A 22-year-old specialist took a 2.5-ton troop transport on an unauthorized 50-mile jaunt from a training facility in Ellwood, Illinois, to a Walgreens in West Chicago on Sunday, where he and the vehicle were found by local law enforcement after a three-hour search.

Army officials have not named the soldier, who is assigned to 173rd Quartermaster Company out of Greenwood, Mississippi. He was not charged with a crime, a local police chief told The Chicago Tribune and other local media.

Army Reserve spokesman Capt. Eric Connor said the soldier's commander would be in charge of meting out any military punishment, but added that no details had been determined.

The journey began after an argument between the soldier and another soldier at Joliet Training Area, according to suburban Chicago's Daily Herald newspaper. The soldier was not armed when he left the base and the vehicle carried no weapons aboard, Connor said.

Police got a call from the training facility around 11:30 a.m. when someone discovered the vehicle missing, Connor said. The soldier was found in the vehicle by county sheriff's deputies, but the Tribune, citing an unnamed store employee, said the man had entered the Walgreens "dressed in camouflage clothing" prior to his discovery.

Training center supervisors recovered the vehicle.

About Kevin Lilley

Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.

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