Hey everyone, so I have 5 days left in the army, but I’m being chaptered, and my separation date is the 9th. I’m in a tough spot because of a family emergency and was wondering what the worst-case scenario would be if I just leave early. Anyone know what could happen?
I think if you leave without permission, you could be considered AWOL. That could get pretty messy. Have you talked to your command about it?
Pippin said:
I think if you leave without permission, you could be considered AWOL. That could get pretty messy. Have you talked to your command about it?
Yeah, I informed them yesterday about the family emergency, and they’re working on seeing if I can leave early. If not, I’ll probably just leave and take whatever punishment comes with it.
@Vanya
Oh man, that sounds tough. I guess if they don’t approve, it could get serious. You could be AWOL, right?
From what I know, if you go AWOL for under 30 days, you could get up to a 30-day brig sentence and lose 2/3 of your pay. They might also delay your separation for the case. Not great, honestly.
Jessie said:
From what I know, if you go AWOL for under 30 days, you could get up to a 30-day brig sentence and lose 2/3 of your pay. They might also delay your separation for the case. Not great, honestly.
Wait, so even if it’s just under 30 days, they could still throw me in the brig for 30 days? That sounds harsh…
@Vanya
Yeah, that’s the max confinement for AWOL under 30 days. Not a good spot to be in.
If you’re thinking about just leaving without permission, I’d definitely be careful. They could charge you with AWOL, and if they decide to make an example of you, it could affect your record. Just be sure it’s really worth it.
@Amani
Yeah, I get that. I’m just stuck in this situation, and not sure what the right move is. But it’s good to know what I could be facing.
You should definitely talk to legal or a military lawyer. They can give you some better clarity on what you can do in this situation. Going AWOL might be a worse choice than dealing with whatever they have in place for emergencies.
@Sawyer
I will try to get more info from them, thanks for the advice! I just hope they let me leave soon.
Honestly, if they’re not approving early leave, leaving anyway could lead to big trouble. Might be worth waiting it out, but I get the family emergency part too.
Gia said:
Honestly, if they’re not approving early leave, leaving anyway could lead to big trouble. Might be worth waiting it out, but I get the family emergency part too.
Yeah, I just don’t know if I can wait it out much longer. Hopefully, they’ll understand the situation.