# Are reenlistments automatic for POW's? Enlistment ends, what happens if you are in a combat zone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2014, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739 "2014-06-13T23:40:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/21 "2014-06-17T16:29:38Z")
I remember reading about the case of a petty officer(?) in the US Navy who I believe was stationed in Brooklyn (i. e. not in a war zone) and who stopped showing up for duty one day. It was assumed that the man had gone AWOL, leaving his wife and family behind. The military consequently ceased paying his salary, his wife fell on hard times and had to live with the stigma. Many years later, the remains of the sailor were found. He had been the victim of a homicide. I hope I got the details right since I’m not able to find the case. It was, however, widely reported some years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/22 "2014-06-17T22:30:47Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > I remember reading about the case of a petty officer(?) in the US Navy who I believe was stationed in Brooklyn (i. e. not in a war zone) and who stopped showing up for duty one day. It was assumed that the man had gone AWOL, leaving his wife and family behind. The military consequently ceased paying his salary, his wife fell on hard times and had to live with the stigma. Many years later, the remains of the sailor were found. He had been the victim of a homicide. > > I hope I got the details right since I’m not able to find the case. It was, however, widely reported some years ago. That sucks, but I really don’t see how else the military could have reacted. I’m curious to see if they took any actions after the sailor’s death had been discovered (changing his status, providing family survivor benefits, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/23 "2014-06-17T22:42:59Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Guys! I have some really big plans when I get back home. Let me tell you about them! Sure. Got a picture to pass around of the girl you’re going to marry? ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/24 "2014-06-18T12:50:24Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > That sucks, but I really don’t see how else the military could have reacted. I’m curious to see if they took any actions after the sailor’s death had been discovered (changing his status, providing family survivor benefits, etc.) SGLI isn’t that different from any other life insurance. It pays out even for noncombat / off-duty deaths. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/25 "2014-06-18T13:57:27Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > This might fall under “Stop Loss” but most enlistment contracts also include a few years stint in the Inactive Ready Reserve, which is basically just like being a civilian, except you’re technically still on the books if they need to suddenly expand the ranks. Unless you have some unusual skill that is abruptly in high demand, those guys don’t get called up unless the Reservists and Guardsmen have already. This isn’t exactly a hidden thing, it’s right there in your enlistment contact along with how many years of active duty you signed up for. Most folks just tend to forget about it because it is utterly irrelevant to you while you’re actually serving. This happened to me. I got out of the Army after 4 years in January 2005, but they called me back halfway through college in May 2007. The damn “Surge”. And they didn’t actually need my MOS either, though they said they did. I ended up fixing printers and PCs with a bunch of civilians in Iraq when they called me back. Also, while my recruiter was pretty honest and didn’t try fooling me, he DID forget to mention the whole IRR thing. So it was kind of a shock when I went to sign my “four year” enlistment contract and it said something like “no less than 8 years” on it. So I stopped and asked, and the answer was “They won’t call you up in the IRR unless WW3 breaks out, and then you’ll be drafted anyway.” :rolleyes: Yeah, right. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/26 "2014-06-18T14:03:58Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > If the servicemember received a promotion in abstentia, but it later turns out that he died before the date of the promotion, is it revoked? When I was in, it was common practice for all deceased soldiers to get a promotion. Whether they died in combat or not. SGT So-and-so got drunk and died in a boating accident one weekend, and all the sudden it’s “Poor SSG So-and-so and his family…” Not that I disagreed with the practice, but it was also meaningless. So I doubt a POW’s rank depends on when he died. Maybe he’d even get promoted twice. Once for being a POW and again for dying. But I don’t know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/27 "2014-06-18T14:13:47Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Not that I disagreed with the practice, but it was also meaningless. Doesn’t a higher rank mean increased death/pension benefits for the family? I thought that was the reason. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/28 "2014-06-18T14:39:07Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Doesn’t a higher rank mean increased death/pension benefits for the family? I thought that was the reason. Not sure how all that works. I thought the only survivors benefit my wife was promised was my $250k (later $400k) life insurance policy, but I’ve been out quite a while so maybe I just forgot. When it comes to retirement, benefits are calculated based on the highest paycheck you received for a period of more than 2 months(? – something like that). So I figure if there are any kind of survivor benefits, they’d work the same. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/29 "2014-06-18T20:29:10Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Guys! I have some really big plans when I get back home. Let me tell you about them! Wow. You’re just not genre-savvy at all, are you? Welp, way to doom yourself. Nice goin’. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/30 "2014-06-18T21:40:09Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > This happened to me. I got out of the Army after 4 years in January 2005, but they called me back halfway through college in May 2007. The damn “Surge”. And they didn’t actually need my MOS either, though they said they did. I ended up fixing printers and PCs with a bunch of civilians in Iraq when they called me back. > > Also, while my recruiter was pretty honest and didn’t try fooling me, he DID forget to mention the whole IRR thing. So it was kind of a shock when I went to sign my “four year” enlistment contract and it said something like “no less than 8 years” on it. So I stopped and asked, and the answer was “They won’t call you up in the IRR unless WW3 breaks out, and then you’ll be drafted anyway.” :rolleyes: Yeah, right. That sucks. And sounds entirely typical, BTW. It doesn’t sound like your recruiter lied about IRR, it sounds like he was just wrong (it’s not like it comes up very often) ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739/31 "2014-06-18T23:03:47Z")
I had to talk to a recruiter on my way out of the Army (well, my release from active duty). He was trying to get me to sign up for the reserves. I said, “There’s three people who are going to miss the next war you guys have. Me and the two guys you send after me.”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reenlistments-automatic-for-pows-enlistment-ends-what-happens-if-you-are-in-a-combat-zone/690739.md?page=1)