Are you in the military or thinking about joining? Are you unsure of where to get reliable answers? Call the GI Rights Hotline at 1-877-447-4487.
The GI Rights Network is a private, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that answers thousands of calls from military personnel and their families. There are many reasons for these calls. You can call us for help with any of the following issues:
Call now — the call and the service are free and confidential.
One of the best kept secrets in the military is that you have the right to petition your commanding officer (CO) directly for help. Article 138, UCMJ, can be one of the most powerful and effective tools for seeking redress from your superiors in a timely manner.
Often times people in the military are tricked, coerced, or misinformed into believing that they must sign certain documents such as extensions, reenlistments, job reclassifications, or an agreement to spend a remaining service obligation in an active guard unit. Most of the time such agreements are voluntary, but because of command pressure, the person signing them thinks they have no choice. The command creates the impression that the person must sign and then, after the fact, tells the person that they voluntarily agreed. However, if the command has the authority to require the military member to take an action, they can just cut an order. Being asked to sign normally indicates that the action is voluntary.
Many people contact the GI Rights Hotline with questions about conscientious objection (CO). This discharge is one of the few that you can actually request, and although it can take six months to a year to complete the process, applicants often leave the military with an honorable discharge and their benefits. Unfortunately, many military members who would qualify as conscientious objectors have been discouraged by misinformation about who can qualify and about the process itself. Read on to find out why conscientious objection might be just the right discharge for you.