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COMDTINST M1000.6A (18 Jun 07)

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7.A.16. Absence without Leave

7.A.16.a. General

1. In general, a member who absents himself or herself or remains absent through his or her own fault and without authority from the place where required to be at a prescribed time, is absent without leave.

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8.C.2. Unauthorized Absence of Enlisted Personnel

8.C.2.a. Absentee

1. The term "absentee" denotes any member not classified administratively as a deserter who is absent without authority from their unit, organization, or other place of duty at which they are required to be present.

2. Any enlisted member absent from the Coast Guard without authority will normally be carried as an absentee during the first 29 days of their absence.

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8.C.2.b. Deserter

1. The term "deserter" denotes a member who has been administratively declared a deserter on the 30th day of absence, or at any time during the first 29 days of absence when one or more of the following conditions exists:

a. When the intent to remain away from the Service is evident from circumstances attendant on the absence.

b. When the absence was evidently entered into to avoid hazardous duty or to shirk important service as defined in the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States. (Manual for Courts-Martial (MCM), Part IV, paragraph 9.c.(2)(a))

c. Where it is known that the member, concealing their existing Service, has enlisted or accepted appointment in another Service.

2. Commands are responsible for the following actions and shall follow the procedures in the Personnel and Pay Procedures Manual, PPCINST M1000.2 (series) when an enlisted member has been declared a deserter.

a. On the 31st day of absence, or in those cases where the member is earlier declared to be a deserter, the member's commanding officer shall issue a Deserter/Absentee Wanted by the Armed Forces, DD-553. The command with administrative control of the member's unit will furnish necessary data, where the Personnel Data Record (PDR) is not at the unit.

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8.C.6. Removal of Marks of Desertion

8.C.6.a. Mark of Desertion

An enlisted member of the Coast Guard is not a deserter until they have legally been found guilty by a court-martial on the charge of desertion. Entry of a mark of desertion in an enlisted members PDR is merely a matter of administration and is not intended to constitute a conclusive determination of the fact as to whether or not they are a deserter. Further, the Coast Guard may bring a person to trial by courtmartial for unauthorized absence which resulted in a mark of desertion being entered in their PDR.