A 720th Military Police Battalion soldier who went absent without leave and sought sanctuary in a Round Rock Catholic church has returned to Fort Hood.

Spc. Ralph Padula, 34, who turned himself in to post authorities Wednesday morning, has said his request to be discharged as a conscientious objector was denied by the Army. Padula had been listed as AWOL since before his unit deployed from Fort Hood March 27.

“He voluntarily turned himself in (Wednesday) morning and he is being processed,“ said Cecil Green, a post spokesman. “He has several personnel actions pending.”

Not only was Padula listed as AWOL, he could also be charged with missing movement, a much more serious charge under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Citing privacy regulations, however, Green did not say what types of actions are pending against Padula.

Padula has claimed he requested a discharge as a conscientious objector in 2002, prior to the 720th MP Battalion’s deployment to Iraq last month. Despite his insistence that he was mentally unstable, Padula said, his commanding officers were planning to send him overseas with the unit.

Post officials would not comment on the status of Padula’s claim.

“He’s just back here and there are no charges pending against him on anything,” Green said.

Conscientious objector status is sometimes given to soldiers who claim that they cannot in good conscience take another life during a war. If the Army denies a request for the status, the soldier is expected to follow orders and deploy with his or her unit.

According to Army statistics, since 1990 the Army has accepted the claims of 278 soldiers as conscientious objectors and discharged them from the service. No statistics were available for the number of claims that have been denied.

“Many persons’ religious beliefs change with age, over time, or based on experiences,” said Chaplain Donna Waddle, the III Corps and Fort Hood chaplain. “It certainly can change once they get in (the military).”

The granting of conscientious objector status, Waddle said, is based on the person’s moral, ethical and religious beliefs.

“The burden is on the applicant to prove by clear and convincing evidence that he satisfies the criteria for conscientious objectors,” said Col. Pat Lisowski, the III Corps and Fort Hood staff judge advocate.

Padula said recently that he filed his request last year, months before his unit received deployment orders. He said he was experiencing anxiety and had suicidal thoughts since the death of a girlfriend.

While he was AWOL, Padula sought sanctuary at St. John Vianney Church in Round Rock. The Rev. Samuel Hose, the church’s pastor, offered to help and let Padula stay on church property for a few days.

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