A
discharge is a formal separation from military service. There are
several types of discharges from the military. Most common are honorable discharge, general discharge, bad conduct discharge and dishonorable discharge. These are all written lowercase. Also see:
EXTERNAL LINK: Enlisted separations, from About.com
FAQs
What is AP style for honorable discharge?
Lowercase.
Is a general and bad conduct discharge the same?
No. A bad conduct discharge is worse.
Types of Discharges
bad conduct discharge
A punitive discharge given to service
members who committed certain crimes during their service period. They
are not entitled to most benefits they would have earned if they had
received an honorable discharge, but not stripped of any rights (as they would with a dishonorable discharge).
dishonorable discharge
Generally equivalent to having a felony record in the military. Such discharges are relatively rare, and carry roughly the same weight as a felony conviction. Those who are dishonorably discharged are stripped of their right to vote or own weapons and also stripped of any military benefits. Most who receive a dishonorable discharge served time in a military prison. Use dishonorable discharge.
general discharge
A
nonpunitive discharge given to service members who fail to complete
their term of duty for family reasons, conscientious objector status,
medical reasons and patterns of bad behavior not warranting a
bad-conduct discharge. There are two variations of this type of
discharge: general discharge under honorable conditions and general discharge under less than honorable conditions.
honorable discharge
Most
military members receive this discharge at the end of their service.
Those who receive it had little or no trouble during their time of
service. They are eligible for all benefits they earned during their
time of service. Use honorable discharge.