How to Go AWOL and Get Away with It | A Comprehensive Guide

Are you serving in the military and contemplating how to go AWOL and get away with it, but the only thing preventing you is the potential repercussions? You’re not alone, after all! Thus, we have made this post to aid you.

It’s usually in the U.S. military to be AWOL, which is defined as “Absent without leave or absent without official leave.” In actuality, the military keeps track of between 2500 and 4000 instances annually. You have the flexibility and right to travel anywhere you want as a citizen. But remember that those privileges are gone the minute you enlist in the military service. 

Furthermore, being on schedule for your assigned employment location is one of the fundamental military regulations. Even though you can always use an alibi for not reporting to work, getting your line of command’s consent is crucial first. You must be aware that you expose yourself to possible illegal accusations and consequences by failing to appear or leaving without permission.

In all, the tips below will aid you in How to go AWOL and get away with it. Come along.

How to Go AWOL and Get Away with It

You can go AWOL and get away with it through the following tips:

• Plan your escape
• Research and gather information
• Choose a time and place to go AWOL
• Collect necessary items and resources
• Notify trusted friends and family
• Create a fake identity
• Get your finances in order
• Make travel arrangements
• Cover your tracks
• Stay alert and avoid detection
• Establish a new life
• Stay off the grid
• Living life as a fugitive
• Disappear without leaving a trail
• Lay low and avoid being detected
• Dealing with legal issues and consequences
• Reintegrating back into society

Let’s learn in detail;

Plan your escape

The most important thing to do if you want to go AWOL and get away with it is to plan your escape. Additionally, according to Army Special Forces veteran Mike Glover, preparing, making a conscious choice, and keeping environmental awareness are the keys to effectively avoiding military duty.

Glover is also the co-founder and chief executive officer of FieldCraft LLC. This organization instructs citizens on how to endure severe circumstances and natural catastrophes.

Research and gather information

The next step to going AWOL and getting away with it is to conduct proper research and gather the right information. Ensure you keep looking for useful information before and after your getaway.

These resources—whether from the authorities, the internet, or elsewhere—can make or ruin an effective AWOL.

These tools are also crucial for learning where to get sustenance and how to reintegrate into society. When the time comes to depart, this will also significantly help reduce tension and nervousness.

Choose a time and place to go AWOL

Choosing a time and place to go AWOL is also essential. Disappearing unexpectedly will generate questions. It’s essential that you progressively distance yourself from your social life as well to ensure a seamless shift.

Spending less time with your military coworkers, altering your nutrition, listening to different music, and changing your gathering spots can all help you begin the separation process. You can adjust to the concept of being alone and make the physical and emotional shift to a solitary existence by gradually detaching. 

In addition, you must inform the individual you will be visiting if you intend to visit their home.

Collect necessary items and resources

Going AWOL and escaping with it also requires practical components that help you escape. For instance, it’s crucial to pre-plant provisions at some locations along your getaway path.

In case of an unforeseen circumstance, you can also gather the resources and materials needed and set them up in key locations. 

Notify trusted friends and family

Notifying trusted friends and family is the next step on how to go AWOL and get away with it. Your superior will contact you since you are off the job when you go AWOL. The captain and 1st Sergeant are informed if they cannot reach you, and they then inform military law enforcement.

They will then get in touch with your biological relatives. The military will frequently take this action to find you swiftly. They might also get in touch with your known acquaintances to inquire about your whereabouts. Therefore, letting them know about your intentions to keep a low profile is crucial.

Create a fake identity

The next step entails creating a fake identity. Monitoring the newspapers for obituaries was one way used before the internet. You could locate a recently deceased person and use your picture to make a false copy of their ID that you could use outside of town. 

Nowadays, everything is digital and accessible almost immediately, making deceit much more difficult. However, you can start by making a false email and profile. Don’t associate any of these with your real phone number, either. You might need to obtain one if they need a fake phone verification. 

Get your finances in order

To find credit defaulters, financiers, and other financial organizations work with law enforcement and private detectives. To make it easier to locate clients in the future, these businesses gather a lot of confidential data from them. This is why trying to go AWOL and get away with it while having finances unresolved could easily backfire.  

Make sure to finish off all your debts and credit card obligations before moving. Furthermore, if you have unfulfilled purchases, you must schedule a time to send them to your customers or organize them for reimbursement. 

Make travel arrangements

The next step on how to go AWOL and get away with it is to make travel arrangements. If you don’t prepare, you’re preparing to fail. Planning is necessary to avoid humiliating, annoying, or even catastrophic situations. When you are arrested, these outcomes might cost you your freedom.

The most important trip information should be on the necessary schedule—for instance, the days, hours, places to travel to, etc.

You’ll need to organize this information to arrange travel plans for flights, vehicle bookings, accommodation, and other aspects of your trip.

Cover your tracks

This action is also crucial. Use rural routes or off-the-beaten paths instead of any main roadways. Then, to escape suspicion, sell your vehicle, ideally on a lot or in a different state. Ensure the customer gives in cash when you trade your vehicle to prevent deals that can leave trails. Also, choose a new vehicle that doesn’t suit your typical preferences when purchasing one. Because of this, it will be more difficult to see you in traffic. 

Stay alert and avoid detection.

The next step entails staying alert and avoiding detection. Stay as far away from the spotlight and the military as you can. However, it would help if you had luck because the military might never give up searching for you. Desertion also has no term of limitations.

The goal is to avoid anything related to the military for as long as possible by leaving, remaining outside, and doing so. Going AWOL for a few weeks would result in much harsher punishment than going AWOL for ten years. 

Establish a new life.

After going AWOL, finding a new place to reside can be difficult, particularly if you are unfamiliar. Our recommendation is to first research the area before relocating. This entails going out into the neighborhood, perusing regional media, and doing a little internet study. 

Stay off the grid

Off the grid, living is also crucial. Stop using the internet altogether. You’ll have to resume life as people did in the 1980s. The military frequently uses the internet to collect confidential information. Get off social media as well. If you are active on social media, it is impossible to avoid government surveillance. 

Living life as a fugitive

It would help if you lived as a fugitive once you desired to go AWOL and escape it. You should alter your face, hair, and hair color. Wear shades if you don’t wear spectacles, and swap your specs for contacts. A smart strategy is to alter your gait or body form by reducing weight, etc.

Disappear without leaving a trail.

The next step on How to go AWOL and get away with it is to disappear without leaving a trail. You can do this by erasing your digital footprint. This involves cleaning the digital trail of the data you access online.

It contains all evidence of your online behavior, such as the emails you send and receive, the websites you frequent, your social media stream, and the information you provide when registering for amenities on any website. Every internet user leaves behind a digital trace.

Lay low and avoid being detected

Going AWOL necessitates keeping a modest profile and avoiding detection. There are more aspects of concealment than just self-camouflage. Additionally, it features car hiding, light glare reduction, and noise control.

Dealing with legal issues and consequences

It is best to talk to knowledgeable lawyers about your circumstance if you go AWOL. They will aid in determining the best course of action to take in your situation.

You could be detained at any moment because a federal order for your capture becomes effective once you are missing for more than 30 days. If that happens, you’ll be detained in a municipal lockup until you’re moved to a military prison, where you’ll stay until your military court date.

Reintegrating back into society

Reintegrating into society is the final step on How to go AWOL and get away with it. Due to the risk, they pose to the image of the military and the protection of other service members, military officials will actively seek sanctions for deserters. So, it’s best to exercise caution at this time. You must select a region or nation that is favorable or impartial. Additionally, attempt quickly fit in with the community.

My Opinion

It is acceptable you need to understand how to go AWOL and get away with it, although it is not always worthwhile. When you depart the military without permission, it is known as being absent without leave (AWOL). It is also referred to as abandonment, which is a severe offense with potentially grave repercussions.

Maybe you’re leaving the military because your partner vowed to file for divorce, or you no longer believe you can serve. Overall, the above tips on How to go AWOL and get away with it will aid you if your reasons are genuine.

References

• Desertion In the Civil War Armies: https://web.archive.org/web/20210423083725/https://civilwarhome.com/desertion.htm
• Anderson; Wayne Unauthorized Absences: https://www.loc.gov/services/federal-research-division/about-this-service/
• Linch, Kevin (11 August 2016). “Desertion from the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/628301
• Garner, Dwight; Into the Lives of Three Deserters Who Did Not Have a Good War: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/10/books/the-deserters-a-world-war-ii-history-by-charles-glass.html