No Record of AWOL after 3 yrs, please advise....

[Tiger81]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
California

I joined the US Army 2005. I went to Infantry Basic at Ft. Benning, then proceded to Airborne school after 2 weeks of holdover. After Airborne, I had yet one more week of holdover until my orders were straightened out. I reported to Division for inprocess, and yet another week of holdover. I processed the following week and then went to my Batallion on a Thursday afternoon. After only 3 days of being assigned to my unit, I left the following Tuesday evening and never returned to my unit.
I received a phone call 30 days after my disapperance, from the 1SGT, stating I had been DFR'd and I would have a Federal Warrant for my arrest. One year later I had been pulled over by the local PD and was given a speeding ticket and let go.
Over the past 3.5 years, I have had 3 run ins with law enforcement for minor traffic stops, and I have also been out of the country a dozen or so times for business and personal with no complications going through Customs, and I have also purchased 2 firearms with no complications on the Background Investigation.
I have requested a copy of my DD 214, however, the Records Dept in Missouri can not locate any files except for what I signed at MEPS and has nothing from Basic through Inprocess at Division.
My Battallion was also deactivated 2007/2008.
My question is this, because I was in for more than 6 months (7 months and 1 week I think) and assigned to a PDS, where would I go to outprocess since my Battallion no longer exists?
Could I take care of this at a PCF at Sill or Knox, or would I report to Division since my Battallion no longer exists?



Advice on where to go would be greatful.

[ERAUPIKE]

Originally Posted by Tiger81

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
California

I joined the US Army 2005. I went to Infantry Basic at Ft. Benning, then proceded to Airborne school after 2 weeks of holdover. After Airborne, I had yet one more week of holdover until my orders were straightened out. I reported to Division for inprocess, and yet another week of holdover. I processed the following week and then went to my Batallion on a Thursday afternoon. After only 3 days of being assigned to my unit, I left the following Tuesday evening and never returned to my unit. I am not particularly proud of my decision. I kept telling myself I would return after 30 days, then after the new year, then after I finished a semester of school, and now it has been 3.5 years. I love my family dearly (mom and dad), but choosing them over the military has left me with heart ache and guilt after all these years. I still talk to a select few friends that I went to basic and airborne with, most of them are in SF, and I would do anything to stand next to them on the line. I will never get that chance due to my actions.
I received a phone call 30 days after my disapperance, from the 1SGT, stating I had been DFR'd and I would have a Federal Warrant for my arrest. One year later I had been pulled over by the local PD and was given a speeding ticket and let go.
Over the past 3.5 years, I have had 3 run ins with law enforcement for minor traffic stops, and I have also been out of the country a dozen or so times for business and personal with no complications going through Customs, and I have also purchased 2 firearms with no complications on the Background Investigation.
I have requested a copy of my DD 214, however, the Records Dept in Missouri can not locate any files except for what I signed at MEPS and has nothing from Basic through Inprocess at Division.
My Battallion was also deactivated 2007/2008.
My question is this, because I was in for more than 6 months (7 months and 1 week I think) and assigned to a PDS, where would I go to outprocess since my Battallion no longer exists?
Could I take care of this at a PCF at Sill or Knox, or would I report to Division since my Battallion no longer exists?
Like I said, I was at my unit for 3 days, and 98 percent of my Battallion was deployed to Katrina. There was only 7 or 8 people back at the Detachment.I never met my CO or 1SGT.
I am very fortunate to have not been arrested, but I am just curious as to how there is nothing linking me to the US Army anymore, besides me. I do have paperwork stating my orders reporting to my Battallion which I will bring with me to PCF, but with no "history", why should I turn myself in? There's nothing on police records.
I need closure, and I want to clean up my past. I pray every night for my brothers in arms, and I hate knowing I could of made a better choice but chose not to. Its eating me alive.

Advice on where to go would be greatful.

My first piece of advice is to avoid referring to yourself in anyway as a brother in arms. If you want closure then stop worrying about the little details and turn yourself back in at your convenience.

[andrew anderson]

Very weird that you didn't come up upon a traffic stop. First, call the numbers above in the sticky and make sure you weren't completely lost in the shuffle-IE, you don't exist. That's happened, believe it not. If you've been dropped from the rolls, take two weeks vacation time and turn yourself in at Ft. Sill.

[Tiger81]

Thanks for the input Mr. Anderson. I have called, the numbers can not verify my status or cannot give out information. I always thought I was "lost", but never thought it was possible. How would this look on a background investigation?? If the FBI or local L.E. were to look it up, would it show up as serving in the military, or not at all? Just curious. Not planning on heading to Sill, but back to my old division soon to clear it up.

[BsBfrantic]

My husband went through almost the same exact situation. Whatever you do- I recommend you not turn yourself in at Ft. Sill or Ft. Knox. You need to go to where you left from. But you need to call your old unit or base and tell them your name and that your awol and that you haven't been DFR. I recommend a payphone.....
I called and got my husband DFR because he was missing from records. Then we arranged with the head Sgt. of DFR there to have him met at the airport and escorted to where he needed to go (he was handcuffed, but it is just a procedure). He was then sent to a unit with a bunch of other DFR guys. He was allowed to have his cell phone, heck they even let him come home for the birth of our child since he wasn't done with out processing. He was there for about 3 months, but he didn't seem to mind it, and he just did extra duty stuff. The military did not at all try to keep any of the guys, it was actually hard to stay in if they wanted to. He got no jail time, but some guys that had other offenses besides awol (such as drug use, etc.) got 2-4 months. It was a very scary thing for us, we didn't know what was going to happen.

[Tiger81]

I agree..That sounds similar to some guys I ran into while processing in. They did extra duty and waited around for 1-3 months until their paperwork went through. They styaed in the regular barricks and were treated the same as anyone. I have been DFR'd, I got the paperork 30 days later. Once again, thanks for the advice and memoir. Im glad things worked out for you and your husband and your new born.

[BsBfrantic]

I forgot to include it's much better that you turn yourself in. Otherwise your likely to get screwed =) We were also recommended that he wait to turn himself in until he was a deserter and issued a warrant. But as soon as he was issued that warrant he was put on our towns most wanted list and the news lol. He had run ins with tickets, cops, etc when he was just DFR and nothing happened to him either before the warrant.