Don’t US Army General Orders provide for the death penalty for leaving a sentry/guard post on the battlefield?
This guy didn’t wander off base to smoke some weed or chug a beer. He abandoned his SAW and other kit in the middle of the night at a forward combat post, made his way past the concertina wire without alerting the rest of the guard and continued on with compass in hand headed in a specific direction.
All this in one of the most desolate and dangerous areas of afghanistan. Do a Google image search with terms: Paktika FOB.
It looks like the moon, little vegetation or visible soil, just rocks any one of which could have rolled the wrong way and alerted his unit.
I just can’t see how he can escape the desertion charge. It almost as if his every action checked all the boxes and damn, the guy scored a hundred. Old vets have told me he could have tried and executed right there on the spot.
Death is one of the possible punishments for desertion. But, it’s not the only one. If no one brings charges, though, he’s home free. It’s like any other crime. Some authority has to bring charges.
I don’t think Obama is going to let the military hold him accountable to for is desertion much less his possible treason as it seemed quite clear he was going to join the enemy’s camp.
Such a trial would only embarrass Obama, and if Obama has demonstrated anything thing over the last 6 years, he wont allow any law to be enforced that embarrass him politically if he can stop it.