Desertion
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- For other uses of Desertion, see Abandonment.
- For other uses of AWOL, see AWOL (disambiguation).
Desertion is the act of abandoning or withdrawing support from an entity to which one has given.
In a military unit, desertion is the act of leaving a unit. In some cases, the permanent or temporary nature of their leave, as defined by "intent" bears relevance on their distinction and further judgement as a deserter. Desertion is generally considered a serious crime, particularly during wartime, but punishments can vary widely; from execution to a simple discharge from duty.
[edit] AWOL: Absent Without Official Leave
In the United States, United Kingdom, and France, military personnel become AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave, pronounced "A-Wall") when they are absent from their post without a valid pass or leave. Such people are dropped from their unit rolls after 30 days and then listed as deserters. However, as a matter of U.S. military law, desertion is not measured by time away from the unit, but rather:
- by leaving or remaining absent from their unit, organization, or place of duty, where there has been a determined intent to not return;
- if that intent is determined to be to avoid hazardous duty or shirk important responsibility;
- if they enlist or accept an appointment in the same or another branch of service without disclosing the fact that they have not been properly separated from current service; or
- if they enter a foreign armed force not as authorized by the United States.
- A person holding a top secret security clearance is a deserter rather than AWOL, because of the national security implications of the material to which they have access.
People who are away for more than 30 days but return voluntarily or indicate a credible intent to return may still be considered AWOL, while those who are away for fewer than 30 days but can credibly be shown to have no intent to return (as by joining the armed forces of another country) may nevertheless be tried for desertion or in some rare occasions treason if enough evidence is found.
In the United States, before the Civil War, deserters from the Army were flogged, while after 1861 tattoos or branding were also adopted. The maximum U.S. penalty for desertion in wartime remains death, although this punishment was last applied to Eddie Slovik in 1945.
"To go U.A.," a variant of the expression "to go AWOL," is used in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps ("U.A." stands for "unauthorized absence").
Also, "Missing Movement" is another term which is used to describe when a particular servicemember fails to arrive at the appointed time to deploy (or "move out") with their assigned unit, ship, or aircraft; in the United States military, it is a violation of the 87th article of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The offense is similar to AWOL, but considered more severe.
[edit] American Civil War
Desertion was a major factor for the Confederacy in the last two years of the war. According to Weitz (2000), Confederate soldiers fought to defend their families, not a nation. He argues that a hegemonic "planter class" brought Georgia into the war with "little support from non-slaveholders" (p. 12), and the ambivalence of nonslaveholders toward secession, he maintains, was the key to understanding desertion. The privations of the home front combined with those of camp life and the terrors of battle to undermine the allegedly weak attachment of southern soldiers to the Confederacy, causing significant numbers to desert. For Georgia troops, Sherman's march through their home counties triggered the most desertions. Weitz relies on the fact that many women wrote to their husbands pleading with them to come home, yet he dismisses other letters in which wives insisted upon husbands doing their duty in spite of deteriorating conditions at home. Apparently there were as many southern women who preferred continued sacrifices over defeat.
One example of desertion in the Civil War was Confederate soldier Arthur Muntz, who was killed by his fellow soldiers after deserting at The First Battle of Bull Run.
[edit] World War II
Over 21,000 military personnel were convicted and sentenced for desertion during the 3.5 years of American involvement in World War II. Of these 21,000, 49 were given the death penalty, but only Eddie Slovik was actually executed for desertion.
[edit] Iraq War
According to the Pentagon, more than 5500 military personnel deserted in 2003–2004, following the Iraq invasion and occupation. [1]. The number had reached about 8000 by the first quarter of 2006. [2] Another report stated that since 2000, about 40,000 troops from all branches of the military have deserted, also according to the Pentagon. More than half of these served in the US Army [3]. Almost all of these soldiers deserted within the USA. There has only been one reported case of a desertion in Iraq.
The UK military has reported over 1000 deserters since the beginning of the war in Iraq, with 566 deserting since 2005. [4]
[edit] References
- Peter S. Bearman; " Desertion as Localism: Army Unit Solidarity and Group Norms in the U.S Civil War" Social Forces, Vol. 70, 1991
- Ella Lonn; Desertion during the Civil War University of Nebraska Press, (1928 (reprinted 1998)
- Aaron W. Marrs; "Desertion and Loyalty in the South Carolina Infantry, 1861-1865" Civil War History, Vol. 50, 2004
- Mark A. Weitz; A Higher Duty: Desertion among Georgia Troops during the Civil War University of Nebraska Press, 2000
- Mark A. Weitz; "Preparing for the Prodigal Sons: The Development of the Union Desertion Policy during the Civil War" Civil War History, Vol. 45, 1999
- AWOL is the name of a Trashpunk band from Texas.
[edit] External links
- Missing movement from About.com
- G.I. Resistance to the Vietnam War
- Memorial to German World War Two deserters in Ulm, Germany at the Sites of Memory webpage
