Rise In Desertions Mentioned But Spun In Palm Beach Post

[Hissyspit]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/32893

Rise in Desertions Mentioned But Spun in Palm Beach Post
Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2008-04-21 05:10. Nonviolent Resistance

Military unfazed at AWOL increase
By RHONDA SWAN, Palm Beach Post

Uncle Sam might have wanted Kristen Westerberg and Alton Keith Lee, but apparently they had second thoughts about him.

Last month, police arrested Westerberg, a 24-year-old Wellington mother, in Royal Palm Beach for deserting the Army. A few weeks later, police picked up Lee, 25, in Boca Raton for leaving the Marines without authorization.

Though the number of AWOL military personnel has steadily increased since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, officials say the war has had little impact.

Others say the stop-loss policy, which retains troops beyond their terms of service, often sending them back into combat, is responsible for more military personnel calling it quits.

The policy, often referred to as the "backdoor draft," is the subject of the recently released movie Stop-Loss by director Kimberly Peirce, who grew up in South Florida.

In 2007, nearly 1,200 Marines were accused of deserting as of September. In 2003, there were 877. The Army had 4,698 deserters in 2007, up from 2,610 in 2003.

"It's very apparent that the war in Iraq and the stop-loss program has increased the number of deserters and AWOL soldiers," said Gregory Rinckey, a lawyer who works with an increasing caseload of clients trying to exit the military.

The deployments are disrupting troops' lives, said Rinckey, who served as an Army lawyer for six years before opening a private practice in Albany, N.Y.

Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb said the number of deserters represents less than 1 percent of the Army's force and it is not a "huge concern" for leaders.

And, she said, many soldiers leave before they see combat.

"They get to basic training and it's not what they thought it was going to be or they decide they're not cut out for it," she said. "They just don't take the right approach to try to get out of the Army."

Westerberg joined the Army in October 2005. Her family said she was promised she would never see war duty, and she deserted while in training in Virginia after being told she might be sent to Iraq. She has been considered AWOL since June 2006.

Army officials said she went to Fort Knox, Ky., for processing and has since left on what is called "excess leave." She is expected to get an administrative discharge.

Disciplinary action for AWOL soldiers is done on a case-by-case basis and is left to the commander in charge, Edgecomb said. The Army does not discharge all deserters, she said. Some leave for personal reasons and, once they resolve them, decide to stay. Their punishment may be a loss in rank and pay.

MORE

[bushmeister0]

1. My roomate says her firend's husband a reservist is being deployed to Iran

Then she said, "no, I mean Iraq. what did I say?" Wew, for a minute there I thought I had a big DU scoop.

But he is being transfered to Germany, and then after 10 day's leave off to Iraq. She says he's kind of mad he hasn't gotten any training, but he's in a support group so he'll be OK, right? Man, they are desperate for troops.

[provis99]

2. this Westerberg idiot joined after 2003, and DIDN'T think she'd be in a war?

What a class A moron.

Frankly, anybody joining the Army or Marines now who sincerely believes they will not be sent to Iraq has to be a dolt of the highest order.

[tinymontgomery]

3. They believe what the recruiters tell them

I know kids joining that have told me they won't be going to Iraq or Afgan because not all service members deploy. When I ask what mos their going in as they tell me infantry. they'll believe the recruiters over anyone else.

[ThomWV]

4. Troops desert out of cowardice, as an example I point to George Bush's Desertion.

Coward. Nobody can claim that with today's television and movies that anyone who joins the military expects anything other than combat. Its why the fake heroes join, its why the cowards desert.