Military desertion prosecutions increase

Ebony Horton
Media General News Service
Published: May 23, 2008

U.S. military deserters are costing taxpayers a lot of money, according to military officials.

The Army Public Affairs office reported that it costs an average of $50,000 to $64,000 to train a soldier from the recruiting station to first unit station. Between 2002 and 2007, there were at least 2,400 soldiers each year who deserted duty sometime after training.

About 60 percent of deserters have served less than 12 months, while more than 80 percent served less than three years, according to data.

Army Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb said most of the deserters have historically been first-term, junior enlisted soldiers who leave the Army for personal, family or financial problems.

The Uniform Code of Military Justice defines a deserter as one who remains “absent without leave” (AWOL) for at least 30 days.

“We don’t enlist soldiers, we enlist individuals to make them soldiers and that’s not free. ... Taxpayers pay a lot for a person to pick up and leave,“ Edgecomb said. “We wanna keep (soldiers) in. Frankly it’s the smart thing to do financially.“

Edgecomb said deserters generally make up less than one percent of the Army. Few leave for political or “conscientious objector” purposes like the honorably discharged Sgt. Matthis Chiroux, who announced last week he would refuse orders to deploy to Iraq after having already served at least four years active duty.

Edgecomb said everyone who enlists in the Army has an obligation of eight years - at least three of which are active duty and five of which are reserve, where the soldier can be called back to duty if necessary.

She said soldiers can be discharged before eight years of service for medical reasons or civil legal convictions.

Other military branches also deal with desertion. The majority of U.S. Marine Corps deserters are discovered and apprehended during routine traffic stops and other interaction with civilian police agencies, according to U.S. Marine 2nd Lt. Joshua Diddams.

Diddams said a small percentage of Marine Corps deserters eventually decide to turn themselves in by contacting either military or civilian authorities, while an even smaller percentage are turned in by friends and family.

U.S. Navy Lt. Candice Tresch said the Navy’s numbers of declared deserters have steadily declined since fiscal year 2001.

One hundred seventy-seven U.S. Airmen have been placed on deserter status since the start of the Iraq War in 2003, according to Air Force Capt. Michael Andrews. Data showed there were 268 Airmen who were placed on deserter status between 1998 and 2003.

The U.S. Army Judiciary charged between 15 and 36 of at least 2,500 soldiers who deserted each year between 1998 and 2001, according to the Army. The number of deserting soldiers prosecuted climbed to between 79 and 108 of at least 2,400 deserters for each year between 2002 and 2007, according to data.

Edgecomb said the maximum punishment for a soldier convicted of desertion includes forfeiture of all pay and allowances and a dishonorable discharge.

No deserter had been given the maximum punishment during Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom, she said.

“We’ve prosecuted more since we started conducting operations in Afghanistan and Iraq because it’s a more serious offense during time of war. But there are people who go take care of what they need to at home and return to face up to whatever penalties ... whether it’s reduction in rank or loss of pay,“ Edgecomb said.

The U.S. Department of Defense reported more than 1.6 million service members had been deployed in support of the Global War on Terror since 2001.

There are currently 155,000 troops serving in Iraq, according to the department.