Female combat recruit turns self in after deserting
One of the first women to sign up to become an Army combat engineer turned herself in when she was classified as a deserter after being absent without leave for 30 days.
Pvt. Erika Lopez surrendered Thursday to military authorities, said spokeswoman Tiffany Wood at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, about 125 miles southwest of St. Louis.
The returning recruit was supposed to report Jan. 4 to Fort Leonard Wood after convalescent leave. She was considered AWOL Jan. 5 and was dropped from the rolls Thursday, which meant she was considered a deserter, Wood said.
“Pvt. Lopez’s unit will look at all the facts and circumstances surrounding the situation and take appropriate action,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. She declined to provide further details.
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“After 30 days in AWOL status, a soldier is considered a deserter, and a federal warrant is issued for his or her arrest,” Wood previously said.
Lopez arrived Sept. 22 at Fort Leonard Wood, Wood said. She started training Oct. 5 and was on week 11 of training when she was sent home on convalescent leave.
She left her husband and two young boys back in the Knoxville, Tenn., area to pursue her training, according to WVLT-TV, Knoxville, which first reported Lopez's desertion.
"She was very excited about it," Sgt. 1st Class Charles Ellis, who runs the Army recruiting office in Knoxville, said in July. "She said, 'Hey, that's what I want to do.' She came into the Army to better herself and set the example for her family."
Combat engineers detonate explosives, construct bridges and fighting positions, and clear obstacles including roadside bombs for advancing troops.
Engineer soldiers conduct training at Fort Leonard Wood that includes both the 10-week basic training followed by advanced individual training. In all, the training is almost 15 weeks long, and 92 women now are training there to be combat engineers.
Lopez was the first woman from Tennessee to sign up to be a combat engineer, enlisting June 26 in Knoxville, Army officials said.
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The Army opened the combat engineer occupational specialty code to women in June, said Kelli Bland, a spokeswoman for U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
“It is our most popular combat MOS (military occupational specialty) that has been opened to women so far,” she said.
The first female combat engineer soldier enlisted June 18; the first to ship to training did so July 27, Bland said, citing Recruiting Command data.
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During the federal fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 49 female soldiers shipped to combat-engineer training. Since Oct. 1, 122 more have shipped, and another 143 are in the Future Soldier Training Program waiting to start training, Bland said.
“Women can do anything they set their mind to just as well as men,” Lopez told WVLT-TV when she enlisted. “I don’t really see any difference at all. I hope women will want to join."
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