HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - An Officer and a Gentleman
OR:
An Officer and a Gentleman on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (or conduct unbecoming for short) is an offense that is subject to
court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
in the
armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
of some nations.


Use in the United Kingdom

The phrase was used as a charge in courts martial of the
British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
in the 18th and early 19th centuries, although it was not defined as a specific offence in the
Articles of War The Articles of War are a set of regulations drawn up to govern the conduct of a country's military and naval forces. The first known usage of the phrase is in Robert Monro's 1637 work ''His expedition with the worthy Scot's regiment called Mac- ...
. For instance, in 1813, Colonel Sir J Eamer was brought before a court martial "For behaving in a scandalous, infamous manner, such as is unbecoming the character of an officer and a gentleman, towards Captain B V Symes of the same regiment..." The charge seems to have been first codified under the Naval Discipline Act of 10 August 1860, which says; "Article 24: Every Officer subject to this Act who shall be guilty of Cruelty, or of any scandalous or fraudulent Conduct, shall be dismissed with Disgrace from Her Majesty's Service; and every Officer subject to this Act who shall be guilty of any other Conduct unbecoming the Character of an Officer shall be dismissed, with or without Disgrace, from Her Majesty's Service."


Use in the United States

The offense is defined in the punitive code, Article 133, of the United States
Uniform Code of Military Justice The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 801–946 is the foundation of Military justice, military law in the United States. It was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United S ...
(UCMJ), enacted at . The elements are: # That the accused did or omitted to do certain acts; and # That, in the circumstances, these acts or omissions constituted conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman. Here "officer" is understood to include
commissioned officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
,
cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
s, and
midshipmen A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, Sout ...
of both sexes, hence the more common term ''conduct unbecoming''. A gentleman is understood to have a duty to avoid dishonest acts, displays of indecency, lawlessness, dealing unfairly, indecorum, injustice, or acts of cruelty.


Police discipline

"Conduct unbecoming an officer" is also used in some civil
police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...
agencies.


See also

* ''
A Few Good Men ''A Few Good Men'' is a 1992 American legal drama film based on Aaron Sorkin's 1989 play. It was written by Sorkin, directed by Rob Reiner, and produced by Reiner, David Brown and Andrew Scheinman. It stars an ensemble cast including Tom C ...
'', 1992 film centring around a trial for this offence * ''
An Officer and a Gentleman Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (or conduct unbecoming for short) is an offense that is subject to court martial in the armed forces of some nations. Use in the United Kingdom The phrase was used as a charge in courts martial of t ...
'', 1982 film *
Conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline Conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline is an offence against military law and paramilitary in many countries. It has existed in military law since before the 17th century and is an important offence which functions as a catch-all to crim ...
* ''
Conduct Unbecoming Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (or conduct unbecoming for short) is an offense that is subject to court martial in the armed forces of some nations. Use in the United Kingdom The phrase was used as a charge in courts martial of t ...
'', 1975 film based on a play by
Barry England Barry England (16 March 1932 – 21 May 2009) was an English novelist and playwright. He is chiefly known for his 1968 thriller ''Figures in a Landscape'', which was nominated for the inaugural Booker Prize. Life and work England was raised ...
*
Military tradition Military tradition is the practices associated with the military or soldiers such as the styles of military uniform, drill, or the music of a military unit. In the United States In the United States, military tradition can refer simply to a fathe ...
*
Unsportsmanlike conduct Unsportsmanlike conduct (also called untrustworthy behaviour or ungentlemanly fraudulent or bad sportsmanship or poor sportsmanship or anti fair-play) is a foul or offense in many sports that violates the sport's generally accepted rules of sport ...
, a cautionable offence in association football, until 1997 called "ungentlemanly conduct"."The History of the Laws of the Game 1990–2000"
FIFA.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conduct Unbecoming An Officer and a Gentleman United States military law Court-martial