Vietnam Deserter Comes Home to Arrest : Marine Wants to See Ailing Father but Faces Military Justice First

A man who deserted from the Marines in Vietnam 17 years ago and started a new life in Australia returned to America today to see his sick father and was taken into custody.

Douglas Beane, 39, a native of Rochester, Vt., arrived from Sydney, Australia, at Los Angeles International Airport about 10 a.m. and was met by military guards. They were to escort him on another commercial flight to Washington and on to Quantico Marine Base in nearby northern Virginia.

Penny Verner, the purser on the United Airlines flight, said Beane sat calmly and chatted with flight attendants.

“He said that when he went AWOL he lived in a village in Vietnam for a while before going to Australia,” Verner said. “He seemed to be friendly. He was a nice guy.”

Beane, a Marine private first class, went AWOL on Feb. 28, 1970, two weeks before his tour of duty was to end. He made his way to Australia, where he married and had two sons with his wife, Karen, 27.

At the time, Beane was facing a court-martial for seven counts relating to alleged participation in a black market operation and allegedly threatening to kill a fellow Marine.

Beane said in an interview Monday that he expected to be jailed until military authorities decide what to do with his case. He said he hoped the Marines Corps would look kindly on the passage of time since he fled and allow him to see his parents in Rutland, Vt.

“It’s something I’ve been living with for too long,” he said. “I want to see my family. I would like to see my parents, at least,” he said.

Beane’s father, Donald, is disabled with circulatory ailments and other health problems. Beane has remained in contact with his family over the years but has not seen his parents since he deserted.

Beane’s mother, Christine, has said she was delighted her son was coming home but was worried about the legal repercussions.

“He was just a young kid from Vermont in a foreign nation at wartime under a lot of pressure. He was one of the smallest players in a big black market ring,” she said. “He was scared and ran. It was survival.”