Sort of OT -- WW II Terminology

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Sort of OT -- WW II Terminology - 3/7/2013 10:15:26 PM

CaptDave

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This question comes from one of my professional genealogy mailing lists. Nobody there has been able to come up with an answer, so I volunteered to pose it to arguably the most knowledgeable group on the planet!

A colleague has run across two terms used during WW II: "On Term Leave" and "Honorable Relief From Active Duty." Everyone's best guess is that the former is simply "on terminal leave," and the latter is earlier terminology for "honorable discharge." After seeing the usage of the latter in several obituaries, I'm inclined to agree that this is the case; i.e., it's not just a general being relieved for honorable reasons or a reservist being released to reserve status. I can't verify the first, but it makes sense -- at least in relation to today's military.

Does anyone have any insight into these terms?

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RE: Sort of OT -- WW II Terminology - 3/7/2013 11:12:56 PM

Bullwinkle58

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quote:

ORIGINAL: CaptDave

This question comes from one of my professional genealogy mailing lists. Nobody there has been able to come up with an answer, so I volunteered to pose it to arguably the most knowledgeable group on the planet!

A colleague has run across two terms used during WW II: "On Term Leave" and "Honorable Relief From Active Duty." Everyone's best guess is that the former is simply "on terminal leave," and the latter is earlier terminology for "honorable discharge." After seeing the usage of the latter in several obituaries, I'm inclined to agree that this is the case; i.e., it's not just a general being relieved for honorable reasons or a reservist being released to reserve status. I can't verify the first, but it makes sense -- at least in relation to today's military.

Does anyone have any insight into these terms?

I would agree with terminal leave.

In short, while on active duty every member can have only one of three statuses at any moment: duty, liberty, or leave. Each has legal definitions and strict demarcations between them. Certain behavior is allowed while in one but not the other, etc. At the end of an enlistment there is often a leave balance on the books (modern military gets 30 calendar days per year.) When the member leaves his last duty station he is in terminal leave status for the period of the leave on the books. But in temrinal leave there is no requirement to ever report back to duty status. At midnight on the last day of terminal leave the member becomes a civilian (or a reservist, whatever the orders say.) While he's asleep, in a bar, whatever . . . poof! He's a civilian.

OTOH, if war breaks out while he's on terminal leave and the military cancels all leaves and liberties, he's back on duty at that moment and not on terminal leave. He would report to the nearest military station for aditional orders, or do whatever else the announcement told him to do. He's not ending his enlistment IOW.

The other one I don't know. An honorable discharge is an honorable discharge. The term was used in WWII. The wording being different it could mean many things (entering CO status, a medical discharge, admin discharge, etc.) , or it could be just an artful way of saying "honorable discharge."

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The Moose

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RE: Sort of OT -- WW II Terminology - 3/7/2013 11:15:31 PM

pmelheck1

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The first should be on terminal leave - If you don't know what terminal leave is I can let you know.

The second to me seems to be an honorable discharge from active duty. I've seen relieved from active duty rather than relief if in a civilian paper they might have used the wrong word.

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RE: Sort of OT -- WW II Terminology - 3/7/2013 11:45:16 PM

Mobeer

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Honorable Relief From Active Duty seems to mean a move from active service to reserve, for example in this VA text:

Instead, the NPRC attached a
Certification of Military Service (NA Form 13038) indicating
that the veteran was a member of the Regular Army from August
23, 1985 to December 12, 1985. This document discloses that
he had Honorable relief from Active Duty, and reverted to the
Army National Guard. The reason for his separation was
listed as completion of his period of active duty training.

(in reply to pmelheck1)

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