John B. Slocomb on Thu, 26 Feb 2015 09:36:44
+0700 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
On Wed, 25 Feb 2015 13:12:26 -0800, pyotr filipivich
wrote:
" on Wed, 25 Feb 2015 11:24:44 -0800
(PST) typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
On Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 11:37:27 AM UTC-5, Ed Huntress wrote:
Except he didn't desert.
He did desert. He didn't show up, ever.

Another non veteran who does not know the definition of desertion.

Fnord - I've heard the stories. Of the guy arrested for
desertion, even though he never got off post. Why? Because he
stripped off his uniform, declared he was deserting, and headed for
the gate.
OTOH, there was the guy who would go AWOL, get caught a couple
months later, but because he still had his uniform and ID card, could
(and did) argue that he had intended to return.

I seem to remember that there was some book keeping involved, at least
in the Air force. When someone left, without leave, they were
classified as AWOL for some period and after a specified number of
days/months they were automatically re-classified as "Deserted".

After 30 days of being listed as Absent WithOut Leave, one is
officially eligible for Deserter status. There was a case reported in
the Stars & Stripes, under Carter's Amnesty, where the guy needed to
find out his status. Seems that his paperwork had gotten lost right
after basic, and he was put in a holding assignment till they got it
straightened out. After two years, on the anniversary of his
reporting in for basic training, he walked out, and when home. When
he later contacted the Army, they wanted to gig him for desertion, but
nobody had reported him AWOL, so ...

The Service, can be, at times, a bit "weird". Like the story I
heard of the guy who wanted out. Badly. As I heard the story, he sat
down and lit up a joint in front of the Chief in the Engine room.
Chief asked him what he was doing. "Smoking a joint, Chief" was the
reply. "Well, Pass it over," says the Chief. Now what are you going
to do? Chief says 'Don't bogart the joint' you don't bogart the
joint. So when the XO (#2 Officer on board ship) came in the space,
she said "I'm going back up an pretend I didn't see that." But our
hero really wants out of the Navy. "No sir, you caught me, smoking
Maryjuwana in the engine compartment."
So he is busted, and they search his rack. He keeps telling them
that his stash is in the air vent. They finally look there, and low,
there is a baggie full of "a vegetable material presumed to be
marijuana." Yeah, right. Court martial, and his advocate argues
that because the Air Vent was not his personal space, it could be that
someone else had placed that baggie there. (Yeah, right.). Bust in
rate, six months loss of pay, and transferred to the laundry. After a
few weeks of this, he starches the officers's underwear, and decamps.
A year and a half later, he has had enough of being a deserter, so he
turns himself in. the Navy figures, what the hell, lets him finish
out the last few months of his enlistment "we'll call it even." Fine
by him. But, in the last year and a half, he's done some growing up,
some maturing. You know, the Navy isn't such a bad gig, really. He
decides to reup. Usually a good thing, but ... there was that court
marital for that drug usage (not to mention the starch incident) - so,
no dice. That this was also in the midst of the post SE Asia War
Games RIF, probably had something to do with it as well.
GI Brats, we sometimes hear some of the wildest stories. Some of
which may even be true, B-)

tschus
pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich
"With Age comes Wisdom. Although more often, Age travels alone."