AWOL stands for “absent without leave” and originated during the American Civil War. Confederate soldiers often went AWOL due to dire situations at home, such as food shortages. AWOL absences were sometimes overlooked, but desertion or returning late could result in court-martial and imprisonment or execution. Today, the term applies to any soldier in the military who is absent without leave, and can also be used to refer to being absent from work or school without a reasonable excuse.
AWOL, pronounced A-wall, is an acronym for “absent without leave” or to refer to one who is away without leave. Sometimes people mistranslate AWOL as away without permission. The term originated, according to most accounts, during the American Civil War. Many soldiers on both sides were AWOL due to dire situations that required their help at home. The first pronunciation of the term was AWOL, with every letter being spoken. Like many acronyms of military origin, it was shortened to be said as one word.
Margaret Mitchell, in her famous novel Gone with the Wind, states that many Confederate soldiers went AWOL due to drastic food shortages. In particular, as Confederate money decreased in value and blockade runners had a harder time getting supplies through, people who farmed for a living faced the prospect of starvation without the help of a soldier returning home to plant, tend and harvest the crops. Mitchell says many Confederate force commanders overlooked these AWOL absences.
However, there is evidence that AWOL absences were certainly not always overlooked. A person who deserted from the military or returned late could be court-martialed and imprisoned or executed. On the other hand, troop shortages could mean that a soldier who has gone AWOL and returned could be welcomed. It would have been bad military strategy to execute a skilled man.
The Union Army had a better chance of avoiding military sanctions by remaining absent. Many soldiers who were AWOL simply left for the west, where it was easier to avoid prosecution for desertion. More likely, court martial and execution awaited those captured as there was a greater supply of manpower for the northern front.
Since the Civil War, the term AWOL has applied to any soldier in the military who is absent without leave. Failure to report after a discharge can also result in an AWOL status. While the punishment tends to be less severe for a minor AWOL infraction, such as showing up a few hours late, desertion can still be punished with more severe punishments, including jail time. Execution is, however, rare and unlikely for deserters. Quite often, deserters receive prison terms and are dishonorably discharged from the army.
People may use the term AWOL when referring to being absent from work or school without a reasonable excuse. For example, a teenager who cuts school might say, “Yes, I’m absent today” and pay the price the next day. People who lose their jobs tend to get fired, unless there’s a good reason why the person can’t inform their employer of the absence in advance.
Some also use the term more loosely when they take a sick day when they’re not really sick. They can consider themselves AWOL because their leave was granted on a false premise. They essentially lied about being sick to get a day off.
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