It’s true, we may never know.
I find it perfectly believable that he wandered off. The question is why?
Was he drunk? Was he bitter? Had he lost his grip on reality? Was he a deserter? Was he a traitor? Was he trying to get away with something (trading, I don’t know, meeting a girl, switching off with another guy, wanting privacy for a legitimate or illegitimate reason?) Was he kidnapped? Was he tricked? Was he on a covert operation?
Any of the above could be true. I don’t know if we’ll ever know.
A few years ago, CNN ran a story...its been all over this board today. It had reports that his platoon, in search of him, encountered children in a nearby village, who had seen him sneaking around, asking for water, and asking for directions to the Taliban.
The story also quoted squad mates, who stated that he had made statements about wondering what was on the other side of the mountains...and even a desire to travel through the mountains to China.
At best, he ‘Lost his mind’. But still doesn’t give him license to desert. It is going to be very hard watching the news the next few days. He and his parents will be in Texas....but the tv cameras will be in Idaho...showing us yellow ribbons on trees, signs on reastaurants, a people (just like your friend) who are excited and happy to see him home. Even if he did lose his mind, the silence about the subsequent search for him, and its casualties, will be very upsetting to me, when juxtposed with the glowing coverage of his hometown, that I expect to see.
Again, a sincere question - how long does he get the benefit of the doubt? I understand he will be in a hospital and re-adjusting for a while. But a year from now, would you expect him to have answered questions?
We have his own words and that of his fellow soldiers.
He hated America. He deserted. . . . Plain & simple. . . .