Never ever leave a Soldier behind.

[madville]

13. Veteran here also

I agree you never leave anyone behind.

I also think they should conduct a full investigation and I will accept their findings.

They won't get a desertion conviction so a conviction of AWOL is pretty much an administrative issue at this point and he could be confined to quarters a brief time (like a week or month) and/or lose a pay grade and be docked some money and then ultimately discharged. Not really a big deal even though he could lose some VA benefits without an honorable discharge if something like that happens.

The important thing is he is back. It will be interesting to see if he actually wanted to come back or if he is smart enough not to incriminate himself when they start interrogating him.