Transgender marine arrested 31 years after going AWOL

[Initech]

Decades after going AWOL, Poland woman arrested

POLAND — Thirty-one years after Pvt. Donald Tremblay ignored his officers' orders, drove away from a Marine Corps base in Southern California and returned home to Maine, Elizabeth Tremblay is facing the past.

Elizabeth Tremblay makes focaccia pizza at her Poland home. "When you don't like what your government is doing, you hang your flag upside down in silent protest," she said.

Elizabeth Tremblay of Poland enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1980 when she was Donald Tremblay. She left the Marines in 1981. Last September, she was arrested on a charge of desertion.

Elizabeth, 57, formerly known as Donald, was arrested and briefly jailed four months ago on a rare, decades-old charge of desertion. She is now waiting at home in Poland for the Marine Corps to decide whether it will pursue punishment against her.

"I knew they would come looking for me at some point," Tremblay said. "I didn't expect it would take 31 years."

In all this time, there were never any police snooping around, phone calls or even letters, she said.

http://www.sunjournal.com/news/lewiston-auburn/2013/01/12/31-years-and-gender-change-later-poland-woman-arre/1303714

[Curmudgeoness]

1. It doesn't sound like she was hiding very well.

Just went back home. This sounds like it is out of line. I agree with her that I wouldn't have expected it to take 31 years.

[MADem]

2. Very unusual case, but it looks like this Marine didn't pass the background check

for the specialty offered in the enlistment contract.

That's probably why an offer of a general discharge was tendered.
http://www.sunjournal.com/news/lewiston-auburn/2013/01/12/31-years-and-gender-change-later-poland-woman-arre/1303714

He was sent to the Marine base at Twelve Palms, Calif,. and waited for his security clearance to begin his communications training. It took months.

"It still bothers me," she said, crying as her voice fell to a whisper. "I wanted my clearance. I wanted to get on with my life."

Finally, just before Christmas, Tremblay learned the orders had changed. The Marines wanted to send him to North Carolina to learn to drive Jeeps and trucks.

"I told them I had a guaranteed contract," she said. "They said that they didn't care, and if I wanted to be discharged, I needed to go to North Carolina.