Returned after AWOL?

Question

My boyfriend went AWOL from the army (reported to duty station after AIT. Left 5 minutes later). He turned himself in at PCF Fort Sill on day 29. They allowed him to use his cell phone long enough to make a quick call. He told me he would be there four weeks and then i could come pick him up. He said he did not know what happens after he gets to go home in four weeks. I went to ask another question to get explanation, but they told him time was up. I have no way to hear from him now.
Can anyone tell me what is happening? How does he know he is coming home in four weeks. Is this his punishment time before a dishonorable discharge? He would have been in less than 6 months at that time and I heard you cant get dishonorable before 6 months in.
Without being rude, can someone tell me what is going on those 4 weeks? Keep in mind you don't know what kind of home problems he has at the moment with family. So don't judge, just tell me what you know. Thank you!

Kathy A.-I believe family problems are an excuse when you have an infant in the hospital and they STILL wont approve an extended leave though the condition is fairly serious. Yeah he joined, but they spend all this money on promoting the lie that the army supports the military family. Like I said..don't judge. You don't know what is going on.

Answer 1

nothing is going to happen to him he is going to get an other than honorable discharge, which basically means he never served in the military. hell get to come home to you safe and sound without any repercussions. during those four weeks he s going to be put on extra duty and restriction other than that your boyfriend is fine. i know this because i am a drill sergeant in the army and have had this problem before. hope this helps.

Answer 2

The best response I've seen so far is that that mentioned that he'll probably separated from service with an Entry Level Separation citing a Failure to Adapt because he hasn't reached the 6 month mark. But just because he hadn't been in more than 6 months doesn't mean that he can't get an actual "characterized" discharge it all depends on situations and his attitude.

That is only a guess... depending on his attitude about continued service, he may be able to stay in but serve some confinement, restriction, reduction in rank or have a monetary deduction (fine or forfeiture) as punishment. If he has his heart set on getting out and is causing problems because of it, he may be discharged with an "Under Other Than Honorable Conditions" characterization. This characterization is NOT like he never served, as another responder said... quite the opposite. If future employers check on his military service, This is what they will see. They will not see any other reason for discharge... just that it was "Under Other Than Honorable" conditions and may hinder employment opportunities.

And 4 weeks does sound about right for processing time. It could be less, it may be a little longer... just depends upon workload and individual situations.

I just want to add that the military overall DOES try to help their Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines as much as they can. There has to be communication and flexibility from the individual, though, to make that help effective.

Good luck to you and your boyfriend.

Answer 3

At this point, you will not be able to get any information as you are not married. The military is hesitant to share information, even with family members. Girlfriends tend to be out of luck completely (not saying it is fair, but simply the way the system works). YOu may want to have his parents call the unit to see if they can find anything out, but am betting even they won't be given much information other than he is going through "the appropriate process to determine the next step" or something similar.

Part of what is happening is they will be trying to determine why he went AWOL and if he is willing/able or wants to stay in the Army. As he had finished all his training, they may want to make up for the money invested in him. They can make him finish his enlistment..there is no garuntee of a discharge...if they need bodies in his career field. He will get some form of disciplinary action...loss of pay, time in confinement at the minimum. Keep in mind if he is discharged, he would have to pay back any enlistment bonus he may have taken. If he took the bonus and spent part or all of it already, he will still have to pay it back through deductions from any wages he earns after his discharge and through granishment of any federal tax returns.

Many military families face emergencies like the one you listed. Do not think there are people out here who do not understand. However, the truth is that the military does not give extended leave to anyone without the most dire of circumstances. Even the death of a parent or child can only garner 30 days of leave at most. Many military families have faced similiar situations and the active duty member has been unable to come home at all or only for a week or so. This is part of the military life. I am not sure how the recruiter lied, and if he did say there was unlimited leave for emergency issues that is untrue. However, and this is hard, if your boyfriend can stay in, he may want to try. You have a child that is having some serious health issues at the moment. Military health coverage is better than most other plans out there. The child will be covered as long as your boyfriend puts in the appropriate paperwork. He may be gone from you, he may end up with a small paycheck for awhile, but it could be far harder to loose your insurnace coverage at the moment. I wish you well and hope your baby is doing better.

Answer 4

Chances are they are going to give him administrative punishment. They will garner wages (up to half of his pay) and make him do extra duties. They may also chapter him out on "failure to adapt." That is an honorable discharge. During that time they will probably have him speak with a chaplin to deal with whatever issues he is having. He can probably stay in the army if he wants. They may give him that option depending on his situation.

Hope that helps.

He also should be able to call you soon. At the very least they will allow him to contact his parents. Maybe you should give them a call. Since your not married they are not required to keep you informed but they should allow him to call his folks.

Answer 5

doesn't matter. he had a chain of command to go through and he obviously chose to bypass that. if he got no love from his superiors, did he exhaust ALL alternatives? did he speak to the Chaplain? did he request a meeting with the CO?

BTW. you say boyfriend which means he was a single parent when he enlisted. THAT is fraud if he chose not to tell them about his child. Single parents aren't allowed to enlist. so if his CoC never knew he had a kid, than he can't sudden;ly show up and say, oh my child is in the hospital.

They will release him when they release him. he will NOT be a priority for them because he wasted time and money screwing around breaking his end of the contract. Could be 30 days, could be six months. But he should realize that he just screwed himself royally. had he done things properly from the get go, A he wouldn't be in this mess, and B he might have had a more understanding CoC.

Answer 6

You are correct the Army really doesnt care about family it is and will remain the mission first " I will always place my mission first" ( Soldier's creed), I do understand how that seems unfair especially when you have a sick infant.
I know it is hard to just sit and wait for him to contact you but really you dont have any other options, you could call where he is being held to ask questions, but they may not release any information because you are the Girlfriend not the Wife.

contact me I will be happy to give you a few numbers.

Good Luck to you both!
Armywife & Soldier

Answer 7

Hey, Miller,

This is a tough time for both of you. All I have for you is my experience and best guess.

You might find more information through the office of the base chaplin at Fort Sill.

IMHO, under 30 days, he will NOT recieve a BCD or DD. Just no way that is going to happen.

For AWOL, the military counts it down to the hours.

I know because I was AWOL 179 days, 19 hours. I didn't have a good reason and they never really asked my reasons.

My punishment was loss of rate, loss of pay and 30 days (5 days off for good time) in the brig.

My discharge was a general, administrative. It took just over five months to complete the separation process.

Over the years, since separation, I have received thousands of dollars of benefits, mostly cash.

In addition, I am proud to have done my level best under the circumstances.

Your boyfriend and I are in the fraterity of US veterans, for better or worse. No one has ever given me any grief over the years and it is likely no one will bother your boyfriend either.

At a local church, they asked the Veterans to raise their hands for recognition. Up went my hand. I stood and they prayed for me.

When it comes up, I hope your boyfriend does the same thing. Just raise his hand with the other vets.

Best of luck to both of you.

Answer 8

in 4 wks he'll have his dishonorable discharge, unless he can explain what he did and why...and what his intent was..they 'may' give him time to 'make up' to the Army. (like detention) Then he'll be stuck with the service he signed up for and the 'detention'.
you could call a recruitor and ask the same question and get the answer.

Family problems are no excuse..he signed up for military service and if he doesn't serve, then they make sure your past follows you for the rest of your life.

Answer 9

hi there!
i dont think they will discharge him. he might be locked up for the same amount of days he was missing,they will probably fine him and he might be downgraded from his rank if he has got any stripes.

i dont think the army will consider his problems because they usually dont care about this (sounds horrible i iknow). a friend of mine had a 20 months old baby which died and the army wouldnt let him go home either (of course he ignored it and not much happened to him)

Answer 10

I believe even with the U.S Forces there is a Welfare route that you can use to find out all of this info. It wouldnt hurt to try this route.
Sorry if this doesnt help but its worth a try.
Good Luck hope his problems are soon resolved.