Copyright washingtontimes
“Army’s new policy: Family must be notified within 8 hours if soldier reported missing” (Web, Nov. 4) is another tempest in a teapot that wastes government resources. I was a legal clerk in the U.S. Army in the 1970s and a Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAGC) officer in the 1980s and 1990s. I can guarantee you that in 99.99% of cases where a person goes missing in the military outside a combat zone, they do so of their own volition. The military has always had people who fail to come to work. The usual policy is to make them AWOL after 24 hours — that stops their pay — and make them a deserter after 30 days, which makes them show up in the FBI database as a wanted criminal. Once someone is absent for more than three days, a “72 hours letter” is sent to the next of kin, usually parents or a spouse, telling them the person is AWOL and encouraging them to get him or her to return to duty. It advises them that if the absence exceeds 30 days, it will become a more serious Uniform Code of Military Justice violation. The letter also provides a point of contact for the next of kin to contact if they have questions or concerns. Of the dozens of such letters I sent, no parent or spouse ever contacted me. After that, it’s just a matter of time for the person to surrender to the local police or come back to the military. Sometimes this happens years after they desert. The other way they return is by getting arrested for some minor crime, such as shoplifting or running a stop sign, and the police discover they are wanted as a military deserter. Even sanctuary cities will hold deserters for the military. After a court-martial and jail time at Leavenworth, the individual becomes a civilian with a bad conduct or dishonorable discharge. This was just the way business was done. No one ever complained on my watch of having been kidnapped or forced to flee because they feared they were going to be raped or murdered. (Those are valid defenses to desertion.) Cmdr. WAYNE L. JOHNSON Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy (retired) Alexandria, Virginia
