Eyebrows Raised wrote:
a guy who got kicked out of the Air Force with a dishonorable discharge for cheating and trying to cover it up
A small point. He got a general discharge, not a dishonorable discharge. A general discharge is one step below an honorable discharge. Basically, it means his performance was satisfactory, but he "failed to meet all expectations of conduct for military members..." These are not considered punitive, and are used in cases of relatively minor misconduct.
A dishonorable discharge is considered punishment. It can only be imposed after conviction at a General Court Martial. Jim was not court Martialed.