• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

AWOL - what to do?

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

Status
Not open for further replies.

navymom64

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? NY - Please help - my son is awol from the Navy and I have tried just about everything to get him to return but he wants out of the Navy really bad. He is already going on 3 weeks not reporting to duty and I know he intends to stay out the 30 plus days with the hopes of getting an Other Than Honorable Discharge. I also know he doesn't understand just what this can mean for his future. So this is my question - am I wrong in not reporting him? Should I go to the recruiting station and say he's here? I simply don't know what to do - he's old enough to make his own decision and if I report him and he gets brought back before the 30 days and hates it so much he eventually does something really drastic, I don't think I can live with myself, but I feel very wrong watching him make this mistake. I understand that he may not be fit for the Navy and that he's had a hard time for many reasons but I don't know the right course of action.
 


fozzy2

Member
You can report him to the military, but it won't necessarily have much effect until he is gone 30 days. Generally the military isn't going to come get him and local law enforcement probably won't act until an arrest warrant is issued. If he is staying at your residence you could kick him out onto the street. That might make him think twice about leaving the military. If he really wants out he doesn't necessarily have to wait 30 days. Just going AWOL, and making it clear that he doesn't want to continue service, may well be enough to get him his discharge. It won't be an 'honorable' one, but if he waits he risks being arrested and all the fun that entails.
 

cooldbz12

Junior Member
This is for the Marines but im perty sure is the same for the navy since the Marines is under the Navy, he wait 180 days then turn himself in and just get a discharge under other than honarable, with no other hassles, getting that dischrage is not so bad at all , ive hear it even uprades to an honarable discharge after 6 months. if he goes back between those 180 days they will take him back into service and it will be hell trieng to get out, they do not wanna let him go, unless he waits 180 days is carefull not to get pulled over and turnes himself in after that.
 

navymom64

Junior Member
Awol - what to do?

OK, that's very different than what I've heard - my understanding is that anything over 30 days once he's dropped from the roster is going to result in an Other Than Honorable Discharge. I'm counting the days as it is if this is his decision and debating whether to get him back there no matter what I have to do before the 30 days. If I have to wait 180 days I just may have a heart attack - this is killing me every single day that goes by that I'm allowing this to happen - I don't agree that this is the best course of action for his life and of course I'm not in the military so I may not understand all of it and how hard it could actually be, but it's a weighing on each hand kind of thing. If he's that miserable and I force him back (don't know how) before the 30 days I don't want to think of what could happen and then if I don't force him back and he waits it out then he could potentially make the rest of his life very hard with an Other Than Honorable Discharge. I'm rambling now - sorry - just wish it was an easy decision.
 
T

thepizzaguy

Guest
This sucks for you and I am sorry you have to deal with it. My best advice is to give him good advice as provided by Fozzy and not that idiot who said that his discharge will be upgraded.

Let him know he is f$%*ing up his life, and let him go. I know it is difficult but he is an adult now and he must be held accountable for his actions
 

fozzy2

Member
cooldbz12 said:
,
ive hear it even uprades to an honarable discharge after 6 months. .

Nooooooo! Not the "6 month automatic upgrade" myth! Quick, drive a stake through its heart.

I've read that this everlasting belief originated after WWII when vets were told that after 6 months their records would be "moved up" by the military for permanent storage. I don't know if that is where it started, but it will probably never stop.....
 

navymom64

Junior Member
Thanks - I've heard also that the upgrade is a bunch of lies and is still rumored around with these kids because my son believes the same thing. Does anyone know if I were to convince him by some miracle to turn himself in before the 30 days if they will actually discharge him if they feel he is unfit for the Navy? Will they put him in military jail? I know the circumstances change for each person but I just wish I knew what he was facing. He is thinking that if he turns himself in after 30 days he gets restrictive duty and OTH because this is also what all the kids are saying and that if it's before 30 days there is no way they'll let him go. Guess it's easier to believe what you want to believe - thanks for the advice. This too shall pass but not soon enough that's for sure :-(
 
T

thepizzaguy

Guest
navymom64 said:
Thanks - I've heard also that the upgrade is a bunch of lies and is still rumored around with these kids because my son believes the same thing. Does anyone know if I were to convince him by some miracle to turn himself in before the 30 days if they will actually discharge him if they feel he is unfit for the Navy? Will they put him in military jail? I know the circumstances change for each person but I just wish I knew what he was facing. He is thinking that if he turns himself in after 30 days he gets restrictive duty and OTH because this is also what all the kids are saying and that if it's before 30 days there is no way they'll let him go. Guess it's easier to believe what you want to believe - thanks for the advice. This too shall pass but not soon enough that's for sure :-(
I put my own mother through this crap and am sorry for it. You are right this will pass. As far as you're quetsion goes: Yes it will go easier on him if he turns himself in after 30 days. He will probably see some brig (aka jail) time (probably not much, maybe overnight), but he will wind up getting the OTH discharge he wants.

The thing is: he has a chance of makeing a rekoning and settling up, and leaving the military honorably if he went back now and finished his enlistment.

Again I am sorry you have to deal with this. I guess its the burden of being a mother
 

acmb05

Senior Member
Does not matter his time in service

As soon as 30 days passes it is no longer considered AWOL but is then labeled as a deserter. Its a good thing that we are not in a war or it could be punishable by death. Desertion is a very serious offense and can get up to 20 years for it. One of my jobs in the army during my last two years in was escorting prisoners to levenworth. Not only is the prison there but also the discharge area for all military AWOL's and deserters.

When they catch your son if it is after 30 days he could be sent there and will be given an option. He can go back to his unit and face a courtmartial on the charges or he can accept a general discharge under less than honorable conditions.

Also keep in mind that any and all bonuses he received when he enlisted will be charged to him and he will have to pay all of it back. They will also charge him for any and all supplies that he was issued and did not return.

This will definately effect the rest of his life. He would not be able to get a job in any kind of security position or most places that require a background check for security reasons.

No matter what you have heard if he is AWOL or deserter he will NOT get any kind of discharge under honorable conditions. He will get a general discharge either for less than honorable conditions or a general discharge for the good of the service.
 

edge9001

Junior Member
i have recently been discharged from the army national guard. now this is different than other branches, as i only deal with the army side of things.
i did the same things. my term of service was 5 years out of an 8 year enlistment. and i spent time in iraq also.

i just left and told them i wasnt coming back. i tried
for transfer which, the sgts blocked every chance they could.

i recieved a OTH, under honorable conditions.
yes i have to payback part of my enlistment bonus, and pay for some of my gear. but other than that. this went pretty smoothly i was discharged in dec 04 after about 3 months they mailed my discharge papers to my last known address

and NO i didnt get a discharge for desertion, my discharge was a misconduct discharge. my 5 medals might have something to do with this, but i dont think so.

good luck with all of this
 
edge9001 said:
i have recently been discharged from the army national guard. now this is different than other branches, as i only deal with the army side of things.
i did the same things. my term of service was 5 years out of an 8 year enlistment. and i spent time in iraq also.

i just left and told them i wasnt coming back. i tried
for transfer which, the sgts blocked every chance they could.

i recieved a OTH, under honorable conditions.
yes i have to payback part of my enlistment bonus, and pay for some of my gear. but other than that. this went pretty smoothly i was discharged in dec 04 after about 3 months they mailed my discharge papers to my last known address

and NO i didnt get a discharge for desertion, my discharge was a misconduct discharge. my 5 medals might have something to do with this, but i dont think so.

good luck with all of this
OTH means other then honorable conditions.

not under honorable condtions.

and the national gurard is alot different then active. they cant do much to you because your not covered under the UCMJ.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top