# Military:  Reduction in rank before dishonorable discharge?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-reduction-in-rank-before-dishonorable-discharge/246050>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 19, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-reduction-in-rank-before-dishonorable-discharge/246050 "2004-05-19T22:26:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-reduction-in-rank-before-dishonorable-discharge/246050/21 "2004-05-21T13:24:55Z")

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> [@rfgdxm](#):
>
> I recall an episode of M_A_S\*H where Klinger refused a discharge on the grounds of being a homosexual, and said he wanted a Section 8, which is mentally ill. Assuming they got military justice right, I would think that a Section 8 would be a general discharge. If someone becomes schizophrenic, they are just sick, and thus should be given a General discharge under honorable conditions. The military must have seen homosexuality as undesirable bad behavior, and being discharged for that would be consider worse than being crazy.

You’re probably right. Being discharged for medical reasons would seem to fall under the “general discharge” category. They also used to call them “administrative discharges”. Homosexuality used to be a crime and would have been punishable by a less desirable separation.

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-reduction-in-rank-before-dishonorable-discharge/246050/22 "2004-05-21T14:20:34Z")

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> [@Reeder](#):
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > 1. Is a reduction in pay grade the same thing as a reduction in rank?
> 
> Yep…pay grades are equal across all the services. The ranks are called different things.

Yes and no. A reduction in pay grade will result in the reduction of rank, but a pay grade is not the same thing as a rank. You can have soldiers of the same pay grade who are of different ranks (e.g., an Army corporal and specialist). In this case, they are of the same pay grade (E-4), but the corporal is of higher rank than the specialist. In the Air Force, I believe, a Chief Master Sergeant with First Sergeant Status is of higher rank than a Chief Master Sergeant, even though the former actually has a _lower_ pay grade (E-8) than the latter (E-9).

Bottom line, pay grade does not equal rank.

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