How is a deserter defined?

How is a deserter defined?

• A. A member who has been suspended from duties.
• B. A member who retires.
• C. A member administratively declared a deserter on the 30th day of absence, or at any time during the first 29 days of absence when one or more conditions exists: Intent to remain away, hazardous duty avoidance, or other conditions.
• D. A member who is absent without leave for 5 days.

Answer: (C)

Deserter status comes from the combination of absence without permission and an official declaration that the member will not be returning. The rule is that a member is administratively declared a deserter after a full 30 days of absence, or earlier within the first 29 days if there is clear evidence of intent to remain away, or if there are conditions such as hazardous-duty avoidance or other factors showing an intent not to return. This means the absence isn’t just about being gone for a while; it’s about the command recognizing, through those indicators, that the member plans to desert. It’s not about being suspended from duties, nor about retirement, and five days of AWOL doesn’t automatically become desertion. The key idea is the formal declaration tied to the duration and the demonstrated intent or conditions.

Deserter status comes from the combination of absence without permission and an official declaration that the member will not be returning. The rule is that a member is administratively declared a deserter after a full 30 days of absence, or earlier within the first 29 days if there is clear evidence of intent to remain away, or if there are conditions such as hazardous-duty avoidance or other factors showing an intent not to return. This means the absence isn’t just about being gone for a while; it’s about the command recognizing, through those indicators, that the member plans to desert. It’s not about being suspended from duties, nor about retirement, and five days of AWOL doesn’t automatically become desertion. The key idea is the formal declaration tied to the duration and the demonstrated intent or conditions.