Definition: “Any member of the armed forces who, without authority—
(1) fails to go to his appointed place of duty at the time prescribed;
(2) goes from that place; or
(3) absents himself or remains absent from his unit, organization, or place of duty at which he is required to be at the time prescribed; shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”
Elements.
(1) Failure to go to appointed place of duty.
(a) That a certain authority appointed a certain time and place of duty for the accused;
(b) That the accused knew of that time and place; and
(c) That the accused, without authority, failed to go to the appointed place of duty at the time prescribed.
It is always important to be where you are supposed to be. In the Marine Corps, every leader stresses the fact on being on time or being at the right place. So should not have to ask yourself if it is important to be where you are told to be? I know most Marines will tell you that is very important. It is my responsibility to be where I am supposed to. It is all about accountability. You have to keep track of your Marines. It is your responsibility and your superiors responsibility. They are responsible for your actions as well you. In the articles of military justice a Marine, as well as any US Military branch, can be charged with Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). This Article makes it a crime to fail to go to one’s appointed place of duty at the time prescribed, to leave one’s place of duty, or to be absent from one’s unit without authority. There is tremendous discretion vested in a military commander to determine what, if anything, to do about a particular violation. Often a first transgression is dealt with by minor punishment, such as loss of liberty, privileges, or extra work