Upon hearing of the Lakin sentence, I thought it was a bit light on confinement, given that he’d skipped a 1 year deployment that 2 others had to fill (1 on very short notice).

On further analysis, I reasoned that the members had given the harshest, longest-impact option in the dismissal because that will preclude Lakin from seeing a dime of military retirement. It also dawned on me that the members might have fashioned the sentence to confinement by showing a measure of compassion for the LTC’s stay-at-home wife and 3 young children. After all, the convening authority can give the forfeitures of pay and allowances to the family for up to six months.