How Wheeler Army Airfield Handled Domestic Violence Cases (Article 128b), 2024–2026

Trends › By Installation › Wheeler Army Airfield › Article 128b, 2024–2026

Based on 15 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Fewer Punitive Discharges Than the Army

Of 11 convicted enlisted members, 5 received a punitive discharge (45%). All 5 were bad-conduct discharges, and none was dishonorable. Across Army Article 128b cases in 2024–2026, the share was 72%.

The records also list 2 convicted officers or warrant officers. 1 of them was dismissed, which is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

A Higher Contested Share

Of the 15 accused, 8 pleaded guilty and 7 contested at least one charge. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 47%, higher than the 24% in Army Article 128b cases.

Every Sentence Included Confinement

A conviction on at least one charge followed in 13 cases, and all 13 sentences included confinement (100%). The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 5 months in Army Article 128b cases. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 6 months or longer.

These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case.

General Courts-Martial Were More Common

Wheeler held 13 general and 2 special courts-martial for these charges. The general share was 87%, compared with 64% in Army Article 128b cases. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

By rank, 8 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 5 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 were officers or warrant officers. That mix is similar to Army Article 128b cases, where 53% were junior enlisted.

Most Cases Went to a Military Judge, Not a Panel

Members heard 29% of the cases with the forum listed: 2 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. The other 10 were tried by a military judge alone.

Other Charges in the Same Cases

Article 128b was the only charge in 7 of the 15 cases. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 4 cases, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 3, and Article 120b (child sexual abuse) and Article 115 (communicating threats) in 2 each. Article 90 (disobeying an officer) appeared in 1.

Timing and the 2023 Law Changes

The trials ran from March 2024 through July 2026: 6 in 2024, 5 in 2025, and 4 so far in 2026. These 15 cases were 28% of the 54 courts-martial at Wheeler Army Airfield in those years.

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, and Article 128b is one of them. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters. Both rules depend on the offense date, which the records do not give, so these trials mix old-rule and new-rule cases.

Article 128b applies only to offenses on or after January 1, 2019. Earlier conduct was charged under other articles.

Limits of the Records

The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. They do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128b on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.