Section Eight

The term Section 8 refers to a category of discharge from the United States military for reason of being mentally unfit for service. It also came to mean any serviceperson given such a discharge or behaving as if deserving such a discharge (as in the sentence "He's a Section 8"). The term comes from Section VIII of the World War II-era United States Army Regulation 615-360, which provided for the discharge of those deemed unfit for military service.^[1]

In the 1950s, Section 8 discharges were commonly given to service members found guilty of "Sexual Perversion," and it was classified as an undesirable discharge, depriving the serviceperson so discharged of veteran's benefits but not resulting in the loss of any citizenship rights, such as the right to vote.^{[citation needed]}

Discharge under Section 8 is no longer a military reality, as medical discharges for psychological/psychiatric reasons are now covered by a number of regulations. In the Army, such discharges are handled under the provisions of Army Regulation 635-200, Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations. Chapter 5, paragraph 13 governs the separation of personnel medically diagnosed with a personality disorder.^[2]

The meaning of Section 8 became known in households worldwide as it was used often in the 1970s TV series M*A*S*H, in which the character Corporal Klinger was constantly seeking one.^[3]

See also

• Blue discharge

References