A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve.

Typically, an honorable discharge is given when a servicemember meets one or more of several requirements.

• The contracted period of service is finished;
• An order of a superior or military court decides the term of service is over;
• The conflict is finished and the military unit is being released from active duty.
• Being passed up twice in a row for promotion when eligible, though this varies by branch of service;
• Certain other circumstances, including (in some countries) homosexuality, though in the United States this was replaced by the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in 1993.

A medical discharge is given when the service member has a medical condition that makes them unfit for military service. This may be an injury sustained in combat.

A less than honorable discharge refers to a discharge that occurs under other than honorable conditions. This can be due to generally improper conduct, conviction of a crime either in a military court martial or a civilian court, or some other inappropriate action on the part of a soldier or someone associated with that soldier.

The United States military subdivides less-than-honorable discharges into four categories, in increasing order of severity:

• general discharge;
• undesirable discharge;
• bad conduct discharge; and
• dishonorable discharge.

Undesirable discharges or worse typically disqualify the soldier from receiving veterans' benefits, and any less-than-honorable discharge — even a general discharge — usually renders the discharged soldier ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits, because such a discharge is considered tantamount to having been "fired" from the most recently-held job.

In addition, those given dishonorable discharges may permanently forfeit certain citizenship rights, including the right to legally possess a firearm (under the federal Gun Control Act passed in 1968), and the right to vote in some states.

Bibliography

• Bureau of Naval Personnel. Frequently Asked Questions (http://www.bupers.navy.mil/congressional/bcnrfaq.htm). BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF NAVAL RECORDS. Retrieved January 8, 2004.
• U.S. Airforce. Involuntary Discharges (http://public.grandforks.amc.af.mil/legal/justice/discharg.htm). Grand Forks Air Force Base Office of the Staff Judge Advocate. Retrieved January 8, 2004.
• U.S. Army (1985). Instruction in Benefits of an Honorable Discharge (http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r350_21.pdf). Retrieved January 8, 2004.
• U.S. Marines. Frequently Asked Questions (https://lnweb1.manpower.usmc.mil/manpower/mi/mra_ofct.nsf/mmsr/Separations-FAQs). Manpower and Reserve Affairs Personnel Management Division. Retrieved January 8, 2004.