Location: Washington State
I have a younger family member that I am trying to help take care of going AWOL(I guess it’s now called desertion since it was longer than 30 days)from the Army. He was 17 years old when it had happened and it was just after boot camp. It’s been over 20 years and it has held him back in life. He’s ashamed of it, but afraid of going to jail or prison. And please no mean or hateful comments, he was very young, he was not given the best chance in life, his dad committed suicide shortly beforehand, he had nowhere else to go. He is really being held back from living his best life for a mistake he made when he was 17 years old. What are the likely consequences he will face? Could he get a lawyer to help him navigate this? He attempted to turn himself in about 15 years ago, but he was treated so horribly on the Army base because he was a deserter, that he left again.