Nearly 40 years after he allegedly defected from the US Army, Sgt. Charles Jenkins presented himself at the gate of Camp Zama, just south of Tokyo. He is now resuming active duty, while the military considers his case for court martial. The full story can be obtained on yahoo news.
It is good to see that Jenkins has, all these years later, decided to do the right thing and surrender himself to the US Army. Was Jenkins a deserter, was he kidnapped by the North Koreans, or is there some other explanation for his 40 years in North Korea, where he married, had children, and taught English to spies? Whatever the case may be, we will finally get to hear Jenkins' version of events. A plea bargain is likely, considering the high profile of this case, but the administration is not likely to completely dismiss this case, for fears it will send the wrong message to soldiers stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Sgt. Jenkins, you did the right thing. Now, tell America your story. Welcome home.
signing off,
Gideon MacLeish