A young man joined the Air Force, attended tech school and was assigned to his first permanent duty station. After being on duty for 14 months, he deserted. He was apprehended two years after he deserted, was court martialed and pled guilty to a single charge of desertion. He was sentenced by a military judge to a reduction in his rank and given a dishonorable discharge. On the surface, this seems like a very light sentence for desertion. But now for the rest of the story. The young man had joined the Air Force after completing several semesters of college work. After completing basic training, en route to tech school, he married his high school sweetheart. At his first permanent duty assignment, he could not get on-base housing, so he and his wife rented a small apartment about 10 miles from the base. As with most very young couples, there wasn't a lot of money; in fact, there were some small debts which were being paid off month to month. He had taken advance pay for the apartment deposit and to cover minor moving expenses. His car became unreliable, so he got more advance pay to make a down payment on a newer, more reliable car. They were making it, but barely. He wanted to get a second job, but his unit told him that wasn't allowed until he achieved a higher rank. His wife could not work because she had had several episodes of illness. The Air Force base doctor suspected kidney problems and referred her off base for evaluation. A kidney biopsy showed she had less than 20 percent of her kidney function left. The young airman did not have any additional insurance. His application for Medicaid was refused because theoretically the military provided his wife with medical care. Medical bills began to mount. His insurance policy required that the airman pay for the first $1000 of medical expenses and the insurance company would pay for everything beyond that. However $1,000 is a lot of money when you don't have any. Further, that policy renews each calendar year which means he would have to pay $1000 each year for medical expenses for his wife. The insurance policy he had did not cover all medical bills either. The airman submitted claims that were turned down. For instance, when his wife was hospitalized downtown, she routinely had lab work and X-rays. Those claims were denied because those services were available on base. No one adequately answered the question about how she was supposed to get to the base to get these services when she was staying in the hospital as a patient downtown. Additionally, even though the base told the airman that this particular hospital was the only place to get the necessary treatment, the doctor and hospital routinely billed higher fees than his insurance allowed. This meant that all of the extra fees was the airman's responsibility to pay. The airman went to the Air Force for help. He applied asking for a "humanitarian transfer" so that he could be assigned to the base that was near his extended family and that had a base hospital with the ability to treat his wife's condition. That would have significantly reduced his expenses, and his family would have been able to help out with getting his wife to appointments, and they could have provided some emotional support. The Air Force turned down his request. He obtained more documentation from his wife's doctor and reapplied. His second request was also denied. At no time did his commander or first sergeant discuss the possibility of a humanitarian discharge. For five months, the airman tried to get other help from the Air Force. With all the medical and normal expenses, he couldn't make ends meet. He went to a budgeting class. He was trying, but everything seemed to be working against him. His wife's condition continued to worsen. She needed some pretty expensive medication. One type alone cost $50.00 a week. The insurance company would pay for some but the airman had to pay for it first, then file a claim. He got an emergency loan from the Air Force Aid Society, but he was told their money was tight, and he would have to find some other way to buy the medication the next time. His wife's medical condition continued to deteriorate. She was unable to drive, and the airman had to drive her everywhere. She needed three 4-hour sessions of dialysis per week. The hospital was 30 minutes away from the base. The airman took a day off from work, got all of his belongings, placed them in a trailer, got his wife and went to his hometown. Over the two years he was a deserter; he got a job, got promoted in that job, and took care of his wife. At the time of his apprehension, his wife was virtually blind and in a wheelchair. After the trial, the judge said the Air Force deserted the airman long before the airman deserted the Air Force.

What should he have done? What do you think the Air Force should have done for him?