I went awol from my basic training company on Nov 11, 2007. Im only 17 years old. I left because i injured my back and the doctors just jerked me around, not giving proper treatment. I tried to do get out the right way, but i just kept hitting brick walls. My drill sergeant wouldnt ELS me or nothing. Emotionally i was a mess, i was having panic attacks and nervous breakdowns. I couldnt eat, and i could barely sleep becauase of the pain from the injury i sustained. I went awol from ft. benning on november 11th and am trying to figure out how to get this skeleton out of my closet. I am going to a civillian specialist to receive proper care for my back. I have no desire to remain in the army. my drill sergeants tell everyone to just go awol, so i did, can anyone tell me how much **** im in, and how i can fix it quickly?
2007-11-11 19:54:10 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
From one former AWOL soldier to another:
Hey man, i went awol a couple of years ago the process for what will happen isnt as bad as you think. However i wont be as accurate typing. i went awol in 2002, DO NOT turn yourself in right now, that would be a huge mistake, and do NOT turn yourself in to ft benning if you dont want to be in the army anymore. you can email me if youd like and i will be more than happy to talk more with you. eve though i dont know you i know how you feel, and the worst part is just not knowing whats coming.
2007-11-14 14:42:27 · answer #1 · answered by thegatorfamily 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
IF you went AWOL: since you are receiving medical care, then you are using your Social Security Number, then you will be found and arrested.
"my drill sergeants tell everyone to just go awol" well, that's not true!
"Im only 17 years old. I left because i injured my back and the doctors just jerked me around, not giving proper treatment." At 17, how do you know what proper care is? Are you also a doctor?
Turn yourself in, make your life easier.
"Emotionally i was a mess, i was having panic attacks and nervous breakdowns. I couldnt eat, and i could barely sleep " All part of basic training, you were being turned into a soldier and couldn't handle the mental stress. Sounds like you are looking for an excuse and a 'pity party'.
2007-11-12 04:36:09 · answer #2 · answered by NSA 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Go to the nearest military station you can, even if it just a recruiter's office and turn yourself in yesterday. As a retired Air Force Officer I can tell you that the commander makes the decision on what type of punishment you can face. This can be anything from an Article 15 (non Judaical punishment), loss of rank and pay and possibly brig time, to a full time Court Martial. Like what was mentioned it is wartime, the ultimate punishment is death. I do not think they will go that far however. If I was your commander I would want to hear your side of the story first. If you just blame your drill sergeant I would not be sympathetic to your cause. You have the right as a soldier to go up the chain of command. You should have seen your first shirt, then your commander if necessary. NO one can prevent you from going on sick call. If you go to your commander now and explain that you did not know all the rules and regulations and want to make things right, I know I would immediately just go with the Article 15. Then serve out your time doing the best you can do. They do not reenlist if you find Army life is not for you. Or once you are back and have seen an army back specialist it is possible that you can be discharged from active duty for your injuries. You are not eligible for benefits until you serve 6 months of active duty. Google UCMJ, the Uniformed Code of Military Justice. Those are the rules.
2007-11-12 04:19:24 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It depends on the company you came from. I know several people who went awol from Basic and got nothing more than an Article 15. Just know you cannot be gone longer than 30 days, or you will be a deserter and have a federal warrant out for your arrest.
Your best bet is to either go back soon, or go to another post and turn yourself in. The RUMOR is if you go to Ft. Knox, they will outprocess you in a few days.
But if you have to go back to Benning, ask to see someone at Behavioral Medicine. Your panic attacks alone would be grounds for a 5-17 discharge. But if your back is that messed up, you can ask to see another doctor than the one they are sending you to. I know getting proper medical treatment in training is difficult. I too was injured during training. But if you can't get better treatment, ask your doctor for a Med Board upfront. Tell them you are not getting better. Don't let them push you around. It will be hard, but stand your ground.
Also, while seeing a civilian doctor now is not a good idea, take any copies of tests you had done and what they diagnosed you with back to your military doctors. It will piss them off, but maybe they can see what is actually wrong with you. Keep in mind, that while they may want to, they can only provide so much care while you are in training.
But the main thing you need to do is turn yourself in, and not more than 30 days from when you left, or you can ruin your entire life. But you may not be able to just fix this that quickly. You have to pay the consequences, but you will eventually be okay. Just go back with a doctors note, cause they will cape the crap out of you when you return, and unless you are on profile, you will get even more hurt!!
2007-11-12 11:49:12 · answer #4 · answered by Meghan 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well not everyone is cut out to be in the army, I dont understand how you left basic already because it is only just barely the 11th of Nov. But if you turn yourself in within a day, you wont get into as much trouble as if you were gone a month.
Trust me when I tell you this because I have seen it way too many in my company, it is far LESS painful to stay in the Army until the end of your enlistment contract than to try going AWOL or doing bad stuff to get kicked out. You dont need anything from the army in your records that are negative, because finding a job in the civilian world will be difficult. Shoot me a message with more details if you wanna talk about it
2007-11-12 04:01:18 · answer #5 · answered by Jopa 5 · 8⤊ 0⤋
Your in some mild poo poo with the military. You best bet is to just go back, take the crap, and then get out. You'll be put in the brig probably 2-3 months until the court marshal can be held.
You will be found as unacceptable and probably given a sentence of time served and a general discharge under other than honorable conditions. Then you are done.
The good side is that this happens pretty quick and you don't live for years wondering which job application or loan application or drivers license renewal will have the military knocking on your door or dragging you out of you job.
If you turn yourself in soon you have a much better chance of getting off easier with like a plain general discharge.
The bad news is that discharge will follow you around for ever, making it hard to get a good job or car loan or life insurance.
2007-11-12 04:11:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Youre in some big troubles man! Going awol is the same as deserted and is not threatend lightly. If youre staying awol youre gonna end up in prison for sure. The best thing you can do is to talk to military lawyer and explain your situation to them and then do whatewer they recomend you to do. Most likely you will end up with a court marshall for going awol or at least some sort of punishment (like some time in prison and or pay reduce for some period.
Another way is to call your CO and explain the situation asking for a lawyer before any action is taken against you. Also ask for his or hers advice on what you can do to minimase damage.
Remember if youre gonna returning to your unit theyre most likely not gonna threat you well for some time. Dont just take it personall. Johan
2007-11-12 06:50:16 · answer #7 · answered by Johan from Sweden 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Go back to Fort Benning and turn yourself in immediately, before you reach 30 days of being AWOL. Since you're in basic training, they will probably put you out of the military with a general discharge because you went AWOL (for misconduct). A general discharge is not the worst thing in the world and much better than looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life.
2007-11-12 04:10:07 · answer #8 · answered by Smoker06 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Going AWOL (absent without leave) is a an offense that is dealt with more seriously in times of war. I don't see how you managed it during basic training but you should report back before they change your status to deserter. Under the UCMJ deserters can be shot in times of war. There is no easy way to do this. You are just going to have to turn yourself in. If you do not you are facing court martial at the least. If you were truly injured, you should not have left. The military provides medical discharges to those injured and unable to serve. It sounds to me that if you continue down the road you are on you will receive a dishonorable discharge. With such a discharge you will not be able to find employment. You need to seriously re-evaluate your future. You are in danger of forcing yourself into poverty for the rest of your life.
2007-11-12 04:06:16 · answer #9 · answered by go_romo_go 2 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Get written proof from your civilian medical specialist to present in the event of your courts martial (is that going to happen for someone AWOL from Basic Training?)
I think you need to fix your back first but that takes time and it has to be your call, being arrested awaiting courts martial is not going to get your back fixed.
Advice from frichalf appears good but be careful with contact as he may not be on your side.
In my opinion, go back straight away then face the music, don't stay on the run forever.....that is no life. Get discharged and put it all behind you.
You are very young, have courage, do the right thing for your health, that may mean turning yourself in immediately as the stress of being AWOL is not worth it.
You only went AWOL yesterday so move fast...get back today if possible. Honesty is the best policy. Get proof of your medical problem.
2007-11-12 04:22:12 · answer #10 · answered by Gent 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋