DWI while in the Navy?
 

What can happen to someone enlisted in the Navy who is arrested for DWI? Can anyone shed some light on this situation?

I'm not totally sure, but i think the military punishments are more harsh than the civilian penalties..... as in a possible dishonorable discharge.

I have a friend that was stationed in San Antonio, TX at the air force base and one night the two guys drove back on base to get more drinks and were pulled over by mps. The driver got taken to jail and had to spend most of the night there and they had to call a friend to come get the passenger and car. The only thing that the driver got he was demoted (sp?) he was already some kind of officer and he still was after and i think he got a cut in pay?? not sure though.. the other one the passenger was just charged with conduct unbecoming of an officer.. i am sure it just depends whatever the situation

I don't know what the standard procedure is, but it would probably depend on the branch of service and whether or not the person is enlisted or an officer.

I know of two different situations where the people commited the same crime and received different punishments. One, a Navy Petty Ofcr 1st Class, got thrown in the brig overnight, had to appear in military court. Since he got caught driving off base, he also had to go through punishment through District Court -- 14 week alcohol assessment class, suspension of license for a year, and a hefty fine.

Another friend, a LT, was demoted and had to attend a special alcohol education class on base in addition to the punishments he received through District Court.

Re: DWI while in the Navy?
 

Worst case scenario: Court Marshalled, 4-6 months in jail, dishonorable discharge, Federal Felony Conviction following him everywhere

Best case scenario: Captains Mast Punishment, loss of rank, extra duty, possible short brig time.

I have been told it can be a career killer for an officer.

Not sure why that would be . . . it doesn't much correlate with your ability to lead troops in combat.

Falls under the charge 'Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman' (Article 133, Uniform Code of Military Justice). Officers are expected to set the example by their behavior to their enlisted troops, which is why officers do not earn a Good Conduct Medal every three years on active duty (a GCM on an officer is a sure-fire way to tell the person was prior enlisted).

Officers go through promotion boards, where the board minutely scrutinizes the personnel record of the promotion candidates. While promotion to the first three officer grades (2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant and Captain (Ensign, Lt. Junior Grade and Lieutenant in the Navy)) is nearly automatic after completing time in service (2 years in for 1LT, 4 years for Capt.), adverse disciplinary action may be enough to prevent someone from pinning on higher rank. Being passed over twice at the promotion boards is enough to cause immediate separation from the military.

First offense for a DUI/DWI on or off base is an almost guaranteed an Article 15 (Non Judicial Punishment) proceeding by the commanding officer. Punishment for an offense ranges from loss of rank and pay, confinement and fines depending on the offender's rank. Plus for enlisted, the time period of the GCM resets on the day Article 15 punishment is imposed. In many cases, a first offense Article 15 may include loss of on-base driving privileges as well.

The accused may demand trial by court martial instead of taking the Article 15; however a conviction by court martial is a federal offense and stays on your criminal record.

In today's armed forces, where quality and not quantity is the watchword, betcha he was admistratively discharged as 'unsuitable for military discipline'. If he wanted to 're-up' (re-enlist) betcha there's a separation code on his discharge papers stating to the recruiter basically, 'Don't waste your time'. Not that I'd figure he'd go back to the Green Machine after all the trouble... :)

My bad... not knowing the rest of the info. If his time was up and decided not to re-up, that's his decision. I remember back in my days as an enlisted more than a few people who were problem children for the military and got themselves an early out. For them to re-up after an administrative discharge would have required a waiver from higher-ranking officials.

I use to work on a air force base as a civilian and some of the things they would do have already been mentioned:

demotion ( loss of stripes)
brig stay ...no vacation there
court marshalled
dishonorable discharge


as for officers....i dated an officer for a while and they are under way more scrunity then enlisted. You mess up as an officer yoru career gone!

Thanks everyone. :)

The Navy is a real bad place to get a DWI, especially if you get into a crash. Do you have any idea how much those ships cost? I'd hate to have those repairs docked from my pay check.