Marine friend planning to go AWOL. Advice?

To assume the man in question is without honor without probing his thoughts is pure bigotry. We don't know about his conscience or moral fiber. If he is standing on principle, it shows he has experienced a cognition of some sort that puts him outside the military pale. I don't know if he's weak or strong. I don't know how he feels about the invasion of Iraq. Perhaps he's Yossarian. At any rate, it appears he through. Best to take him away from it.

0 Replies

The notion that one is, by virtue of engaging themselves to some agreement or contract, henceforth bound inextricably to it, and that any deviation or repudiation is prima facie immoral, is too silly for words.

It's particularly silly in this case where the fellow wants to break covenant with a government who has itself broken covenant with (how many?) international contracts.

0 Replies

There's been a lot of coverage lately about the suicide, and attempted suicide rates in the American military. While I was looking for a link, I found this, which is more general - but perhaps more germane to some of the arguments.

Quote:

The lies continue. President George W. Bush boasts of the nation's all-volunteer armed forces: "We have seen the great advantages of a military in which all serve by their own decision."

The truth is that as of last month, no fewer than 44,500 American soldiers who had fulfilled their contractual obligations, completed their enlistments and made plans to return to civilian life or retirement were frozen -- by an arbitrary "stop-loss" order -- on active duty.

A survey by the military's Mental Health Advisory Team found the suicide rate among GI's stationed in Iraq to be 35 percent higher than among Army troops wordwide.

We do not have an all-volunteer service today. The reality is that we now have a limited military draft. But the only Americans who are subjected to the current "draft" are those who have already demonstrated their patriotism by volunteering to serve in the military and have then served honorably.

There is a class difference, too, in proudly classless America. All the sacrifice of this war is being borne by the minority of our population who overwhelmingly do not go onto college. While nearly 50 percent of the U.S. adult population has some college, barely six percent of our military recruits have any college.

One of the "advantages" of the all-volunteer military the president chooses not to mention is that under the draft, which was in effect until 1973, fewer than 10 percent of the draftees failed to complete their obligation.

In the vaunted all-volunteer military, more than one out of three of today's soldiers fails to complete his initial enlistment. Among white male recruits, the failure to complete their enlistment rate is 35 percent, and among white female recruits, it is 55 percent.

iraq reconsidered

Death in battle, suicide or a dishonorable discharge? I know what I'd pick for a friend, or child of a friend.

0 Replies

Quote:

Death in battle

If he went back I doubt he would die. The options really are suicide, dishonorable discharge, fight a war under tough conditions, or if luck REALLY doesnt fall your way... death in battle.

0 Replies

Quote:

24 U.S. personnel known to have killed themselves But Pentagon's psychiatric team finds `no crisis'

that's enough for me to consider what I would be able to do to help a friend's child, if s/he was feeling that it was impossible to return.

0 Replies

So what does one have to do to get a dishonorable discharge?
Good article, ehBeth.
It's not me making the choice, though! Otherwise, I'd have shot him in the foot by now. "Accidental shooting" happens all the time.
He has been almost a member of the family for a decade. Each of my sons has that one great friend who I just fall in love with and make an honorary son. He is one of those. His mother and I are not friends.
"It's particularly silly in this case where the fellow wants to break covenant with a government who has itself broken covenant with (how many?) international contracts." ~ exactly right, Blatham.
The only honor I see here is that of the soldiers in Iraq, certainly not their CIC.
Typical double standard, when you think about it.

0 Replies

If you go along with, or encourage his desertion from the USMC, then I hope you get the same reward as he does.
There are options for him in the Marines. They take care of themselves and if he can no longer hack it, the Marines will find something for him to do. Don't let him take the coward's way out as he will regret it the entire rest of his life.

0 Replies

McG - the evidence is that the military is not taking care of their own. Depending on the route the fella may take out of the military, it won't make any difference. I have known quite a few people who departed from the U.S. military under a range of circumstances over the past 30 years. Once it got to be more than a couple of years out, no one asked, and no one cared.

0 Replies

Well I don't know. Look how much hoopla there has been over GWB's military service in the Texas National Guard, whether he was AWOL or served out his time, yadda yadda. Look how the paper trail on Bill Clinton's skirmishes with the military followed him.

Maybe somebody could go AWOL and they would quit looking for him after awhile. I don't know about that. But I am sure it stays on the record and sooner or later somebody is likely to check up on that record. Your military service is even checked when you apply for social security. Having 'deserter' stamped on your military service record is rarely a plus.

0 Replies

Having served in the Army, I have a little to add. I'm not supporting any action, just detailing a hypothetical situation:

Suppose someone wanted to leave the military with the least consequence possible. The quickest way to do it is to desert. This is very criminal and is likely to result in imprisonment if caught.

Another option is to malinger. This is also punishable under UCMJ, but it's hard to prove malingering. Read up quickly on a head or back injury, and go at it. A medical discharge is an honorable discharge and will result in full benefits.

Instead, he could choose to develop a real injury. Break a leg, or shoot self in the leg (with a sidearm, not an M-16 Shocked

). This will not likely get him out of the Corps, but it has a good chance of keeping him in the USA for a while, and he might be allowed convalescent leave.

Other things such as EPS or mental health might be options, but are probably inferior. I think his best option is to fake a debilitating back injury. He is doing situps at PT one morning in the grass, and slams a rock into his vertebrae. Or something. Suddenly he can barely walk. Something like that.

0 Replies

ApostropheThief

That's as practical a post as I've seen. Welcome to A2K.

0 Replies

Sudden developement of asthma was a frequent ploy by many in my unit as we were preparing to deploy to Iraq. Interestingly enough, it was mostly the "woof-hoorah, I can't wait to kill'em'all" group that chickend out in the largest number.

0 Replies

One chap I knew of had gotten out of Viet Nam by putting cheese whiz in his ears, waiting till it got nice and runny and then visiting the doc, who was puzzled.

0 Replies

Thanks all! :wink:

0 Replies

I just heard from a friend that this marine told her that, after some firefight, a boy was badly burned. The boys father asked him for help, and he told the father to take him to the red cross. Three days later that boys father walked over to him and said "My son is dead, and you are a murderer". Crying or Very sad

Marine friend planning to go AWOL. Advice?

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know