NATION : GI Who Fled to E. Germany 30 Years Ago Turned Loose by Army

A GI who fled to East Germany 30 years ago for fear a truck accident would land him in the stockade was set free today after the Army decided against court-martialing him as a deserter.

“I’m going to live it up,” said 53-year-old Pvt. Arnold Kephart after his release from confinement at Ft. Sill. “And then I’m going to sit down and try to work my way in life as I did before.”

Kephart was arrested last week upon arriving in Omaha, Neb., to see his family for the first time since he fled to the Communist bloc in 1960. About 30 family members were waiting at the airport, but only two got to speak to him.

Instead of a court-martial, the Army today granted Kephart’s request for an other-than-honorable discharge. He had been held at the Army base since Thursday and was to fly to Nebraska later today for a family reunion.

“I don’t know how I’m going to say it, but I’ll say I’m proud to be back in the United States,” Kephart told reporters outside Ft. Sill.

Kephart tried several times during the last 30 years to escape to the West but was caught each time at the border, said his attorney, James Martin Davis. He decided to return to the United States after East Germany opened its borders late last year.