THE MILITARY RECORDS OF 244 PRISONERS RETURNED TO MILITARY CONTROL AND AWAITING TRIAL AND REASSIGNMENT AFTER PROLONGED ABSENCE WITHOUT LEAVE WERE REVIEWED. INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH 103 OF THE SUBJECTS, WHO WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR BACKGROUNDS AND ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THEIR AWOL BEHAVIOR. ONE-YEAR FOLLOWUP DATA WERE OBTAINED FOR 237 OF THE SUBJECTS AFTER THEY RECEIVED NEW DUTY ASSIGNMENTS. THE DATA SUGGEST THAT THE PROTEST AGAINST THE WAR IN VIET NAM (THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN 1969) WAS NOT A DIRECT FACTOR IN THE AWOL CASES, INDICATING THAT THE AWOL'S DO NOT REPRESENT THE TYPE OF DEVIANCE TERMED REBELLION OR NONCONFORMITY. ONE TYPE OF AWOL OFFENDER ABSENTS HIMSELF TO DEAL WITH FAMILY PROBLEMS OR FINANCES. ANOTHER TYPE -- CLASSIFIED AS MALADAPTIVE -GOES AWOL BECAUSE HE CANNOT OR DOES NOT WANT TO ADOPT TO THE ARMY. THUS, MANY AWOL SUBJECTS APPARENTLY ENGAGE IN A FORM OF INNOVATIVE DEVIANCE -SUBSTITUTING ILLEGITIMATE MEANS FOR LEGITIMATE MEANS TO REACH A GOAL (DISCHARGE, IN THE CASE OF THE SOLDIERS) WHEN LEGITIMATE MEANS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. CHANGES OVER TIME IN AWOL BEHAVIOR AND EVIDENCE OF SECONDARY DEVIATION (REPETITION OF AWOL BEHAVIOR AS A REACTION TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF AN INITIAL AWOL ACTION). SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)