Sole Survivor Policy

E833880

The Sole Survivor Policy is a U.S. military regulation that allows the discharge or reassignment of service members when their immediate family has already suffered multiple combat deaths or captures, intended to prevent further loss to a single family.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States military regulation
military policy
aimsToProtect family integrity
surviving dependents of military families
appliesDuring both wartime and peacetime
appliesTo U.S. Air Force NERFINISHED
U.S. Armed Forces NERFINISHED
U.S. Army NERFINISHED
U.S. Coast Guard NERFINISHED
U.S. Marine Corps NERFINISHED
U.S. Navy NERFINISHED
appliesWhen a family has a member captured or taken prisoner of war
a family has a member missing in action
a family has already suffered multiple combat deaths
a service member is the sole surviving child of a family
a service member is the sole surviving son or daughter
canBeWaivedBy competent military authority
service member
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
decisionMadeBy military chain of command
service secretary or designated authority
doesNotApplyTo cases of desertion by family members
family members who died by non-service-related causes
ethicalBasis humanitarian considerations
public policy concern over concentration of family loss in war
hasPurpose to prevent all remaining family members from being killed or captured in military service
to protect the sole surviving child or remaining family member of a family that has suffered military casualties
historicalContext influenced by public reaction to multiple siblings killed in war
isDistinctFrom Selective Service only son exemption NERFINISHED
peacetime sole surviving son policy
isNot an automatic discharge requirement
isPartOf U.S. military personnel policies
isRelatedTo compassionate reassignment policies
family survivorship protections in U.S. military law
legalBasis Department of Defense directives NERFINISHED
service-specific regulations
mayBeRequestedBy service member
service member's family
mayResultIn discharge from military service
exemption from combat deployment
reassignment to noncombat duty
notableInfluence Sullivan brothers case in World War II
requires review of service records and family history
verification of family casualty status
scope National Guard personnel on federal active duty NERFINISHED
Reserve component personnel on active duty
active duty personnel
timePeriod 20th century origin

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Niland brothers relatedConcept Sole Survivor Policy