I thought, "that officials checked into Rowe's record and immediately confirmed that he had received an honorable discharge and told Rowe he was free to leave?" Is someone not telling the truth? - Jon

Rowe returns to Fort Campbell, Ky.

Source: thedailystar.com

By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer
7-31-2007

Oneonta film producer Korey Rowe has been returned to his unit, which is gearing up for its third deployment to Iraq since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March 2003.

Rowe, who was arrested last week on a charge of desertion, has previously said he served with the 187th Infantry Regiment, part of the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division.

In May, the Pentagon announced three of the 101st’s four brigades "" including 3rd Brigade "" would be deploying to Iraq as early as next month.

Rowe, who joined the Army in August 2001, is a member of the Oneonta-based film production company Louder Than Words. The company is working on a third edition of "Loose Change," which contends the U.S. government was complicit in the 9/11 attacks.

"According to our files, he is still on active duty," said Cathy Gramling, a media relations specialist for Fort Campbell, Ky., home of the 101st.

Rowe was listed as absent without leave on June 15, 2005, and was assumed to have deserted in mid-July 2005, Gramling said Monday.

All four brigades of the 101st deployed to Iraq in mid-2005. An Army brigade has an optimum strength of about 4,000 soldiers.

A source close to Rowe’s family has said he was at the end of his active-duty enlistment in the summer of 2005 and was trying to avoid serving a second tour of duty in Iraq under the Army’s stop-loss policy when he went AWOL. He returned to Fort Campbell that summer to clear up the matter but left for good after he was told he would be sent to Iraq, the source said.

Rowe is also a veteran of service in Afghanistan.

Since his arrest, Rowe has said he is a "political prisoner" and a victim of a paperwork glitch.

Gramling said she did not know if there would be a court martial for Rowe or what else is next for the 24-year-old.

"We’re not at that point yet," Gramling said.

Rowe’s colleagues at Louder Than Words said they do not know what will eventually happen but have been in contact with Rowe.

"Every other day (Rowe says) the situation is different," said the group’s administrative assistant Kristy Kissner on Monday.

Army deserters are rarely court-martialed and are usually either returned to their units or discharged from the Army, according to an Associated Press report last month.

"Korey Rowe is a big part of Louder Than Words," Kissner said. "He’s missed. We’re all worried."

Rowe is not being jailed while his case is being decided, Gramling said.

"He’s not in confinement," Gramling said.

The following are U.S. military policies used with retain or recall soldiers for active-duty status:

Stop-loss _ In place since the end of the Vietnam War, this policy authorizes the Army in times of conflict to keep a soldier beyond his or her active-duty commitment. When utilized, it allows the Army to keep units fully-staffed for the length of deployments.

Individual Ready Reserve _ When a soldier enlists, he or she actually signs up for an eight-year period split into two parts. The first part is that soldier’s active-duty commitment, which is typically for three to six years. The remaining time of the eight-year obligation is spent in the Individual Ready Reserve, which has no serviceobligation but leaves a soldier subject to recall to active duty.