SOLDIER AVOIDS REMOVAL FOR USE OF METH

An Iowa National Guard soldier who was deployed to Iraq and later
discovered to be a methamphetamine user has been spared a discharge
based on his performance overseas.

Spc. Larry Deetz, 37, of the Mason City-based 1133rd Transportation
Company was the only one of eight senior Iowa guardsmen to test
positive for drug use who fought to stay in the service after
returning from the Middle East. All eight had flunked drug tests in
Iowa on the eve of their deployment in late 2003, but the results did
not become known until after they were activated into the U.S. Army.

Regulations in the regular Army and the Guard call for a
zero-tolerance policy on drug use, but quick deployment schedules and
jurisdictional issues between the two branches allowed some soldiers
to be sent to Iraq without immediate consequence.

In transcripts of a closed-door hearing obtained by The Des Moines
Register, Deetz admitted to using meth daily in the weeks leading up
to his activation. Deetz testified that he quit using the drug once
he was activated and has not used it since returning home.

The name of the soldier was blacked out on the transcripts, but his
name was confirmed by other military officials present at the May 7 hearing.

Prosecutors and a board of three officers recommended that Deetz be
discharged. However, Maj. Gen. Ron Dardis, the Iowa Guard's adjutant
general, ordered that Deetz be retained, based on the recommendation
of his company commander.

That commander, Capt. Dwayne Eden, said Monday that Deetz did "a
great job" leading military convoys through hostile territory and
earned the right to remain with the Guard. "I don't condone drug use
at all," Eden said. "But to send him to Iraq, have him risk his life,
take a year-and-a-half away from him, then come back and say, 'Thanks
for your service, see ya, you're kicked out,' . . . that's pretty nasty."

Lt. Col. Tony Cornelius, one of the three officers who voted to
recommend a discharge for Deetz, said there were greater
considerations than one soldier's future.

"I think everybody on the board felt some connection with the
soldier, obviously, because of his service," Cornelius said. "But
that didn't mitigate his responsibility for the things he did as a soldier."

A memorandum issued by Dardis in April 2002 states that "abuse of
alcohol and use or abuse of drugs has no place in the Iowa National Guard."

Deetz, who was demoted from sergeant upon his arrival home, won two
medals during the Iraq conflict, including the Army Achievement
Medal, which is awarded to those who distinguish themselves in a
noncombat area.

Deetz could not be reached for comment on Monday. But his attorney,
Capt. Scott Green, said Deetz was "grateful to have a second chance."
Green called the decision "just and compassionate."