I'm seriously considering going AWOL from the military. Will I really not be able to find a job?

Question

Is the military just trying to scare me into staying? Because its not like I'm a mass murder like the president we serve, so how bad could it really be??

Answer 1

Hahahaha!!! Most of the answers here are so damn funny!!
"Thats no attitude soldier!!" "I dont want troops like you in MY company!!" LoL!!!
Its like listening to a random hillbilly quoting "We dont take kindly to you kind around here" to a newcomer that just came into the bar to have a beer!!!
All you army fanatics better get those medals out of ur @$$ cause they probably deprive you of a good night's sleep.
The girl does not want to stay in the army anymore, so WHAT? Is she the first? Or will she be the last? She serves in the army - she gets paid. She quits - she stops getting paid. What is YOUR problem? Its just a job. And DONT tell me its her duty cause she is not defending any country. America is just fighting, or rather losing, an invasive war that started PURELY out of profit. And if you dont like what I am saying I guess you dont like the truth. Open your eyes and see.
And before you say that I am a foolish liberal or an enemy of the government, or whatever, guess again. I am not even American. Mine is an external view.
America needs a look on the inside. Where it has been digraded so much that it need to ban words instead of facing the racism problem.
And a hint to all those of you who label people as "Terrorists"... Not EVERYONE who lives in the MIddle East is one...

Conclusion... You should be happy that people want to leave the army. It means they are sick of war. But i guess you dont like that. Cause it means no money for you and the weapon industry, huh?


As for you girl, there is always a good way out. Its called depression. Its the easiest thing to fake and noone will ever keep you in if you have it. Just consult a psycologists (i bet there are plenty in the US) and maybe fake a suicide attempt. You know, take a few pills, spend some time in the hospital being miserable and all .. You dont stay unless you want to stay.
Good luck! :)

Answer 2

Don't do it. I served in the Marine Corps. I didn't always like being in, but the alternative is far worse. If you go AWOL you will be held for a court martial. You could receive a dishonorable discharge(will not be considered for federal or state jobs). After you are AWOL for 30 days the charge becomes desertion, which is a felony. This would severely limit your choice of future employment. Stick it out. Consult with a counselor or chaplain. Find out what the consequences are before you commit yourself. Once you leave without permission, you won't be able to put humpty dumpty back together again. Don't do it. Besides, deserters in times of war have been executed, not that it would happen, but it is something to ponder.

Answer 3

I would NEVER hire someone who went AWOL. By going AWOL in the military, how can I trust you to be at the job site every day? By going AWOL you're setting a pattern in your life: things get tough, run away. I wouldn't want to be the man who marries you knowing you run away when things get tough. I wouldn't want to be your kid, knowing mommy will run away from me when things get tough. Only little kids do that when mommy or daddy lays the law down.
Grow up! You're an embarrassment to the Army and to this country and to your family!
You've just made a terrible accusation about your COMMANDER IN CHIEF. Do you have proof he's a mass murderer? Or do you always make ignorant, unfounded statements that are nothing more than parroting other ignorant, low life cowards??
(USN, retired)

Answer 4

If you go AWOL you could be subject to spend some time in Jail ... You would never to be able to hold a state or federal job. Any job that does any kind of back ground check that will show up. It would not be a good Idea to go AWOL.

Answer 5

hey can i have your name and unit, so that i can take care of this for you,, IF you go AWOL you will not be able to get a job,, your SS# will be flagged, and as soon as you apply for a job or are stopped by an officer you will be detained, and a AWOL recovery team will pick you up and take you to be courts martial, and you could face prison time, and up to the max pen, and that is death. this is not a scare tactic,, you can look this up in the manual of courts martial at any time. it is article 86, also if your unit deploys while you are AWOL, you can get charged with article 87 missing movement, so you might want to rethink this

Answer 6

There is alot of truth to it. Basically, here is your new job training...."Would you like fries with that?"

If you try to tell an employer the past .... months I haven't been employed.... when they run your SSN.... you will show as an AWOL/Deserter.... if you were the boss... realistically.... would you hire that person?? What would it reflect about your character??
You will be able to go to school.... think Community College though.... and don't apply for any type of state or federal aid. Make sure you keep your drivers license and everything about your car up to date and in order..... because if you get pulled over, in most states.... you are going to jail.

We aren't trying to scare you into staying in... but there are better ways of getting out. email me for details.

Answer 7

Every single day, I have someone who comes in and asks how to get their DD214 fixed because they were kicked out. Employers really do look at them.

There's no real threat of "doing time" any more. No one wants to deal with deserters. You'll just get outprocessed.

Now, reach deep down inside and think about this: Did you join the military because you wanted to serve a certain president, or did you join the military to serve in the military, maybe better your life and possibly do something great?

Answer 8

Well from someone who deals with military in UA status I can tell you this. When you go UA they just report it to your command and send a friendly letter home to your Next of Kins and aske them to help in bringing you back voluntarily. Once you have been UA over 30 days, people like me put out a Federal Warrant for your arrest. This means, depending on the branch of service you're in, They will send Military Police to your Home of Record, Contact your local recruiters office and inform them, Inform all goverment police agencies including local to your town of your warrant and basically they red flag your social security number, so if you try to use in getting a job when they run the background check or credit chck, the government will know where to concentrate in looking for you. Like I said this depends on the Branch you are in. If you return voluntarily, you will most like get charge for the UA and you might end up owing the government some money in the case that you get separated, which is higly likely. Hopefully this helps. In my opinion, suck it up for the last of your contract and try to stay positive about things. As far as your comment about the president, well, you are entitled to your opinion as an american but be aware that those comments and being part of the military are not a good combo. Keep your head up and look for positives.

Answer 9

No. But there will background checks and when that happens it will alert the military as to your whereabouts. AWOL is like having a 'warrant' for your arrest outstanding on you. You don't want to do that. 'Cause when they catch you, you'll go to the stockade. That would be much worse. And then,the Courts-Martial. Dishonorable Discharge.
Seems like an awful waste of your time to have it all end like that, don't you think?

Answer 10

As Bryan said, this is a time of war. Going AWOL could lead to the death penalty. But hey, go for it. With a sorry attitude like that, I don't want you around the military any longer than you have to be. You know the consequences, deal with them. Go hide in Canada. Do whatever, just do it. Because an attitude like that is a plague.

**EDIT** I just wanted to add one more thing. There is a common misconception that if you go AWOL, no one will go looking for you. While that is fairly correct, don't ever get in trouble. If you get so much as a speeding ticket, you will be taken into custody and returned to the military branch that you went AWOL from.

If, however, you deserted from the military, you will be hunted down. You will be on the run for the rest of your life. If your SSN pops up anywhere (or your driver's license number, passport, whatever that is unique to you and on file), you will promptly be tracked down or taken into custody right away. Then you will face charges of desertion.


**Another EDIT** Trooper, thanks for your service. We need more 1SGs like you around the Army. As for what the person claiming to be your wife said, it may work. But if there was a person like me in the chain of command (and maybe like Trooper?), I would take a break from any meeting/hearing that was in progress (would be a meeting with the commander/1SG at the initial stages) and go out and find a gay woman on the economy. I would then bring said gay woman back to my office and see just how gay the soldier is. If a soldier wants to get out because they are gay, fine. But they better really be gay or I would charge them and put their wanna-be gay bottom in prison to be treated like a gay person for the duration of their incarceration.

Answer 11

I agree with my husband troop's answer, but you could just say your gay. You would get an honorable discharge chapter 13, but it would say this on your DD214, but it would be better then the trouble you would get into for desertion. Why don't you look inside yourself? Make a list of your reasons for wanting to get out. Are they fear based, is it a character flaw such as laziness, are you in trouble-about to get an article 15? Then after you make your list, share it with a third party like the Chaplin or your sqd leader or your platoon Sgt. Seek guidance before you act rashly.