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Army Reservist allegedly goes AWOL
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Posted on Jan 06 2005
A member of Echo Company, 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry is reportedly in AWOL status after failing to return to the U.S. mainland for further training before being deployed to Iraq next month.
According to a source, the Army reservist was supposed to have left for Fort Polk, Louisiana along with other reservists who were home for the holidays but did not do so.
In an interview yesterday, Edward Camacho confirmed the situation but did not disclose the identity of the reservist.
“There’s one that we know of,” he said. “Other than that, everything is okay.”
The Saipan Tribune had earlier been given the identity of the AWOL reservist but Camacho declined to confirm or identify the individual involved pending further investigation into the matter.
Camacho said being in AWOL status, or any status where an individual fails to comply with military orders, will result in the individual being in “deep trouble.”
“When someone doesn’t show up, he is given a grace period,” Camacho said. “The individual has to show an effort that he wants to go back, and do everything he can to go back. If what he says he is going to do is not done, that makes it worse.”
He declined to comment on whether the individual showed effort that he wanted to go back.
He, however, explained that when someone is on AWOL status, the U.S. Department of Defense would contact the local law enforcement agency for a collaborative effort in detaining the individual.
“They can work together in detaining this individual until authorities arrive to pick him up and send him for disciplinary actions,” he said.
Camacho said disciplinary actions may be reduction in rank, forfeiture of pay, court marshal, or the individual could face time in prison.
Echo Company reservists were mobilized for training in August last year. After a period of training in Hawaii, the troops headed to Fort Bliss, Texas before going on holiday leave in December.
Many of the troops who were able to return home spent about a week and a half on island before returning to Fort Polk for further combat training.
