SEATTLE – A local man returning from a trip to Central America was dumbfounded when military officials had him arrested for being a deserter – even though he was never in the military. “To one day just be arrested, and like – here you go, you’re detained, and not have any idea why …” says Chris Parks of Seattle, his voice trailing off.
For Parks, 27, the incredible headache began a few weeks ago as he and some friends were coming back to the United States after a trip to Mexico and Central America. As he went through customs at the Charlotte airport in North Carolina, his name caught the attention of Homeland Security personnel. Parks’ name was flagged as being a deserter from the military.
“I’ve been in the Army for 10 years, and didn’t even know it,” he says. “Just seems kind of odd.”
He was tossed into the county jail in Charlotte and locked up for one week. When told he was a fugitive, he was floored. Parks was then ordered to report to Fort Knox in Kentucky – where he sat and waited and waited some more with actual military deserters.
His head was shaved, he was issued fatigues. He was afraid he would be court-martialed. Parks says when he was 18, he nearly joined the Army. But at the last minute, he backed out. Army records showed that Parks had gone through basic training in South Carolina, then went AWOL from a base in Georgia. He says being detained cost him about $1,500 – plus lost time at work.
Ha! He’s just damn lucky he didn’t get deployed… and then re-deployed.
#18 Mr Fusion
Since I’m not a Liebertarian I wouldn’t know. Like I said, unless you are independently wealthy you will end up being a slave to the system. (Which by the way, happens to be one of my favorite songs of all time. Slave to the System by Slave to the System.)
There are ways to get out of the military after you join if you decide it isn’t for you. It was a choice I gladly made. The only thing I didn’t like was giving up the freedom of speech.
#13 Hold your breath. The level of intellect encountered on DU doesn’t equate with anything requiring greater skill than find the shortest path to the coffee machine where they can stand around impressing others with their own great experiences invented from the last Stallone movie they saw. Their hero of course was one who taught girls gym in Sweden while avoiding his chance to be a real man in the army.
real man == cannon fodder?
#22, Don,
Their hero of course was one who taught girls gym in Sweden while avoiding his chance to be a real man in the army.
So are you telling us you’re gay?