# Highest-ranking deserter / soldier who went AWOL?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-ranking-deserter-soldier-who-went-awol/685719>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 9, 2014, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-ranking-deserter-soldier-who-went-awol/685719 "2014-04-09T14:38:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-ranking-deserter-soldier-who-went-awol/685719/21 "2014-04-11T02:23:47Z")

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How in the h\*ll have I not heard about Wendell Fertig?

Thanks for the heads up **Ranger Jeff**

**Capt**

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**Author:** ![GoreVidaliaOnion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f07891/32.png) [@GoreVidaliaOnion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoreVidaliaOnion)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-ranking-deserter-soldier-who-went-awol/685719/22 "2014-04-11T05:35:35Z")

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I’ve always thought Colonel Walter Kurtz was one of the more iconic deserters of the Vietnam War era.

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**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:** [April 11, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-ranking-deserter-soldier-who-went-awol/685719/23 "2014-04-11T12:45:35Z")

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Maybe, but keep in mind, Kurtz was a fictional character in a movie based on a fictional character from a novel which took place in Africa.

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**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-ranking-deserter-soldier-who-went-awol/685719/24 "2014-04-11T12:53:01Z")

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> [@Capt\_Kirk](#):
>
> How in the h\*ll have I not heard about Wendell Fertig?
> 
> Thanks for the heads up **Ranger Jeff**
> 
> **Capt**

Fertig is a character in a couple of W.E.B. Griffin’s books such as one of the ones in his series _The Corps_. On one hand Griffin can be hackish. On the other he shines a light on some of the more interesting and least written about aspects of American military history from WWII on. I find his books to be a quick read and quite enjoyable.

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**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:** [April 11, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-ranking-deserter-soldier-who-went-awol/685719/25 "2014-04-11T14:18:11Z")

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Yes, I first heard of Fertig from the Griffin books. As it turned out, Griffin knew one of the Marines the OSS sent in to evaluate Fertig’s operation. But Griffin didn’t know that until after his first book featuring Fertig was published.

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