A formal final judgment passed by the government upon the entire military record of the soldier, and it is an authoritative declaration that he has left the service in a status of honor. 115 F. Supp. 509. A person's classification after retirement from the armed services directly affects his ability to take advantage of benefits provided to members of the services. General discharges are given to
. service members whose performance is satisfactory but is marked by a considerable departure in duty performance and conduct expected of military members. Reasons for such a characterization of service vary, but are always preceded by some form of nonjudicial punishment utilized by the unit commander as a means to correct unacceptable behavior prior to initiating discharge action (unless the reason is homosexual conduct or drug abuse, in which case discharge is currently mandatory).
