Former JBLM soldiers honorably discharged, years after U.S. Army punishment for combat trauma

A U.S. military review board granted honorable discharges to two veterans who served in Washington, years after the Army punished and kicked them out for behaviors directly related to their combat trauma.

The veterans, Kord Ball and Jeffrey Smith, were featured in a 2018-19 KING 5 investigation after they received “other than honorable” discharges for misconduct that Army doctors said was a symptom of their severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The reporting showed how Army leaders failed to act on the advice of their own medical experts, who warned against punishing the soldiers as they noted medical conditions caused the former soldiers to break the rules. Despite those warnings, KING 5 found, commanders kicked the soldiers out as troublemakers instead of using a medical separation process that would guarantee their access to long-term resources.

The veterans were featured in a KING 5 investigation after receiving "other than honorable" discharges for behaviors Army doctors said were caused by severe PTSD.

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