CO status
 

There is no draft so therefore does not exist. Well it does exist but is an anachronism seeing how military service is now voluntary.

[url]http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,217539,00.html?sPage=fnc.politics/pentagon[/url]

The way I see those that go AWOL during this war is simple. Purple heart or not, whether you feel the war is moral or not, they're all pussies nowadays. Why? Because many COs that got drafted during Vietnam fought diligently, some with enough gallantry to earn medals from the Silver Star all the way to the Medal of Honor. These asshats are a disgrace to the COs that spilt their blood for this country that thought their service was needed.

But the BIGGER problem is that our government refuses to prosecute these people and therefore admits their remorse for the initiating this unpopular war. Well maybe not "remorse" but it still comes off as an apology. There's no ****ing way these ****bags would get a get out of jail free card if everyone was on the same page regarding our occupation. The fact our government does nothing to punish these pukes is one of the small battles lost in winning this war. Moral war or not, you cannot win this war unless you’re firm.

Intestinal fortitude
 

Some people have what it takes...others are just worthless.

It's all about fight or flight. Hero's fight, cowards run. Even if my heart wasn't set on a deployment, I could never let my brothers in arms go without me. I'd be failing them and that's something I could never let happen. Some people, the ones who run, will never understand that.

[QUOTE=Chrisnonstop] Even if my heart wasn't set on a deployment, I could never let my brothers in arms go without me. I'd be failing them and that's something I could never let happen. Some people, the ones who run, will never understand that.[/QUOTE]

This is a HUGE part civilians overlook or don't understand. Unit cohesion is critical in time of war. Yes, unit personnel are mix-matched but often stay together prior to deployment. This is usually the time one would go AWOL. You begin to bond with your platoon and are able to read the actions of your brothers during training. By going AWOL your forfeited position will have to be filled and the number adjusted with a new cherry soldier fresh from boot. That, or perhaps you'll be short a man for some time as there's nobody slotted to fill a position? It's like an organ transplant... sometimes your body accepts the new organ and sometimes the body rejects it and you die. Your selfish act of going AWOL just jeopardized your team, squad, platoon, company, battalion, brigade, the war, our reputation, the Army, etc...

I think integration of private contractors is a bigger discrace, and downfall to the army and troops than any amount of Awol individuals.

Interesting...please elaborate.
 

[QUOTE=lethalpsi]I think integration of private contractors is a bigger discrace, and downfall to the army and troops than any amount of Awol individuals.[/QUOTE]


Please elaborate.

The actions of soldiers awol is a shame, and discrace all individuals past & present in the military, none the less. But placing blame on the actions of soldiers who are not fit for such demanding work, is obsolete compared to the downfalls of our *fairly* fresh military/industrial structure.

I see.
 

Oh. I see going AWOl as the biggest sham. A single individuals decision to abandon his fellow soldier. A huge act of selfishness and cowardice.

It's one thing to get drafted and skip town. No big loss there, you were never part of anything. But when you are part of a unit or team it's much more severe. Just like Salty said. You are an important part and people are relying on you.

It's a real display of one's character. That's the type of person I'd never want working for me. Or the type of person I'd never want to see my daughter bring home (no daughters yet thank god).

Good example of awol.

[quote]Washington, DC - Susan Tileston sets a half-full mug of beer on the table, and pulls an eagle's-head pendant and dog-tags from their hiding place underneath her jacket. The talismans are from her son, Army Specialist Levi Modrelle, who she says is "missing in action." Levi was part of the initial invasion of Iraq, and served almost eleven months with the 101st Airborne before coming home to Kentucky in late December of 2003.

Susan was reunited with her 18-year-old son on Christmas Eve, but he was not the boy who went to war. "He barely talked. That wasn't like him. And he was shorter by about an inch and a half. I don't know why, but he was. He also had scars on the back of his head."

Several weeks later, he received orders to report to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on January 31, 2004, to return to Iraq. He said he was going, but in February, Susan received a call from officials at Fort Campbell asking about Levi. He had never reported for duty. The military initially listed Levi as Absent Without Leave (AWOL); he's now classified as a deserter.

Susan fears it's more than that, citing the $11,000 that has sat untouched in his bank account for nearly three years. After Levi left, Susan learned that he had told a friend what he couldn't tell her: he'd killed an eight-year-old boy who fired at the contractors he was protecting. Levi was so disturbed by the shooting that he said he couldn't go back to Iraq. Susan filed a missing person report with the Kentucky State police in the fall of 2004, but the only entry in the case is a traffic citation issued to Levi in Florida later that year.
[/quote]

I guess the easier way out is just to pose for playboy;

"SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- An Air Force staff sergeant who posed nude for Playboy magazine has been relieved of her duties while the military investigates, officials said Thursday."

[url]http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PLAYBOY_MILITARY?SITE=CAVEN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT[/url]