IRAQ: After two years gone, lance corporal faces court-martial

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He grew up in Saudi Arabia, graduated from high school in Boulder, Colo., and was the most physically fit recruit in his Marine boot camp class in 2005.

But after a combat tour in Iraq, Lance Cpl. Lance Hering said his own farewell to arms. He conspired with a buddy in August 2006 to try to fool the Marine Corps into thinking he was dead.

For two years, the mystery of Hering persisted until he and his father were arrested Nov. 16 in Port Angeles, Wash.

Today, Hering is set for court-martial at Camp Pendleton. His parents, Lloyd and Elynne Hering, will be there, hoping their son can begin a journey to rid himself of the memories of Iraq.

See the full story in today’s Times.

UPDATE: A hearing officer Friday ordered Hering, 23, to forfeit $1,166 in pay but serve no additional time in the brig beyond the 33 days he was in the brig awaiting court martial. Within hours Hering was discharged from the Marine Corps and given over to deputies from the Boulder (Colo.) County Sheriff’s Office. He will face charges in Boulder for the 2006 hoax and a 2004 burglary conviction.

-Tony Perry in San Diego