Chinese Court’s Shocking Verdict: Man Jailed for Affair with Soldier’s Wife

For those who haven’t been in the military, “Jody” is used to describe the pasty, civilian guy back home who might be sniffing up your girlfriend (or boyfriend, as it’s called these days) while you are deployed. The term “Jody” is used as a taunt, insult, or derogatory term to describe what a soldier’s girlfriend and Jody might be doing at home.

Now we know that in China if you are a Jody, you will be sent to jail. In the United States, a Jody can get a shiner or a few missing teeth.

A Chinese man has been sentenced to 10 months in jail for “destroying” a “military relationship” by dating and living with the wife of an active People’s Liberation Army soldier.

China’s Criminal Law states that anyone who cohabits or marries another person in the knowledge that they are the spouse of a PLA Soldier will be sentenced to imprisonment for up to three years.

According to China’s National Defence Law, the punishment is harsh because according to the law, the state must not only give special protection to a soldier’s marriage but also respect and protect their honor.

I know that China’s legal system is harsher than the US, but in this particular case, my sympathies go to the soldier. I’ve met too many men who received a phone call or letter from a friend while they were deployed in a dusty, unhygienic place.

This Chinese Jody, whose real name is Ma, got off pretty easily. Why? He admitted his guilt in court. It’s a good thing he admitted it.

The report stated that Ma was given a lenient punishment because he admitted to the crime in court.

According to an editorial in People’s Court Daily, soldiers are often far from their families and cannot take care of them. It is therefore “immoral” and “criminal” to use their absence to ruin their marriage.

The editorial stated that “if their marriage is in danger, the soldiers’ mentality will be affected and the army’s combat capacity will be weakened.”

I’m no fan of the Chinese Communist Party or the People’s Liberation Army, but the soldiers on both sides often have more things in common than the REMFs who are responsible for sending them out. In this case, it’s hard to feel bad for Chinese Jody.

Another little Army-ism, however, is the fact that the cadences shouted to mark the time while running or marching are sometimes referred to by the term “Jody Calls.” This is probably because many of them have themes of loneliness, longing for home, and wondering what’s going on in the background while the soldier is out training to perform 66th-trimester abortions on the bad guys.

This story was also covered by Army Times. It’s worth wondering if this was presented to deployed troops as a warning story. Maybe to encourage them to keep an eye on what is happening back on the block? We can only guess.