What is the difference between AWOL and Deserter ala Bush?

[patricia92243]

[Warren Stuart]

1. Differences

To go AWOL you must be on Active Duty and be absent from duty for 24 hours, to be a deserter you must be AWOL for 30 days or more.

Bush was in the National Guard, the policy of the Guard, was that if you missed meetings, you made up for it by going on Active Duty. Bush was not called up, however he should have been. Further he was still absent 30 days from the point, from which he would have been called up.

Theoretically he is a deserter. This is a tough issue for Clark, as a former military man he cannot lightly dismiss this, no matter how much Tim Russert and Peter Jennings want him to. This is not stageyness on his part. If he has any moral ethics at all, he is caught in a real dilemma. He is playing the only hand that is available to him.

He can't flat out call the president a deserter, but can't in any way absolve him for missing meetings either. There have been cases where men missed meetings, got called up and sent to Vietnam.