| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Soldiers Miss Flights Back To Iraq |
| 2003-10-21 |
| From the WaPo: Soldiers Miss Flights Back to Iraq Few of More Than 30 Absent Troops Offer Explanation By Steve Vogel Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, October 21, 2003; Page A20 More than 30 soldiers who came home from Iraq for two weeks of leave have failed to show up for their flights back to the combat zone, military officials said yesterday. The soldiers, among more than 1,300 troops so far in the first large-scale home leave program since Vietnam, have yet to be declared absent without leave -- a violation of military law, said Army Col. Paris Mack, the Pentagon official overseeing the program. A week after return flights began, 28 soldiers had not made it to Baltimore-Washington International Airport for the journey back to Iraq, said Air Force Maj. Mike Escudie, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command in Tampa. Six others did not make yesterday evening’s flight out of BWI for unknown reasons, said Lt. Col. Robert Hagen, an Army spokesman. Refresh my memory - you got 24 hours before you’re AWOL, right? How come these jokers are getting a week or more? Escudie said "a small number" have been granted emergency extensions by military commanders because of extenuating circumstances, including deaths in the family. Military officials could not say how many presented valid reasons or how many others had failed to contact authorities. "Many of them are understandable due to illnesses or canceled airline flights," Escudie said. One soldier was unable to board his flight to BWI because he lost his wallet, while another had a sick baby, Hagen said. But a military advocacy group cited two cases in which service members called to say they do not want to return to the long and difficult mission in Iraq. "Ultimately, every one of these cases will be looked into and there will be a determination if there are any mitigating circumstances," said Marine Maj. Pete Mitchell, a Central Command spokesman. Mack said the soldiers who have missed their flights are "definitely a concern," but she added that the Army had anticipated that some soldiers would not return, and that the numbers thus far are small. "If you put it into the context of the 1,200-plus who have returned, it’s not a large number," Escudie said. Mack said no consideration is being given to curtailing or canceling the leave program because of the absent soldiers. "The program is going very well," she said. A survey of 1,935 soldiers in Iraq published last week by the military newspaper Stars and Stripes found that 49 percent rated morale in their unit as low or very low. Steve Robinson, executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center in Silver Spring, said the absences demonstrate that "there is a morale problem." Robinson said he had been contacted by two soldiers home on leave who do not want to return to their units One of the soldiers, a National Guardsman from Florida, missed his scheduled flight back to Iraq three days ago, Robinson said. "I told him he needs to get his [rear end] back to Iraq," Robinson said. "I definitely don’t want to go back there," the guardsman told a reporter for CBS News. "I think most people -- if not all people who are there -- don’t want to be there." Mister Rogers: "That’s called desertion. Can you say desertion? I knew you could!" The soldier did not return a message left on his cell phone yesterday. "He’s on the run," Robinson said. See above. Soldiers failing to return from leave on schedule is an old story for the military, but nonetheless potentially a significant problem for commanders. Soldiers could face demotion or jail time for the offense. "We had the same problem in Vietnam," said retired Marine officer Gary Solis, who commanded a company in Vietnam and later wrote a history on military law during that war. Solis, of Alexandria, said the combination of "Australian women and Australian beer" kept several of his Marines from returning from leave on time. The leave program from Iraq, which unlike in Vietnam is bringing soldiers home to the continental United States to reunite with their families, may make it even more difficult for soldiers to return, Solis said. "It’s a lonely thing to do, but then that’s the soldier’s duty," he said. © 2003 The Washington Post Company I am pretty sure that SOMEBODY should have seen this coming - the drill should have been to fly them back to Europe for a couple weeks, not back stateside. The risks of having large numbers of people simply decide to quit the war just were’nt worth it. As far as a ’small number’, let me put it this way - when I was working Munitions Flight Staff at Shaw AFB in the late 90s, part of my job involved sending up the daily roster of sick, injured, on leave, TDY, etc. We never had a single AWOL in all the time I was there, but the base as a whole often did - but never more than perhaps 4-6 out of more than 5000 assigned to the base. 30 out of 1300 would - to me at least - seem like a pretty disturbing number, especially as apparently some of them (see above) have already gone underground. Mike |
| Posted by:Mike Kozlowski |
| #12 AWOL can range from restriction,extra duty,and article15(fine)-reduction in rank and brig time.After 30 days is considered desertion. |
| Posted by: Raptor 2003-10-22 8:43:08 AM |
| #11 Since I'm not ex-military I won't comment but will ask a question--if you don't show up to be deployed and are AWOl what is the penalty? |
| Posted by: NotMikeMoore 2003-10-22 12:37:03 AM |
| #10 We had a guy here at Fort Carson that came home from the airport to two fire engines in front of his fire-gutted quarters. He's been granted an "unlimited" extension, until he can get his family settled in, and things back in working order. The family lost almost everything. That's a real problem, and needs a real solution, including extending his 2-week leave. The people here in town have already replaced his furnishings, raised enough money to replace most of the lost clothing and personal items, and his wife and family will be living in a local condominium at cost until the sponsor returns from Iraq permanently. The guy is happy for the chance to come 'home', but wants to get back to his buddies and his duties. Not hard to tell which NCO is a professional and which one is just a paper soldier, is it? |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-10-22 12:20:34 AM |
| #9 Cyber Sarge, I'm sure several of the soldiers have discovered that they are conscientious objectors. Another larger group will have had mysterious injuries. Personally, my favorite guys are the ones that are so thoroughly engaged in romantic activity that they feel that the loss of a stripe is worth reporting late. In the larger scheme of things I guess I heartily agree with their enthusiasm. Carpe Diem. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-10-21 7:58:54 PM |
| #8 Only 28? Heck when I was on the freedom Bird to Korea there were over 100 people who failed to make the flight. Note to the un-indoctrinated: If you miss you military charter, they used to make you take one of those yucky commercial flights. The ones with the cute attendants and free liquor. "Gee sir I missed my flight, I guess I will have to take a last minute first-class seat to Jeddah." |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-10-21 7:35:58 PM |
| #7 Dudes, maybe it sucks to be you but you signed a contract. |
| Posted by: Hiryu 2003-10-21 6:15:08 PM |
| #6 We're talking about young adults here. Many probably missed the charter to Kuwaitt in the first place. If any of these boys thought that one of their buds was going to get shot becasue one member was missing from teh fire team, there would have been no absences. Outside of the Sunni Triangle - where I assume these guys are posted - things probably don't seem as life or death. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-10-21 5:41:57 PM |
| #5 And stevestradamnus hasn't put his |
| Posted by: Atrus 2003-10-21 4:58:57 PM |
| #4 "I definitely don’t want to go back there," the guardsman told a reporter for CBS News. "I think most people -- if not all people who are there -- don’t want to be there." Well DUH. Of course no one wants to be there. But as military personnel, there is a duty to perform. If these people don't want to live up to their commitment, then it's time to dish out the consequences. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-10-21 2:17:25 PM |
| #3 Of course they saw this coming. But look at the bright side, the people who are truly going AWOL are the people you probably wouldn't want watching your back anyways. So in a way this is a good thing, the AWOL people were probably a constant drag on unit morale. Now they are gone. And hopefully will be dealt with according to the law. Plus, it's only a little more than 2%, hardly unexpected in war time, and hardly the end of the world. |
| Posted by: Swiggles 2003-10-21 1:42:45 PM |
| #2 "I am pretty sure that SOMEBODY should have seen this coming..." Mike, when this policy was first announced, a Rantburger predicted something like this would happen. Alas, the Pentagon doesn't read our rants. |
| Posted by: Gasse Katze 2003-10-21 1:30:41 PM |
| #1 Solis, of Alexandria, said the combination of "Australian women and Australian beer" kept several of his Marines from returning from leave on time. I can't imagine why... |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2003-10-21 1:30:01 PM |