Section 8 (military)

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The term Section 8 refers to a former discharge from the United States military for reason of being mentally unfit for service.

A U.S. Army discharge based on military assessment of psychological unfitness or character traits deemed undesirable.
Slang. A soldier given such a discharge or behaving as if deserving such a discharge. [After Section VIII of World War II U.S. Army Regulation 615-360, which provided for the discharge of those deemed unfit for military service.]

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 soldier so discharged of veteran's benefits but not resulting in the loss of any citizenship rights, such as the right to vote.

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 (AR) 635-200, Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations. Chapter 5, paragraph 13 governs the separation of personnel medically diagnosed with a personality disorder.^[1]

[edit] In popular culture

A running gag from the television show M*A*S*H, has Corporal Maxwell Klinger constantly trying to convince his commanding officers that he is mentally unfit for duty (crazy) and required a Section 8 discharge. Klinger would dress in women's clothing and perform other dangerous and ridiculous stunts.

In the video game Army of Two, the character Tyson Rios gets information from a hacker that goes by the codename s3kShUn8, an obvious reference to the phrase. He sends Rios information in Leet style language.

In the Stanley Kubrick movie Full Metal Jacket, pt. Joker tells pt. Cowboy that he believes pt. Pyle is a "section 8" after witnessing him speaking to his rifle.

[edit] Other definitions

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Section 8 is the name of the pep squad at the United States Air Force Academy, so named because the cadets in the section are expected to "go crazy" in their enthusiasm for the team.
The Section 8 has also been referred to in the book A Separate Peace, the book (and later movie) Catch-22, in the movies Full Metal Jacket, Basic, and Jarhead.
In Season 4 of the television show Rescue Me, Section 8 is described as a firefighter "going nuts." There is a comic-book superhero group called Section 8, and a group of special-ops soldiers identified as "section 8" in the movie Basic.
In the Terminal Reality videogame RoadKill, the "Section 8s" are a gang that fanatically follows military protocol to the point that anyone who makes a noise when not ordered to is shot.
In the movie Common Ground, the character Dorothy is discharged from the Navy under Section 8 for being suspected of being a lesbian.