it.

Punitive separation
Punitive separations occur after conviction of a crime by a court martial, and then only if the Uniform Code of Military Justice specifies discharge as part of the allowable punishment for that offense. A bad conduct discharge, or BCD, is the less severe type of punitive discharge. It may be handed down by a special or general court martial. A dishonorable discharge, on the other hand, may only be handed down by a General Court-Martial. A conviction at a General Court-Martial is often considered by civilians to be a felony conviction, although the UCMJ does not make such a distinction. A service member who is convicted at a Court-Martial is not necessarily given a punitive discharge. If the member is found guilty of any offense, then the court martial members (similar to a jury), or the military judge if the accused elects trial by judge alone, then determine a sentence. Depending on the offense, this punishment can include a punitive discharge, confinement, forfeitures of pay, a fine, and for enlisted members, reduction in pay grade.

A service member's type of discharge is usually carried with him or her for life. Employers will often look unfavorably on those who have received so much as a general discharge, especially if it was under other than honorable conditions. Some states, however, prohibit discrimination based on military discharge. Such laws do not prohibit denial of a job due to a criminal conviction, which accompanies punitive separations.

Commissioned officers
Commissioned officers cannot be reduced in rank by a court-martial, nor can they be given a bad conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. If an officer is convicted by a General Court-Martial of an offense and qualifies for a punitive discharge, then the General Court-Martial can sentence the officer to a "dismissal." This is considered to be the same as a dishonorable discharge. The President of the United States can order that a commissioned officer be dismissed from the service, as all commissioned officers "serve at the pleasure of the President." However an officer who is dismissed by order of the President can demand a trial by court-martial to clear his or her name. If a court-martial is not convened, or if the officer is acquitted, then the Service Secretary of the branch that the officer is assigned to must then issue an administrative discharge in lieu of a dismissal.

Appeal procedures
After a discharge, the service member (or his next-of-kin, if deceased) can appeal the type of discharge that was given. Most of these requests are not approved [citation needed][1] , and then only if the service member can prove he or she was unfairly denied an honorable characterization.

Any punitive discharge that is adjudged by a Court-Martial is automatically reviewed by a military appellate court for each respective branch. These are the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals. These courts are staffed by appellate military judges and function as an intermediate appellate court and have the power to review de novo both any questions of legal error and the factual basis of the conviction. If either the government or the accused is unsatisfied with the results of this appeal, the conviction or the sentence can be appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. This court has the power of discretionary review, in that it can in some cases deny a petition to grant or review. This court must however hear any death penalty cases or cases certified by the Judge Advocate General of each respective service for appellate review. Litigants before Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces can appeal to the United States Supreme Court. However, this right only applies to any case that the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces has reviewed. Therefore, in most military justices cases, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces is the court of last resort since a denial of a petition of review by that court will prevent any higher appeal.

Service members who are given a punitive discharge and have completed any adjudged confinement are normally placed on appellate leave pending final review of their case by the appellate courts. This includes members who plead guilty at their court-martial since all cases are automatically reviewed. The member is considered to be on active duty and is subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice while on appellate leave. While the member is entitled to full health care benefits and other privileges of being on active duty, the member receives no pay or allowances and is not required to perform any military duties.

A service member who was adjudged a punitive discharge at a court martial and then dies before the appellate review process is complete is considered to have died on active duty under honorable conditions. Their next-of-kin is then entitled to any rights and benefits that any other service member's family would be entitled.

Military Discharge Certificate
Every service member who is discharged, or released from active duty, is issued a DD 214, a military discharge certificate. A reservist who is called up to active duty is given a DD 214 when they are deactivated and returned to the reserves. Most who join the military are honorably discharged after less than eight years of service are issued a DD 214 and then usually transferred to the individual ready reserve. These members are subject to being recalled to active duty but do not otherwise have any military duties and are distinguised from a drilling reservist.

A DD 214 specifies the time that the member served on active duty, lists any major awards or medals, and lists the characterization of discharge. This characterization will be honorable, general (under honorable conditions, general (under other than honorable conditions), entry level separation or ELS, bad conduct, dishonorable, or dismissal.

DD Form 214 is a document of the United States armed forces issued by the Department of Defense upon a military service member's separation or discharge from the active duty military.

The full name of the document is "Defense Department Form 214", however the document is often shortened to be called a DD Form 214 or simply as a "sep doc". A DD Form 214 is also commonly referred to as "Discharge Papers", however this is slightly misleading as the document is more often issued for release from active duty and transfers to the inactive reserves than it is for final discharge from the military.

DD Form 214 is widely regarded as one of the most important documents in the military as it is a complete record of a service member's time in the military, awards and medals, and other pertinent service information. DD Form 214 is commonly used by various government agencies, chief among them the Department of Veterans Affairs, to secure veteran benefits.

The first DD Form 214s were issued in 1950, after repalcing the older "WD AGO" (War Department Adjutant General) Forms and the NAVPERS (Naval Personnel) discharge documents. These documents, in turn, had existed since 1941.

The National Personnel Records Center is the government agency tasked with replacing lost and destroyed DD Form 214s upon request from a veteran. The documents are mailed from the Military Personnel Records Center which maintains a quota of a ten day response time for any reuqest for a DD Form 214 (provided no other information is needed from the military service record).

Answer 2

This information is a matter of public record and can be obtained by contacting the State dept or dept of defense. The question is why does it really make a difference. You need to be more worried about what he or she was discharged for not the type of discharge.

Answer 3

It matters what branch they were in. Check the DD214 in the left lower corner it says RE code match it with the reason.

Answer 4

I think the privacy act should be honored. If the individual did something so bad, then, maybe the person should be imprisoned. If not, then the DD should be private.

Answer 5

he service is very very tight lipped on this one for security reasons if you get in lets say bin laudeenn is , looking for targets vital informationn(just using him as a key example) or the iranian goverments?/ no, you cant for security reasons!!

Answer 6

Why don't you ask them?