Desertion In military terminology , desertion is the abandonment of a " duty " or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning . " Absence Without Leave " ( US : AWOL ; Commonwealth : AWL ) can refer to either desertion or a temporary absence . Absence without leave . In the United Kingdom , United States , and Canada , military personnel will become AWOL ( ; U . S . : Absence Without Leave ) or AWL ( pronounced the same ; U . K . , Canada , and Australia : Absent Without Leave ) when they are absent from their post without a valid pass or leave . The United States Marine Corps , United States Navy , and United States Coast Guard generally refer to this as Unauthorized Absence , or " UA " . Personnel are dropped from their unit rolls after 30 days and then listed as " deserters " ; however , as a matter of U . S . military law , desertion is not measured by time away from the unit , but rather : People who are away for more than 30 days but return voluntarily or indicate a credible intent to return may still be considered " AWOL " . Those who are away for fewer than 30 days but can credibly be shown to have no intent to return ( for example , by joining the armed forces of another country ) may nevertheless be tried for " desertion " . In rare occasions , they may be tried for treason if enough evidence is found . In the United States , before the Civil War , deserters from the Army were flogged ; while , after 1861 , tattoo s or branding were also adopted . The maximum U . S . penalty for desertion in wartime remains death , although this punishment was last applied to Eddie Slovik in 1945 . No U . S . serviceman has received more than 24 months imprisonment for desertion or missing movement since the beginning of the post September 11 , 2001 era . A US service member who is AWOL / UA may be punished with non - judicial punishment ( NJP ) , or by court martial under Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for repeat or more severe offenses . Many AWOL / UA service members are also given a discharge in lieu of court - martial . Missing Movement is another term which is used to describe when a member of the armed forces fails to arrive at the appointed time to deploy ( or " move out " ) with their assigned unit , ship , or aircraft ; in the United States military , it is a violation of the Article 87 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice . The offense is similar to absence without leave but can draw more severe punishment . Failure to Repair consists of missing a formation or failing to appear at an assigned place and time when so ordered . It is a lesser included offense within Article 86 of the UCMJ . U . S . War of 1812 . The desertion rate for American soldiers in the War of 1812 was 12 . 7 % , according to available service records . Desertion was especially common in 1814 , when enlistment bonuses were increased from $ 16 to $ 124 , inducing many men to desert one unit and enlist in another to get two bonuses . Mexican – American War , 1846 – 48 . In the Mexican – American War , high desertion rates were a major problem for the Mexican army , depleting forces on the eve of battle . Most of the soldiers were peasants who had a loyalty to their village and family but not to the generals who conscripted them . Often hungry and ill , never well paid , under - equipped and only partially trained , the soldiers were held in contempt by their officers and had little reason to fight the Americans . Looking for their opportunity , many slipped away from camp to find their way back to their home village . The desertion rate in the U . S . army was 8 . 3 % ( 9 , 200 out of 111 , 000 ) , compared to 12 . 7 % during the War of 1812 and usual peacetime rates of about 14 . 8 % per year . Many men deserted in order to join another U . S . unit and get a second enlistment bonus . Others deserted because of the miserable conditions in camp , or were using the army to get free transportation to California , where they deserted to join the California gold rush . Several hundred deserters went over to the Mexican side ; nearly all were recent immigrants from Europe with weak ties to the U . S . The most famous group was the Saint Patrick ' s Battalion , about half of whom were Catholics from Ireland . The Mexicans issued broadsides and leaflets enticing U . S . soldiers with promises of money , land bounties , and officers ' commissions . Mexican guerrillas shadowed the U . S . Army , and captured men who took unauthorized leave or fell out of the ranks . The guerrillas coerced these men to join the Mexican ranks — threatening to kill them if they failed to comply . The generous promises proved illusory for most deserters , who risked execution if captured by U . S . forces . About fifty of the San Patricios were tried and hanged following their capture at Churubusco in August 1847 . American Civil War . The Union Army faced large scale desertions . The total number of Union deserters far exceeded that of the South . This has been partly attributed to southern soldiers fighting a defensive war , on their own ground , rather than an offensive war of invasion , giving the southern soldiers a sense that they were defending their homeland . Through late 1863 , the South had more victories than did the North , leading many northern soldiers to believe that the war was a lost cause . In three Northern states alone , desertions exceeded 86 , 000 . New York suffered 44 , 913 desertions by the war ' s end , Pennsylvania recorded 24 , 050 , with Ohio reporting desertions at 18 , 354 . These are in addition to desertions faced by the other northern states . The total number of Confederate deserters is estimated to be 103 , 400 . Desertion was a major factor for the Confederacy in the last two years of the war . According to Weitz ( 2000 ) , Confederate soldiers fought to defend their families , not a nation . He argues that a hegemonic " planter class " brought Georgia into the war with " little support from non - slaveholders " ( p . 12 ) , and the ambivalence of non - slaveholders toward secession , he maintains , was the key to understanding desertion . The privations of the home front and camp life , combined with the terror of battle , undermined the weak attachment of southern soldiers to the Confederacy . For Georgia troops , Sherman ' s march through their home counties triggered the most desertions . Adoption of a localist identity caused soldiers to desert as well . When soldiers implemented a local identity , they neglected to think of themselves as Southerners fighting a Southern cause . When they replaced their Southern identity with their previous local identity , they lost their motive to fight and , therefore , deserted the army . One example of desertion in the Civil War was Confederate soldier Arthur Muntz , who was killed by his fellow soldiers after deserting at First Manassas . In many cases , in the early years of the war , the Confederate Home Guard dealt with deserters . For a time , the Confederate government offered a bounty to be paid for the capture and return of deserters . However as the war progressively got worse for the south , often Home Guard units would deal with desertion as they saw fit , whether that be by execution or imprisonment . The lynching of Bill Sketoe , a Methodist minister from Newton , Alabama who had allegedly deserted the Southern army in late 1864 , is a case in point , though later historical research has questioned whether he was executed for desertion or for aiding and abetting the enemy . In Arkansas , many units deserted completely when rumors spread that local Indians had raided towns and scalped citizens , with the soldiers feeling their place was at home rather than fighting in the war . There were also instances across the southern states where whole units deserted together , banding together and living in the mountains , at times fighting against Union Army regulars if forced to do so , but also raiding civilian farms to obtain food or supplies . Many Confederate units had signed on , initially , for a one year service , and felt completely justified in walking away when they ' d reached their breaking point . By the war ' s end , it was estimated that the Confederacy had lost 103 , 400 soldiers to desertion . World War I . " 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers [ were ] executed for . . . desertion during World War I , " records the Shot at Dawn Memorial . " During the period between August 1914 and March 1920 more than 20 , 000 servicemen were convicted by courts - martial of offences which carried the death sentence . Only 3 , 000 of those men were ordered to be put to death and of those just over 10 % were executed . . . " World War II . Of the Germans who deserted the Wehrmacht , 15 , 000 men were executed . In June 1988 the Initiative for the Creation of a Memorial to Deserters came to life in Ulm . A central idea was , " Desertion is not reprehensible , war is " . ( See also German resistance ) In 2011 , Vienna decided to honour Austrian Wehrmacht deserters . Order No . 270 , dated August 16 , 1941 , was issued by Joseph Stalin . The order required superiors to shoot deserters on the spot . Their family members were subjected to arrest . Order No . 227 directed that each Army must create " blocking detachments " ( barrier troops ) which would shoot " cowards " and fleeing panicked troops at the rear . The Soviets executed 158 , 000 soldiers for desertion . Soviet desertion in the Afghan Civil War . Many Soviet soldier deserters of the Afghan Civil War explain their reasons for desertion as political and in response to internal disorganization and disillusionment regarding their position in the war . Analyses of desertion rates argue that motivations were far less ideological than individual accounts claim . Desertion rates increased prior to announcements of upcoming operations , and were highest during the summer and winter . Seasonal desertions were probably a response to the harsh weather conditions of the winter and immense field work required in the summer . A significant jump in desertion in 1989 when the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan may suggest a higher concern regarding returning home , rather than an overall opposition towards the war itself . Inter - ethnic explanation for desertion . In the beginning of the Soviet invasion , the majority of Soviet forces were soldiers of Central Asian republics . The Soviets believed that shared ideologies between Muslim Central Asians and Afghan soldiers would build trust and morale within the army . However , Central Asians ’ longstanding historical frustrations with Moscow degraded soldiers ’ willingness to fight for the Red Army . As Afghan desertion grew and Soviet opposition was strengthened within Afghanistan , the Soviet plan overtly backfired . The personal histories of Central Asian ethnic groups – especially between Pastuns , Uzbeks , and Tajiks , caused tension within the Soviet military . Non - Russian ethnic groups easily related the situation in Afghanistan to Communist takeover of their own states ’ forced induction into the USSR . Ethnic Russians suspected Central Asians of opposition , and fighting within the army was prevalent . Upon entering Afghanistan , many Central Asians were exposed to a Koran for the first time uninfluenced by Soviet propagandist versions , and felt a stronger connection towards the opposition than their own comrades . Highest rates of desertion were found among Border Troops , ranging from 60 - 80 % during the first year of the Soviet invasion . In these areas , strong ethnic clashes and cultural factors influenced desertion . As Afghan soldiers continued to desert the Soviet army , a united Islamic Alliance for the Liberation of Afghanistan began to form . Moderates and fundamentalists banded together to oppose Soviet intervention . The Islamic ideology solidified a strong base of opposition by January 1980 , overriding ethnic , tribal , geographic and economic differences among Afghans willing to fight the Soviet invasion , which attracted Central Asian deserters . By March 1980 , the Soviet army made an executive decision to replace Central Asian troops with the European sectors of the USSR to avoid further religious and ethnic complications , drastically reducing Soviet forces . Soviet disillusionment upon entering the war . Soviet soldiers entered the war under the impression that their roles were primarily related to organization of Afghan forces and society . Soviet media portrayed the Soviet intervention as a necessary means of protecting the Communist uprising from outside opposition . Propaganda declared that Soviets were providing aid to villagers and improving Afghanistan by planting trees , improving public buildings and “ generally acting as good neighbors ” . Upon entering Afghanistan , Soviet soldiers became immediately aware of the falsity of the reported situation . In major cities , Afghan youth that originally supported the leftist movement soon turned to Soviet oppositional forces for patriotic and religious reasons . The opposition built resistance in cities , calling Soviet soldiers infidels that were forcing an imperialist Communist invasive government on Afghanistan ’ s people . As Afghan troops continued to abandon the Soviet army to support the mujahideen , they became anti - Russian and antigovernment . Opposition forces emphasized the Soviets ’ atheism , demanding support for the Muslim faith from civilians . The hostility shown towards soldiers , who entered the war believing their assistance was requested , grew defensive . The opposition circulated pamphlets within Soviet camps stationed in cities , calling for Afghan freedom from the aggressive Communist influence and a right to establish their own government . The native Afghan army fell from 90 , 000 to 30 , 000 by mid - 1980 , forcing Soviets into more extreme combative positions . The mujahideen ’ s widespread presence among Afghan civilians in rural regions made it difficult for Soviet soldiers to distinguish between the civilians they believed they were fighting for and the official opposition . Soldiers that had entered the war with idealistic viewpoints of their roles were quickly disillusioned . Problems in Soviet army structure & living standards . The structure of the Soviet army , in comparison to the mujahideen , set the Soviets at a serious fighting disadvantage . While the mujahideen structure was based on kinship and social cohesion , the Soviet army was bureaucratic . Because of this , mujahideen could significantly weaken the Soviet army by the elimination of a field commander or officer . Resistance forces were locally based , more ready to address and mobilize the Afghan population for support . The Soviet army was centrally organized ; its regime structure emphasized rank and position , paying less attention to the well - being and effectiveness of its army . The initial Soviet plan relied on Afghan troops ’ support in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan . The majority of the Afghan army support crumbled easily as forces lacked strong ideological support for Communism from the beginning . The Afghan army , comprising 100 , 000 men before 1978 , was reduced to 15 , 000 within the first year of the Soviet invasion . Of the Afghan troops that remained , many were considered untrustworthy to Soviet troops . Afghans that deserted often took artillery with them , supplying the mujahideen . Soviet troops , to fill Afghan soldiers ’ place , were pushed into mountainous tribal regions of the East . Soviet tanks and modern warfare was ineffective in the rural , mountainous regions of Afghanistan . Mujahideen tactics of ambush prevented Soviets from developing successful counterattacks . In 1980 , the Soviet army began to rely on smaller and more cohesive units , a response to mirror mujahideen tactics . A decrease in unit size , while solving organizational issues , promoted field leaders to head more violent and aggressive missions , promoting Soviet desertion . Often , small forces would engage in rapes , looting , and general violence beyond what higher ranks ordered , increasing negative sanctions in undesirable locations . Within the Soviet army , serious drug and alcohol problems significantly reduced the effectiveness of soldiers . Resources became further depleted as soldiers pushed into the mountains ; drugs were rampantly abused and available , often supplied by Afghans . Supplies of heating fuel , wood , and food ran low at bases . Soviet soldiers often resorted to trading weapons and ammunition in exchange for drugs or food . As morale decreased and infections of hepatitis and typhus spread , soldiers became further disheartened . Soviet deserters to the Mujahideen . Interviews with Soviet soldier deserters confirm that much of Soviet desertion was in response to widespread Afghan opposition rather than personal aggravation towards the Soviet army . Armed with modern artillery against ill - equipped villagers , Soviet soldiers developed a sense of guilt for the widespread killing of innocent civilians and their unfair artillery advantage . Soviet deserters found support and acceptance within Afghan villages . After entering the mujahideen , many deserters came to recognize the falsity of Soviet propaganda from the beginning . Unable to legitimize the unnecessary killing and mistreatment of the Afghan people , many deserters could not face returning home and justifying their own actions and the unnecessary deaths of comrades . Upon deserting to the mujahideen , soldiers immersed themselves into Afghan culture . Hoping to rectify their position as the enemy , deserters learned the Afghan language and converted to Islam . Vietnam War . Approximately 50 , 000 American servicemen deserted during the Vietnam War . Some of these migrated to Canada . Among those who deserted to Canada were Andy Barrie , host of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Radio ' s Metro Morning , and Jack Todd , award - winning sports columnist for the " Montreal Gazette " . Other countries also gave asylum to deserted U . S . soldiers . For example , Sweden allows asylum for foreign soldiers deserting from war , if the war does not align with the current goals of Swedish foreign policy . Deserted U . S . soldiers in Vietnam were given asylum in Sweden . Iraq War . United Kingdom . On May 28 , 2006 , the UK military reported over 1 , 000 deserters since the beginning of the Iraq war , with 566 still missing since 2005 and that year to date . The Ministry of Defence said that levels of absence were fairly constant and " only one person has been found guilty of deserting the Army since 1989 " United States . According to the Pentagon , more than 5 , 500 military personnel deserted in 2003 – 2004 , following the Iraq invasion and occupation . The number had reached about 8 , 000 by the first quarter of 2006 . Another report stated that since 2000 , about 40 , 000 troops from all branches of the military have deserted , also according to the Pentagon . More than half of these served in the US Army . Almost all of these soldiers deserted within the USA . There has only been one reported case of a desertion in Iraq . The Army , Navy , and Air Force reported 7 , 978 desertions in 2001 , compared with 3 , 456 in 2005 . The Marine Corps showed 1 , 603 Marines in desertion status in 2001 . That had declined to 148 by 2005 . Legal status of desertion in cases of war crime . Under international law , ultimate " duty " or " responsibility " is not necessarily always to a " Government " nor to " a superior , " as seen in the fourth of the Nuremberg Principles , which states : Although a soldier under direct orders , in battle , is normally not subject to prosecution for war crimes , there is legal language supporting a soldier ' s refusal to commit such crimes , in military contexts outside of immediate peril : In 1998 , the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights document called “ Conscientious objection to military service , United Nations Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998 / 77 ” recognized that “ persons [ already ] performing military service may " develop " conscientious objections ” while performing military service . This opens the possibility of desertion as a response to cases in which the soldier is required to perform crimes against humanity as part of his mandatory military duty . This principle was tested unsuccessfully in the case of U . S . Army deserter Jeremy Hinzman , which resulted in a Canadian federal court rejecting refugee status to a deserter invoking Nuremberg Article IV .