Wandering Idiot
INTL Premium Member
 Surely something dumber has come up since my apparent forgetfulness for STDs and doctor visits.
Ballkicks: (+257 / -16)
Posts: 2130 (0.333)
Reg. Date: Jul 2003
Location: Arms' reach of my wifes' bitchslap
Gender: Male |
Reply 15 of 31 (Originally posted on: 07-27-06 08:31:45 PM)
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DON'T DO IT.
I have a soldier that went AWOL on July 5th (never came back from the 4th of July weekend). I've been in contact with him, and I know everything going on with him right now as far as my batallion is concerned, he's going to fucking jail.
The army is pushing jail time for AWOL a lot harder now, it's not just some random thing my batallion is doing. They're also pushing harder for drug use (actual UCMJ instead of simple article 15s). Heavier punishments are now a directive from DOD, batallions pretty much have to follow along.
What you need to do is press on with your medical problems. "Develop" problems if need be (drinking, sleep issues, anger management, etc). Don't become a violent, sleepless drunk, just give the image of that. That will have you in behavioral health pretty quick if people are paying enough attention.
Social deviant? Become a barracks rat. Start giving the image that you are becoming manic depressive. If you do anything like this, prepare to be playing the part for a long fucking time, until they give you some sort of discharge.
Also, relax a little bit. You're on rear detatchment for now. You have time to work problems into the scheme of things. The best way to keep from deploying is to make people unsure of your capability to handle a weapon in a proper manner. Get a few people scared, and your commander should send you off for review with behavioral health. If you get stuck on pills, don't take them, flush 'em (unless you really want the effect of them).
Don't go AWOL, it's not worth it. Yeah, you'll be out sooner, but think about the long term consequences.
Look man, I've been there with the army. I damn near stayed in Canada when I went on my roadtrip back in November. I've been a complete fucking trainwreck mentally and physically for the past 9 months. I'm drinking myself to death here, and it doesn't help a bit. Hell, I even started smoking weed again in the hopes of failing a drug test to get the hell out of the army, before I actually started getting medical care for my back. I agree with you that it fucking sucks about being stop-lossed, I'm facing the possibilty of that also (I'm out Oct. 29th for terminal leave).
If you want to talk about it, call me, I'm sending you a PM with my cell number in it. Think about everything you have right now, then think about what will happen when the army cuts your pay, puts you in jail, and what that will look like on your resume when they eventually do kick you out for your AWOL stunt. Sure, you're stuck for now, but that doesn't mean you should inevitably hurt your future beyond your new ETS date.
Quoted from etymxris: My friend wanted out of the army several years ago (before the stop-loss shit) and spoke to his sergeant or whatever. He was told the best way to get kicked out of the army was to go AWOL for 29 days and then return. So he did this, signed in on the last night, but they had no rooms for him. He came back the next day, the sign in sheets were mysteriously missing, and got in trouble. I don't remember the whole story but he ended up talking to his sergeant again and got some type of standard discharge that was neither honorable nor dishonorable. He lost his GI Bill but not his voting rights and served no jail time.
So if you were going to go AWOL, I'd leave yourself a buffer of a few days to make sure they have you on record as coming back and not deserting. I doubt they'd kick you out though with forces stretched as thin as they are.
Your friend got a General Discharge, likely for Failure To Adapt. The 29 day thing isn't going to get you any leverage these days. If you go AWOL now, they're more likely to slap cuffs on your wrists and let you rot in the Regional Correctional Facility awaiting your UCMJ court hearing, then back to the RCF to rot again until sentencing. This isn't the 90s anymore and we're at war with an army that doesn't want to go, but does so because they are obligated.
The soldier in my unit that is AWOL, who falls under me, well, he's going to jail. When I last talked with him, he said he'd be back on the 29th day of his AWOL. I had to write a sworn statement out with the details of what he told me, it wasn't fucking fun. I'm his shop foreman and I just helped send him up the river. The army isn't fucking around anymore. Failed drug test? Heavy UCMJ action, same thing for AWOL or even back-talking the wrong sergeant or officer these days.
Mmac, talk to ArtZilla, he can probably help advise you a bit as well. If you really need to talk about it, fuck man, give me a call, go see Jeff. Hell, go to your chaplain, that's what he's there for, and he can help speed up the process of a chapter or medical review.
Also, if you know a chick there at Fort Hood named Rebecca Cox, tell her Adam says she's a douche.
"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
-Dave Barry
This reply was last edited on 07-27-06 08:49:22 PM by Wandering Idiot.
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