Under Article 133 of the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman is an offense that subjects a service member to a court martial. An “officer” is understood to include cadets, commissioned officers, and midshipmen of both sexes. Hence, the offense is often referred to as conduct unbecoming.

A Fort Hood soldier recently killed three people, including his 28-year-old wife, before turning the gun on himself – making this the third murder-suicide involving troops stationed at Fort Hood in less than a year. In recent years, Fort Hood has been the center of several gruesome incidents, with a total of 64 soldiers and civilians being injured or killed in mass shootings.