AWOL soldier returns on Veterans Day

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AWOL soldier returns on Veterans Day
By Kristin M. Hall
Associated Press / November 11, 2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—AWOL soldier Jeff Hanks said he walked away from the Army in the middle of a deployment because his problems with anxiety and stress have been ignored. Now on Veterans Day, he's coming back to face the consequences.

The 30-year-old Army infantryman said he has post-traumatic stress disorder that he has experienced since his 2008 tour in Iraq. He tried to seek treatment at Fort Campbell last month during his mid-tour leave from Afghanistan. When his commanders failed to help and told him he would have to immediately go back, he instead went home to North Carolina, he said.

The specialist could face less-than-honorable discharge or jail when he turns himself in Thursday.

"I have no problem going back to Afghanistan, but I need help," he said in a phone interview from his home in White Lake, N.C.

Hanks said he chose to return on Veterans Day, usually reserved for honoring military service, because he didn't want to exceed 30 days of being AWOL and face the more serious charge of desertion. His actions and the timing are supported by Iraq Veterans Against the War.