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Army Deserter Is Jailed for Chasing the Conflicts That Steadied His Mind – NYTimes.com

After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point near the top of his class in 2008, Second Lt. Lawrence J. Franks Jr. went on to a stellar career with three deployments, commendations for exceptional service and a letter of appreciation from the military’s top general. The only problem: None of it was…

After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point near the top of his class in 2008, Second Lt. Lawrence J. Franks Jr. went on to a stellar career with three deployments, commendations for exceptional service and a letter of appreciation from the military’s top general.

The only problem: None of it was in the United States military.

After being sent to Fort Drum, here in the snowy farmland of northern New York, where he was put in charge of a medical platoon, Lieutenant Franks disappeared one day in 2009. His perplexed battalion searched the sprawling woods on the post for his body.

What they did not know was that he was on a plane to Paris, where he enlisted under an assumed name in the French Foreign Legion. It was only this year when he turned himself in that the Army and his family learned what had happened.

via Army Deserter Is Jailed for Chasing the Conflicts That Steadied His Mind – NYTimes.com.

The conviction and sentence seem about right. After that, one hopes Mr. Franks can go on to live a productive life, albeit one not affiliated with the US Army.

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  1. KenWats

    Deserting so you can deploy… that’s got to be a first.

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  2. OldTexan

    Nope, not a first. My Regimental Commander at Fr. Devens in 1966-67 was Col Lewis Millett, a winner of the Medal of Honor in Korea. He was in the U.S. Army Air Corps before the US entered the war so he deserted and went to Canada and join the military there so he could get into combat. He served in an Anti-Aircraft outfit in London and when the US went to war he joined back up, he received a Silver Star in North Africa and it was not until after he had landed at Anzio, then a Sgt. that the Army discovered he was a deserter and court marshaled him. He was fined $52 and lost all of his leave and a few weeks later was given a commission as 2nd Lt.

    He was a colorful guy when he was in charge of us in the mid 60’s.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Millett

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  3. xbradtc

    I had the privilege of meeting COL Millett when he was the honorary Colonel of the Regiment for the 27th Infantry, Wolfhounds, in Hawaii.

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  4. SFC Dunlap (Ret.) 173d RVN

    Had one in my Company….great guy, very good soldier. The one big mistake was that this LT…well just vaminosed and that should be frowned upon lack of fullfilling commitment and all. Should this LT have been evaluated as average by the FFL…different story. The fact that a Brigadier General in the chain spoke highly of him speaks volumes….the Legion doesn’t just pass out compliments like that for GP.

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  5. Tarl

    Is it really that hard to transfer to a combat unit? How long would that really take?

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  6. Esli

    It theoretically could be quick and easy, or very difficult, depending on the feelings of his chain of command, future plans for his unit, and those of adjacent units. I traded officers routinely in order to support their desires, with minimal time involved. On the other hand, with a deployment still a year away, the medical platoon leader could very possibly have been switched out of his job before deployment, anyway if it was time for a natural rotation and to put some new blood in the billet. It depends on how long he had been in position and what future job he was slated for.

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  7. Esli

    I love how the headline implies that it is perfectly fine to desert the army, if you are doing so in order to “chase the conflicts that steady your mind.” Thanks, NYT. Next time write: “Army deserter jailed for desertion.”

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  8. ultimaratioregis

    Well, NBC news online had the headline yesterday “More than one hundred dead in school shooting” which ran for several hours. You had to open the article and read past the headline to find out it was the Taliban in Pakistan that perpetrated the massacre, and that it didn’t happen at a US school. Hmmmm. Wonder why?

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  9. timactual

    So an enlistment with the La Legion cured him of Le Cafard? Now that’s irony.

    “In hindsight, he said, there were other options, including trying to transfer to a deploying combat unit, but at the time, he thought none would be quick enough to help him.”

    Fortunately he was able to hold out long enough to go through the process of getting a passport and visa.

    “he decided that he could not put his family through a suicide.”

    But a five year, or maybe permanent, unexplained disappearance was okay.

    At least he is fulfilling his military obligation (sort of). At further taxpayer’s expense, of course.

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  10. Tarl

    We should create the 501st Volunteer Punishment Battalion (Airborne) — perfect for those with suicidal urges…

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