West Point Deserter Convicted.

[JJ_BPK]

Interesting and disturbing at the same time..

You have to ask,, What did the USMA do or not do to help this guy for the four years he was at West Point??

Either his version of the story is BS, or the USMA FAILED miserably, as did his fellow classmates.

Army Deserter Is Jailed for Chasing the Conflicts That Steadied His Mind, By DAVE PHILIPPS,DEC. 15, 2014

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point near the top of his class in 2008, Second Lt. Lawrence J. Franks Jr. went on to a stellar career with three deployments, commendations for exceptional service and a letter of appreciation from the military’s top general.

The only problem: None of it was in the United States military.

After being sent to Fort Drum, here in the snowy farmland of northern New York, where he was put in charge of a medical platoon, Lieutenant Franks disappeared one day in 2009. His perplexed battalion searched the sprawling woods on the post for his body.

What they did not know was that he was on a plane to Paris, where he enlisted under an assumed name in the French Foreign Legion. It was only this year when he turned himself in that the Army and his family learned what had happened.

On Monday, Lieutenant Franks was sentenced to four years in prison and dismissal from the Army on charges of conduct unbecoming of an officer and desertion with the intention to shirk duty, specifically deployment.

At his sentencing, the lieutenant said he left because had been struggling for years with suicidal urges that had grown so intense when he arrived as a new officer at Fort Drum that he believed if he did not change his life drastically, he would have shot himself.

continued:

PS: I hope he is not related to Tommy??

[The Reaper]

How can you not serve your own country, that just invested four years in your future, but you can serve in the French Foreign Legion?

TR

[Penn]

Interesting case. I sincerely hope his mental strengths effectually limit the deteriorating pressure of his prison sentence. It seems such a waste of information and talent.

[NurseTim]

I wonder if he spun himself up for combat, only to find himself in charge of a medical platoon. That coupled with his suicidal ideations, the FFL is, as I understand it, France's cannon fodder. He may have thought that this was his ticket to go out in a blaze of glory. It's better than taking out innocent civilians in a blaze of gore. I am not excusing his actions.

[mugwump]

I was at the wake of young veteran a month ago and I spent last weekend poking through brushlines and crawling into culverts looking for another young vet from my town who's disappeared without a trace with just the clothes on his back and a Glock.

Whatever it takes. Something weird is going on.

[JJ_BPK]

Originally Posted by NurseTim

I wonder if he spun himself up for combat, only to find himself in charge of a medical platoon. That coupled with his suicidal ideations, the FFL is, as I understand it, France's cannon fodder. He may have thought that this was his ticket to go out in a blaze of glory. It's better than taking out innocent civilians in a blaze of gore. I am not excusing his actions.

I was trying to see if it was something like you suggest..

Problem I run into is this 1st sentence: "After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point near the top of his class in 2008, "

If he had asked for Infantry, he should have received something with GRUNT in the title, not the Medical Platoon?? (in context, not disparaging the caduceus crowd)

Then, this part: "at his sentencing, the lieutenant said he left because he had been struggling for years with suicidal urges that had grown so intense when he arrived as a new officer at Fort Drum that he believed if he did not change his life drastically, he would have shot himself. During the trial, the judge barred his lawyers from using doctors’ descriptions of the 28-year-old officer’s struggles with depression and suicide as a defense.

Why would the judge not allow the medical data to be introduced. At best it might mitigated his sentence, at worse the jury would ignore it??

Just a strange story..

[Sdiver]

I don't know, if I went to West Point and after loosing 13 years in a row to Navy, I too would consider going over to a winning team like the Phrench Foreign Legion.

[Beef]

Any of you guys ever do joint training with 2' REP or other FFL units? They should have committed him to an asylum for deserting to such harsh conditions. And I don't mean training, etc. but just a poor quality of life. And poor quality comrades in a lot of cases. At least that's how it was in the '70s.

[cbtengr]

Bowe Bergdahl should have it so rough. I guess the military does not mess around with officers. I find it hard to excuse his actions, how would you like to have been his family for those five years that he was missing?

[Beef]

Originally Posted by cbtengr

Bowe Bergdahl should have it so rough. I guess the military does not mess around with officers. I find it hard to excuse his actions, how would you like to have been his family for those five years that he was missing?

I'll bet the family knew. The Legion isn't a vacuum, you can make phone calls, write letters, have visitors and take leave after basic. Understand that they take your passport upon enlistment and retain it until your initial 5 year enlistment is up. They issue you a name that is of their choice as late as 1978, IDK if that's changed. At the end of your initial enlistment, you can keep your issued name or resume your real identity. They do not take violent offenders or "serious" felons anymore. They do run a background check thru Interpol, so they probably knew he was a deserter.

[fng13]

Interesting also the he returned to face his punishment. If I'm not mistaken after successfully completing your contract in the FFL, you may opt to become a French citizen under your new identity.

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by cbtengr

Bowe Bergdahl should have it so rough. I guess the military does not mess around with officers. I find it hard to excuse his actions, how would you like to have been his family for those five years that he was missing?

If he were related to me I'd disowned him in a heartbeat, lowlife scumbag.

[mojaveman]

Originally Posted by fng13

If I'm not mistaken after successfully completing your contract in the FFL, you may opt to become a French citizen under your new identity.

After your enlistment with the Legion you are only eligible for a resident permit in France.

[Razor]

If he graduated as high in class rank as stated, he absolutely could have branched Infantry, Combat Engineers, Armor or any other combat arms branch. I tend to believe at this point he's using the "I wasn't assigned to a demanding enough branch/job" excuse as a cover for other, deeper issues. I'll give him this--he must be a great actor to hide his inner fruitcake for so long and from so many.

[Penn]

No Hijack intended

I was at the wake of young veteran a month ago and I spent last weekend poking through brushlines and crawling into culverts looking for another young vet from my town who's disappeared without a trace with just the clothes on his back and a Glock.

Whatever it takes. Something weird is going on.

The suicide epidemic is untenable. I am sure there are studies that example previous generations of soldiers that have returned from war zones and accounted for their progress one way or another, and I know that is a vague comment, but it leads me to question intent.

Mind you this is pure speculation, but there must be a connection that relates mission to self actualization, confidence, worthiness, justification. All those things that affords us the occasion to say "it was worth the effort", "That we did good"!

That said, there must be a disconnect in the sense of accomplishment. It may be related to an unfinished end, WWI and WWII both had mission intent and moral purpose, VN did not, and it appears the current wars are reflective of that lack of a coherent goal. Humans need goals, justification, intent, worthiness.