While MRE 404(a)(1)18 states that Good Soldier evidence is admissible only for a relevant trait of military character, case law is mixed on what it admissible; compare United States v. Benedict, 27 M.J. 253 (C.M.A. 1988) and United States v. Dewrell, 55 M.J. 131 (CAAF 2001)(presuming good soldier could be presented in sexual case) with United States v. Humphries, 57 M.J. 83 (CAAF 2002) (emphasizing the relevance to military crimes); be careful with the defense: it opens up a variety of otherwise inadmissible character evidence; learn the admissibility rules on character to limit the rebuttal evidence.
