SEATTLE – A local man returning from a trip to Central America was dumbfounded when military officials had him arrested for being a deserter – even though he was never in the military. “To one day just be arrested, and like – here you go, you’re detained, and not have any idea why …” says Chris Parks of Seattle, his voice trailing off.
For Parks, 27, the incredible headache began a few weeks ago as he and some friends were coming back to the United States after a trip to Mexico and Central America. As he went through customs at the Charlotte airport in North Carolina, his name caught the attention of Homeland Security personnel. Parks’ name was flagged as being a deserter from the military.
“I’ve been in the Army for 10 years, and didn’t even know it,” he says. “Just seems kind of odd.”
He was tossed into the county jail in Charlotte and locked up for one week. When told he was a fugitive, he was floored. Parks was then ordered to report to Fort Knox in Kentucky – where he sat and waited and waited some more with actual military deserters.
His head was shaved, he was issued fatigues. He was afraid he would be court-martialed. Parks says when he was 18, he nearly joined the Army. But at the last minute, he backed out. Army records showed that Parks had gone through basic training in South Carolina, then went AWOL from a base in Georgia. He says being detained cost him about $1,500 – plus lost time at work.
Ha! He’s just damn lucky he didn’t get deployed… and then re-deployed.
he “had gone through basic training in South Carolina, then went AWOL”
Based on that limited information, he sounds like a deserter to me.
So, lets see. The Army has paperwork and the guy has his story.
So, how was the mess resolved?
Not filing de-enlistment is not dispositive. What exactly were the records in boot camp? That he arrived, was assigned a hut/drill sargent, passed his physical, graduated?
Or only that that was his destination at time of enlistment?
Doesn’t the military keep “who to call for an emergency” type contact info? Seems like 10 years ago a phone call could have been made: “Where you at?”
He probably did the delayed entry program and dropped out before going to boot camp. Happens all the time.
#1. and #2. It’s obvious neither one of you were in the military.
#1:
RTFA
Clearly few feel the need to read the entire article before commenting.
Quote from the end of the article:
“Parks says he now carries documents to prove to authorities he’s not a deserter. But he still hasn’t received a full explanation from the Army about how this all happened.
He says being detained cost him about $1,500 – plus lost time at work.”
He made the right choice. Once you sign up you are fucked for life. They own your ass. I never thought I would be a good slave so I didn’t even entertain the notion in my youth.
I’ve had one guy get his life messed up after being FTR (Failure to Report) for less than a day. He’s been trying to get out of the army, and we had to backdate personnel orders placing him back on Active Status.
I’ve got some similar pics to the one attached to this article. Where can I send them, hoping to see them up here?
#5 – You forgot to turn your humor chip back on. That comment is what we humans call SARCASM.
Benjamin said, on July 28th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
He probably did the delayed entry program and dropped out before going to boot camp. Happens all the time.
You’re probably right. Recruiters get people that “enlist” which really isn’t an official and binding enlistment because the first Oath you swear at MEPS only enters you into the Delayed Entry Program. A “future Soldier” can decide at any point up to the day he/she ships out to Basic Combat Training to withdraw from enlistment without any consequences. All this of course is true only if said DEP’r informs his or her Recruiter and doesn’t just not show up.
Once you swear the Oath of Enlistment a second time and leave for BCT are you officially in the US Army. Being AWOL or FTR after that and you’re screwed.
# 7 Improbus said, on July 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
He made the right choice. Once you sign up you are fucked for life. They own your ass. I never thought I would be a good slave so I didn’t even entertain the notion in my youth.
Get your facts straight. We have an all volunteer military. It’s up to the Recruit to know the facts of their enlistment contract. I don’t see how that makes on a Slave…
This reminds me that I already have won the lottery once—-# 235, some of my friends were not so lucky.
@O’Really
A volunteer slave is still a slave. Massa says jump, you say how high.
#12 You are a moron. We are not slaves. We just get work done. When your boss tells you to do something you get it done. How is that much different then the military?
It isn’t as simple as “someone higher up then you told you to jump so you do it”
There is reason behind the exercises that we do. There is a reason behind the “punishment”. It is to commit to muscle memory the actions that are required of us while under times of extreme stress. Same as spanking a child. It gets the message across quite quickly that you f#%^$d up when you are shaking at your joints trying to hold yourself up while hitting muscle failure.
Sounds extreme, right? It is… so are the situations that soldiers get put into. There are no rules you should come to expect while in combat. People are trying to kill you. They will do it through any means necessary.
We go thru some crazy stuff. Not because we are slaves you dummy, but because it is needed to increase our chances of survival.
I’m sure they don’t want anyone to get out of their enlistment while in the delayed entry program. I did it when I joined the Navy. It is a good program and the time spent in delayed entry counts towards time served for promotions. Woohoo!
As for being slave, that has got to be about the most retarded thing I have seen on this blog. Unless you are independently wealthy and do not have to work at all then you are slave to the system. Volunteering to serve your country isn’t being a slave. Sorry Improbus, you are just wrong.
#13, wighteout,
It sounds like one of the slaves is in denial.
If you think abuse helps people think in stressful situations, very sadly, you are mistaken. Abuse is not a teacher or educational tool; it only conditions one to obey through fear.
When I encounter a situation at altitude it my training, not the fear, that guides my reactions. Why? Because simply it is never the same way it was in practice, in the simulator, in the training manual, what my Chief Pilot told me, or what Captain Joe Slobowski had happen last year.
As someone who went to boot camp ( me ) can tell you, You are sworn into the army before you go to boot camp. You are told if you swear in you are in. We could leave before being sworn in if we wanted to, but that oath was the no turning back point. Obviously he did that to go to boot camp so that makes him a deserter.
@wightout
If you think you aren’t a slave try walking away from the military once you are in. They. Own. Your. Ass. Even when you are out the can recall you to duty.
Mr. Diesel
As for being slave, that has got to be about the most retarded thing I have seen on this blog. Unless you are independently wealthy and do not have to work at all then you are slave to the system.
Doesn’t that fly in the face of Liebertarian logic where we are all free to decide our own destinies?
If I don’t like my boss, I can always go work for someone else. Being in the military denies you that opportunity. In fact, the military is as close to being a slave as we have in modern society. I would rank military obligations closer to indentured servitude, but even that is a form of slavery.
#16 “…that makes him a deserter.”
Don’t think he is a deserter. He never went to boot camp and probably never even went to MEPS for final processing before being sent to boot camp.
I wonder where they got the $1500 cost the article quoted. That wasn’t counting time at work.
10 years ago. That damn Clinton administration stikes again.
#18 Mr Fusion
Since I’m not a Liebertarian I wouldn’t know. Like I said, unless you are independently wealthy you will end up being a slave to the system. (Which by the way, happens to be one of my favorite songs of all time. Slave to the System by Slave to the System.)
There are ways to get out of the military after you join if you decide it isn’t for you. It was a choice I gladly made. The only thing I didn’t like was giving up the freedom of speech.
#13 Hold your breath. The level of intellect encountered on DU doesn’t equate with anything requiring greater skill than find the shortest path to the coffee machine where they can stand around impressing others with their own great experiences invented from the last Stallone movie they saw. Their hero of course was one who taught girls gym in Sweden while avoiding his chance to be a real man in the army.
real man == cannon fodder?
#22, Don,
Their hero of course was one who taught girls gym in Sweden while avoiding his chance to be a real man in the army.
So are you telling us you’re gay?