My son is stationed in Korea. This is his 1st time in a different country. He just finished basic & AIT. He has only been in Korea for a couple of weeks. He went out on the town w/a buddy & got in some trouble & ended up in jail. What will the Army do? He is an E2 & he seems to think he won't get in any trouble, is this true? I'm so very disappointed in him. It seem like all they do is drink. I really thought the Army would keep them busier then they do. I mean they have beer in the pop machines that's crazy!!!!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
2009-11-21T09:37:57Z
He got arrested for theft. (He says he doesnt really remember much). I do believe his commander picked him up. I guess they have a number to call when they get in any trouble. I sure hope the Army teaches him a good lesson. And yes I know it's not the Army's fault, I wasn't saything that @ all!!
lconnor652009-11-21T09:39:47Z
Favorite Answer
Depends what kind of trouble he got into. Who picked him up? Was it the MP's that do the patrols in the villages?
Korea there is not much to do except drink and go to clubs when you are off duty. It isn't the fault of the Army that your son doesn't know when to say when. Or he wasn't smart enough to have a designated non drinker with him. He needs to remember he is a guest in another country.
He is probably looking at an Article 15. He can speak with JAG.
Don't blame it on the Army as thousand go overseas where drinking abounds and don't get into trouble.
I do question his attitude about him not getting into trouble.... he will. But the Army has invested time and money on him so it will probably be administrative punishment as long as it was not something super major. Otherwise anybody who wanted out could just get drunk and get into a fight or whatnot.
He will lose maybe lose some pay, get extra duty, not be able to leave the post, take longer to make E-3 and all of that. The military is well practiced at dealing with kiddos. So first time around it is not that big of a deal.
A point is made and then it is up to the soldier to figure out where to go from there. That is how the wheat fom the chaff is seperated. Take your lumps and learn your lesson and all is well. If it happens again that would be a whole different story. Hopefully he will learn his lesson and realize that military life is not civilian life.
I am wondering why he even called you and mentioned all they do is drink and that he got into trouble in the first place. What is he already railing against the military and setting it up so you will be prepared when he gets kicked out? You might want to make it clear that that he is not Mommies little boy anymore and he is on his own so he might focus more on personal responsibility.
Most everyone that gets stationed in Korea shares the same pass-time... drinking. Like the others have stated, it depends on what he did. Got into a fight? Not a big deal. He will get returned to his command and probably Article 15'd (which career wise that is a big deal but he can recover from it). A serious crime? That is a different story. It just depends on what he did.
To be honest, your parents are right and you know it deep down. They have no doubt given you opportunities to improve and they will not enjoy letting you go, however they don't want your brothers to follow your example. If they let you come back, they are giving you all the message that you can keep get away with it. It's called tough love. Trouble doesn't 'just happen', it is caused by choices YOU are making. Maybe a spell inside will give you time to think about what you can do to help yourself. If you get lucky and don't get sent down, maybe that will wake you up. A family member of mine has done time, and now finds himself virtually unemployable at the ripe old age of 21. Did he deserve to go to jail- absolutely.
He will probably face some sort of non judicial punishment. NJP - He can be reduced in rate, get a fine, have EMT that is extra military training, which is marching or working in the galley peeling potatoes or any number of things on the base. The Army knows how to mold young minds. They've been dealing with dumb kids for a long long time.