Here is how the blog Suits & Sentences reports United States v. McPherson.
Army deserter lands honorable discharge, somehow
An odd case recently resolved by the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals shows how a soldier convicted of desertion can still take home an honorable discharge. It’s all a matter of timing and regulatory ambiguity.
It’s still happening. I remember in my days as deputy at Navy Appellate Defense the occasional question from clients: “I just got an honorable discharge in the mail, what do I do?”