Missing Marine Causes Security Alert During President's Trip

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/11/missing_marine_.html


Missing Marine Causes Security Alert During President's Trip

November 29, 2006 1:26 PM
Rhonda Schwartz Reports:

A Marine officer, suspecting foul play or terrorism on the recent presidential visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, raised a security alarm after one of his men went missing for more than six hours, U.S. government sources tell ABC News.

The missing staff sergeant was a maintenance specialist assigned to the Marine One Presidential Helicopter detail. After a night out drinking with fellow Marines, the specialist "left his hotel on the back of a moped driven by a local national without telling anyone," a Marine Corps spokeswoman confirmed to ABC News.

U.S. government sources with knowledge of the incident said Vietnamese police were then called in to aid the Marines in a citywide manhunt. They temporarily shut down two popular bars in an intense effort to locate the missing soldier without success.

The specialist finally surfaced the next morning, hung over and late for work. According to an official account provided to ABC News by the Marine Corps, he explained, "He had become inebriated and spent the night with the local national."

A spokeswoman for the elite HMX1 Marine Aviation Unit, who declined to reveal the Marine's identity, said, "There would be no disciplinary action because the staff sergeant was on liberty and so technically not AWOL." But she added, "More than likely his commanding officer spoke to him in extremely strong language."

This yound SSGT was probably shacked up with a couple of Vietnamese honeys, bombed out of his skull, having a blast. Oh, the ass chewing he's gonna get stateside!


Swing with the wing! Right BC?


Well, what did you expect? The Marine Corps was founded in a bar (Tunn Tavern)

Click the link above for some funny reader comments on the blog site.

Cityboy said:

The staff sergeant was on liberty and so technically not AWOL

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I don't understand why they didn't leave him alone while he was on liberty

I spent my time in the wing. Primary was S3 and secondary S6, with several other jobs in between. He couldn't have been AWOL, if anything he would be UA = Unauthorized Absence. The Marine equivalent of AWOL (Absent Without Leave).

He was not UA because he was on liberty. Probably some boot second louey panicked and created a problem where none actually existed.

On the other hand, maybe this was out of character for the SSGT and the louey was genuinely concerned for the SSGT's safety.

Either way, major ass chewing on the docket.

Seems understandable to me from what is posted above. He was part of the presidents traveling crew and the duty officer suspected foul play or terrorism; the DO had to do something, even if it was wrong. Had it turned out the other way and there was foul play involved and the DO sat on his rump, he would have been the one in hot water.
Hopefully the missing marine didn't get to much grief. He was on leave afterall.

ps. good to see you back CB. Have you been on the road the past few weeks?

Cityboy said:

Swing with the wing! Right BC?

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You got that right!

I'm with Doc that they probably had to do something considering the opportunity for foul play.

I didn't see anything that could get him punished under the UCMJ but he probably should have used a little more discression. There are certain groups in the military that are held to a very high standard and he's in one of them. Others include:
Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Air Force 1 staff
USMC silent drill team
The President's Own
...

Doc said:

ps. good to see you back CB. Have you been on the road the past few weeks?

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Yup. Been in Oklahoma, Atlanta and Tampa. Back now getting the jet fuel and diesel fuel fumes off of me.