Not POWs, but American soldiers who were stationed in Europe at the end of World War I and II and whose term of service were up and were being sent home. If they wanted to stay in an Allied country, did they have any options to do so? Did the army or navy force them to go back to the US first?

by JollyRabbit

Would they have been treated as deserters if they just did not show up when they were being shipped back to the States? I know that after World War II, pows all had to be sent home even if they wanted to stay. But what about soldiers, Americans, who wanted to stay in Europe? I was reading today about African American soldiers who ended up in France after the war, I'm wondering how they actually ended up there. Did they just stay, or did they go back to the US and then return afterwards?

bogey-spades

Would they have been treated as deserters if they just did not show up when they were being shipped back to the States?

Keep in mind that you were still a service member until discharged - when told you were shipping back home, you were being given official orders to do so. Choosing to stay would be disobeying said orders, and thus you would be insubordinate at best, a deserter at worst (if you left service without being properly discharged first)