Good Order and Discipline - Essay Example

Good Order and Discipline Recently in the United States, there have been reports of army men being discharged from the army without honor due to lack of good order and discipline. Other professionals are also expected to maintain good order and discipline. The same applies to teachers who are expected to instill the virtue of good order and discipline to their students. This notion is used as a yard stick in almost every concept of life. So the pertinent question remains what is good order and discipline?

For purposes of better understanding Ireland describes this phrase in the form of two entities before integrating it into one. Discipline is defined as the capability to do something in accordance with set regulations and laws. The phrase good order is taken to mean ‘doing something in the right manner’. In totality, good order and discipline are generally taken to mean training to follow set rules and regulations and also to act in the right manner. All military organizations have set regulations and any military member is expected to be aware of and follow these rules.

Any conduct prejudicial to this effect is considered an offence and is punishable by law. Being introduced in the military as early as the seventeenth century, it has been developed and is now considered as a catch-all offence. Major revisions are still being done on documents in various countries to make this article more specific. Basically, the article on good conduct and discipline serves to provide several sections of the army. (Michael 100). For instance, in United States of America, it provides policies on issues such as changes of rank, procedure of designation, professional and non-professional relationships between soldiers of different ranks, use of language and even distribution of non-government printed materials.

The same is the case in countries such as Britain with several clauses being more specific. A typical example in this case is the honorable discharge of soldiers depending on the cause of death (Michael 209). According to Miner (90), the realization of the possibility of abuse of power by the military led to the creation of such a regulation. Before its creation, various questions were raised on whether the military maintained well-honed professional skills during their missions. For example it was not surprising to find cases of rape where soldiers visited.

Actually, most civilians who underwent such ordeals will remain forever grateful to the unknown prodigy who was the initial conceiver of discipline and good conduct in the military. It is noteworthy to consider that this law has been applied successfully over the years to get rid of unworthy soldiers. Recently, a United States Army member was discharged without honor because of bashing president Barrack Obama. Additionally, members of the army have retired without any problems and in the process they were also able to get their full dues.

In cases of work related death or injury, the families are well compensated. However, unquestionable empirical and recorded data have also shown the abuse of this code especially by the senior officials in the military. Mostly, this code is used as a tool for framing charges and even vindicating unquestionable crimes. Most army men and women have been unlawfully discharged on ostensibly stated crimes. This raises questions as to the validity of this code and whether it is being applied in some countries.

Furthermore, it is contentious in regard to how it is being implemented. In some situations the code is manipulated and obstructs justice. Thus supervision of code is rightfully necessary. It is not only unfair, but inhuman to discharge army personnel on false accusations given the service they offer serving their country (Ireland 78). Apparently, unquestionable data have also shown that some soldiers are unaware of all or part of this code. In some cases, it is the meaning that brings the major difference in this masterly piece of military jurisprudence.

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