AWOL

[Forces_Sweetheart]

Why does this crop up so often and do you wish you had greater power to clamp down on it more quickly?

 

[purplepercy-AB]

You'll never stop people running away whether Squaddie, Civvie or "Firefighter"

No seriously, it comes down to the individual and generally it's the weak ones that haven't the gut's to face thier problems, whether it be Mental or just the way of life. We all know how to deal with certain situations, some better than others.. Ultimately it's the people who can't handle a bit of stress that run....

 

[msr]

Does anyone have more information about the 'Reclaim your life' scheme which is supposed to bring those who have gone AWOL back into the fold?

msr

 

[dogmonkey]

At the moment since we have been warned off for Ops, I believe it may be true that it is no longer AWOL, but desertion.  Is this the case?

 

[Mighty_doh_nut]

You can achieve your dream and have them shot for cowardice and desertion

 

[dogmonkey]

Moi?

What are you trying to say MDN?

 

[Mighty_doh_nut]

If thier is a blue on blue in your unit (god forbid) the finger will point at you and your wish to re-enact the ready-aim-fire scene from blackadder

Perhaps you could kidnap your problem 'special guy' bundle him into the boot of your car and let him loose in a field........... quickly deploy a hunter force, track him down, try him and find him guilty, don the black cap and against the wall with a blindfold by NAAFI break

 

[Forces_Sweetheart]

Yes, I have DoggyMonkey down as a tough guy too.

 

[dogmonkey]

Don't be ridiculous FS, I certainly don't!

 

[Forces_Sweetheart]

It's OK, we know you are a big softy really...

 

[TABBER]

Com on girls dont take the piss.

Dogmonkeys ethos is sound.
U cant have people like that in the field without being kept under the whip. If you have a bloke in your section who goes AWOL every 5 minutes in peacetime whats he gonna be like when the shit starts flying, real dependable I bet.  

It is up to the rest of the team to sort him out.
It might not work that way in pink units, but thats the way it works in real units.

And yes he is a big softy

 

[Forces_Sweetheart]

No - I am agreeing with you (the rest is just leg-pulling).  It just amazes me that it happens so much and it seems that there is too much red tape involved in addressing it.  But I can see that the simplest way seems to point out that the offender has 1) let down his colleagues and 2) left them with his share of the work.

 

[Muttley]

And 3, is usually a right nobber!

 

[Drop_Short]

Forget punishing the little gits for being AWOL, it is all too difficult.  The easiest ways to get rid of them is to get them seen by a shrink and to get them diagnosed as "tempermentally unsuited".  Out in a few weeks with minimum hassle!

The only dilema then is the sheer waste of money in having had them trained.

 

[Forces_Sweetheart]

Well this raises another issue - what if you are stuck with a softy MO who signs off every little squaddie that presents with a broken finger nail?  

 

[Jedi_Knight]

Of course some of the little scroats have nothing wrong with them, their only problem is not getting leave when they want it. Or being bored in the unit (actually understandable). So they disappear for a couple of weeks holiday and then turn up again. Stopping their pay does help bring them back.

As for reliability when deployed on ops, difficult to judge but they are best not left unsupervised. They could prove useful for mine clearance duties; "you go first along that track and we will cover you!"

 

[harryflashman]

Retention starts the day they join, if they don't want to be in the Army then we should help them get out as soon as poss. Going AWOL is just another weak way of not facing life, or not wanting to be in the Army.Either way they are not the people we need in the Army.

 

[fullscrewrecy-mech]

you can't say its down to standards because the army has always had a problem with it you can however educate them with a size 9 black issue. personally i think things could never get that bad after all there is always a good cold pint waiting for you