LEXINGTON, Ky., Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A U.S. Army Iraq veteran and deserter was back in uniform at Kentucky's Fort Knox Wednesday after turning himself in to seek a discharge.
Darrell Anderson, 24, joined the U.S. Army in early 2003 and was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded by a roadside bomb in 2004 while serving in Iraq.
While home on leave, he deserted to Canada to avoid another tour in Iraq and became a vocal critic of the war, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. He married a Canadian woman, but was unable to obtain refugee status, a government work permit or access to government healthcare, so he returned to Lexington, the newspaper said.
Anderson attorney Jim Fennerty said Anderson hopes to get an other-than-normal discharge within a few days.
Tuesday, Fort Knox spokesman John Emmert said Anderson was issued a uniform and assigned to a barracks where he would be monitored, but not locked up.
