By attorney James Branum. October 5, 2011
An updated overview of the issues of being AWOL in the US Army, including resolution. Download, view, and/or print the PDF
Excerpt from AWOL in the Army version 3:
The biggest concern for most AWOL soldiers is whether the Army will try to find them while AWOL. In most cases, the Army will call the home of record of the soldier, the cell phone of the soldier (in my experience this is very common), and any numbers the command has of friends and family of the soldier. The best advice to give a soldier with regards to these calls is to remind family and friends that it potentially is a crime to lie to the military or law enforcement, but that it is not against the law to refuse to talk. One typical scenario that illustrates this: An AWOL soldier is staying at her parent’s house. Her drill sergeant calls the house and the soldier’s mother answers. If the mother says “My child isn’t here,” she may have broken the law. However, if the mother says, “I have nothing to say to you and will not answer your questions,” she has not broken the law.
“I’ve worked with Courage to Resist now for six years. One of the best decisions the Chelsea Manning Support Network ever made was hooking up with them. They are amazing. I can’t sing their praises enough. In fact I became a regular donor.”
