Desertions double in U.S. Army

Midway through fiscal year, desertions from Army approach last year's total
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Friday, July 1, 2005


ARLINGTON, Va. — Just six months into the government’s fiscal year, the Army was carrying almost the same number of deserters on its books as the service registered for all of 2004.
War and stop-loss policies, which prevent voluntary separations from the military, are the likely culprits for the increase, according to Army researchers.
While the numbers include active duty and activated reserve components, officials could not provide specifics on soldiers on Rest and Recuperation, or how many deserters were recruits, etc.>>>continued

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