Recovered/Located AZ - Lance Cpl. Job Wallace, 20, Camp Pendleton Marine, Surprise, 16 Sept 2019

[MassGuy]

Any interviews via msm from any of the Marines he works with?
The military can be very clique-ish and your experiences can vary widely based on who your superiors are, what unit you are in etc. It said he was recently promoted (that's always good) except that the promotion included a move to a different base (new people to work with, new chain of command etc) and that may have resulted in a completely different experience for him in terms of his job. Who you work with/under/over can have a much greater impact on your life when you are in the military vs the civilian world because you don't just work 9-5 with people and then go home to your own surroundings. You literally work, eat, sleep and live amongst the same small group of people every day.

Just throwing out some ideas in terms of how his family could be right that he loved being a marine etc but how that may have dramatically changed very recently.

I hope he is simply AWOL because the alternatives certainly aren't good.

This is why I’m leaning towards AWOL.

I don’t know this guy, and we know very little about him in general. I say this simply based on the circumstances, and having served myself.

First, let’s ignore the promotion thing. He received that based on service time, so it was automatic.

He would have reached his unit not long before he took leave, and he would have been in a whole new world to him.

Some people just don’t adjust well, or encounter unexpected issues. I’ve seen this happen.

The key to figuring out if this is some sort of foul play, or if he took off for some reason, would be talking to the people he spent time with while on leave.

I have no doubt that if he did go AWOL, he would have exhibited certain behavior around his friends (stress, discontent, etc).

Now if everything was normal, he seemed happy and appeared to be his usual self, then I think he’s missing because it is out of his control.

Looking at the entire picture, I think he’s missing because he wants to be. I am open to the alternative though.

We just need more information.

 

[Gusgus]

This is why I’m leaning towards AWOL.

I don’t know this guy, and we know very little about him in general. I say this simply based on the circumstances, and having served myself.

First, let’s ignore the promotion thing. He received that based on service time, so it was automatic.

He would have reached his unit not long before he took leave, and he would have been in a whole new world to him.

Some people just don’t adjust well, or encounter unexpected issues. I’ve seen this happen.

The key to figuring out if this is some sort of foul play, or if he took off for some reason, would be talking to the people he spent time with while on leave.

I have no doubt that if he did go AWOL, he would have exhibited certain behavior around his friends (stress, discontent, etc).

Now if everything was normal, he seemed happy and appeared to be his usual self, then I think he’s missing because it is out of his control.

Looking at the entire picture, I think he’s missing because he wants to be. I am open to the alternative though.

We just need more information.

I spoke to him on Saturday and he seemed very happy and very JW.

 

[Gusgus]

Welcome! It's so helpful to have insiders in this forum. That's a very interesting assumption....Yes, authorities should be checking all CCTV heading west from Surprise as well.

JW's mom has asked for volunteers to contact gas stations in both directions along his route to check surveillance and to put up flyers.

 

[SandyQLS]

To travel from Surprise, AZ to Camp Pendleton via I-10 versus I-8 could just be driver preference. I-10 is by far the more major, heavily traveled, higher traffic route. I-8 barely qualifies as an interstate (AZ-CA) with sections better described as two-lane highway.

There was a 490 acre brush fire #HorseshoeFire that erupted between Nuevo, CA and Banning, CA on Saturday evening Sept. 14. Banning is on the I-10, the smoke would have been blowing right to I-10 and could have slowed traffic in the area. Forward movement of this fire was stopped by Sunday afternoon Sept. 15 but it was still burning, and JW may have received a SigAlert on an app suggesting the alternate route on I-8 just in case the fire reignited or spread. An app may also have sent him to I-8 due to other conditions like an accident.

If JW was picking up another guy, maybe in Yuma (I-8), if he was a fellow Marine wouldn't authorities already know that? Maybe JW thought he could earn some gas money from a ride-share app rider he would pick up in Yuma? That's a scary thought that he might have picked up a stranger who has harmed him and stolen his truck.

MOO

 

[FLmom777]

I taught JW in Surprise for many years. I don’t feel that he is the kind of person who would go AWOL and abandon his responsibilities. I hope that I am wrong. I hope that he smoked pot, knew he’d fail a drug test, and panicked. I hope he is driving around the Dallas area, unsure of how to get out of this situation that he has found himself. I hope these things are true...

However, I fear that they are not.

Some assumptions:

If we assume that JW did not go AWOL, and was indeed on his way back to Camp Pendleton, then we can explain the missing 5 hours from his truck’s timeline by including travel south through Yuma, AZ. If he truly left Surprise around 8:30-9pm, and his truck was seen around 9am east of Fort Hancock (per the information on the missing person flyer) then a trip to Yuma, followed by driving directly east, lines up about perfectly.

Surprise to Yuma = 2h 38m according to google maps.

Yuma to Fort Hancock = 8h 33m according to google maps.

9pm + 2h 38m + 8h 33m = 8:11am.

It is 608 miles from Yuma to Fort Hancock. Assuming a full tank of gas in Yuma (maybe JW stopped and got gas there) the 2004 Explorer Sport Trac can make it roughly 470 miles, highway, on a full tank of gas. Therefore, the truck would have to have stopped somewhere along the way, which could account for the slight discrepancy in time. The distance from Yuma to somewhere like Lordsburg, AZ fits the distance that the truck could make it from Yuma on a full tank of gas.

Hopefully, someone is checking the gas stations and cameras in the Yuma area - or an analogous location along the I-10 corridor that fits the travel/time requirements.

It would help if the camera image was made available, as well as the location that his phone was last on the network. I realize that these things are being kept unavailable for a reason, but every bit of data helps.

JW - come home safe. If you are feeling trapped with no escape, reach out to anyone to let us know that you are alive and finding your way back.

There is also a one hour time difference between Surprise, AZ and El Paso, Tx

 

[SandyQLS]

In early July 2019, a pair of young Marines from Camp Pendleton were arrested just north of the border attempting to transport 3 undocumented persons further into the USA. An NCIS investigation led to the arrest of an additional 16 Marines - at morning roll call in front of 800 people. Additional people have and are being questioned, and more arrests have been made for human and drug smuggling. Here's some links:

Camp Pendleton Marines arrested for smuggling unauthorized immigrants

16 Marines Arrested for Alleged Human Smuggling, Drug-Related Offenses - USNI News

The second article link states that "the Marines arrested and questioned are all assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines".

Here is the flowchart for the 1st Marine Division:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/1st_US_Marine_Division.png

In the flowchart, JW's unit is lateral to and related to the unit where the smuggling ring was operating.

JW: 1st Marine Div, 5th Marine Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines

Smuggling ring: 1st Marine Div, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines

***

I totally doubt JW had anything to do with that mess. I might be concerned that someone thought he was a snitch though... ?

 

[Gutcherino]

What I find interesting is the timely visit to his friends and family in AZ. To be granted out of state leave I would assume it needed to be approved by his commander. When did he seek approval for this leave? Is it coincidence he goes missing during the 72 hrs he is not at base? Or was his visit to Az out of convenience as he intended to drive east. I personally don’t believe he went AWOL. But I’m curious if bank transactions have revealed any addl info not only while he was missing but prior to leaving (cash sum withdrawal).

 

[rosesfromangels]

The Marines don’t scr@w around. They’ll find him, and I do not believe he disappeared on his own will.

Not looking good folks.
Against the odds, praying for a positive outcome.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[MassGuy]

What I find interesting is the timely visit to his friends and family in AZ. To be granted out of state leave I would assume it needed to be approved by his commander. When did he seek approval for this leave? Is it coincidence he goes missing during the 72 hrs he is not at base? Or was his visit to Az out of convenience as he intended to drive east. I personally don’t believe he went AWOL. But I’m curious if bank transactions have revealed any addl info not only while he was missing but prior to leaving (cash sum withdrawal).

Yes, he’d need approval in order to take leave.

There’s the possibility that this was what those in the military would call “a 72.”

That’s a 3 day weekend and wouldn’t count against leave time.

If this was the case, he’d still need approval to travel the distance that he traveled (there’s an acceptable distance, and anything beyond that requires approval).

His banking records will be key, since his phone is apparently off.

 

[MassGuy]

Word of caution here. I’ve been following this since it was first reported, but I was waiting on a MSM organization to pick up on it.

The Daily Beast is left leaning, but their reporting is considered mostly accurate.

The organization that first reported it is biased (to the left), but the sourcing of the information appears legitimate, as it comes from a leaked FBI memo.

Marine Abandoned Base to Target ‘Child Traffickers’ at the Border: Report

ETA: The Memo can be viewed in @Seattle1 ‘s post below.

 

[FlamingoLady]

Word of caution here. I’ve been following this since it was first reported, but I was waiting on a MSM organization to pick up on it.

The Daily Beast is left leaning, but their reporting is considered mostly accurate.

The organization that first reported it is biased (to the left), but the sourcing of the information appears legitimate, as it comes from a leaked FBI memo.

Marine Abandoned Base to Target ‘Child Traffickers’ at the Border: Report

Oh my goodness.............

 

[GordianKnot]

Word of caution here. I’ve been following this since it was first reported, but I was waiting on a MSM organization to pick up on it.

The Daily Beast is left leaning, but their reporting is considered mostly accurate.

The organization that first reported it is biased (to the left), but the sourcing of the information appears legitimate, as it comes from a leaked FBI memo.

Marine Abandoned Base to Target ‘Child Traffickers’ at the Border: Report

SABBM:
A day later, an automatic rifle, an M14 rifle, a semi-automatic shotgun, and a pistol, all belonging to Wallace, were reported missing, according to the report. “Wallace… may pose a threat of violence towards law enforcement or civilians,” the report said. Wallace reportedly claimed that he began to hear voices and indicated that he wanted to get rid of sex traffickers at the border shortly before he vanished, according to the report.
________________________-

Oh, No.

Awful news, if this report is accurate.

If this is true, this is an extremely scary, dangerous situation.

It sounds like JW is definitely AWOL, and likely experiencing a psychotic break.

LE needs to find him quickly for both his safety and the safety of the public, and get him whatever mental health treatment he needs.

Otherwise, this could all end very, very, very badly.

JMO.

 

[Dre]

I’m totally stunned by this news !
Thanks @MassGuy for that update
I hope he’s apprehended without incident and gets the help that he needs

 

[Seattle1]

Ken Klippenstein‏Verified account @kenklippenstein
Missing Marine Corps servicemember “wanted to get rid of child traffickers at the border” and rifles, a shotgun and pistol belonging to him also went missing, per FBI report leaked to me. His car was recently spotted at a border town. Fr @tytinvestigates https://tyt.com/stories/4vZLCHuQrYE4uKagy0oyMA/4HXF7EVcOn29vXGo0WWGH1 …

3:16 PM - 21 Sep 2019

 

[raja]

Wow...I hope they find this guy before something terrible happens.

 

[GordianKnot]

Ken Klippenstein‏Verified account @kenklippenstein
Missing Marine Corps servicemember “wanted to get rid of child traffickers at the border” and rifles, a shotgun and pistol belonging to him also went missing, per FBI report leaked to me. His car was recently spotted at a border town. Fr @tytinvestigates https://tyt.com/stories/4vZLCHuQrYE4uKagy0oyMA/4HXF7EVcOn29vXGo0WWGH1 …

3:16 PM - 21 Sep 2019

Oh, Man.

The news here just keeps getting worse.

This memo is terrifying.
This memo is infuriating.
This memo is heartbreaking.

He reported hearing voices to at least 2 "informants," and they didn't bother to tell anyone until after he went missing?

He gave away all his belongings before leaving Pendleton, and nobody sounded an alarm?

Seriously?!?!

Things didn't need to escalate to this point.
This crisis could have been avoided.

Let's just hope it's resolved soon, and safely.

JMO.

 

[Seattle1]

US Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton goes missing in Arizona

A Border Patrol camera caught Wallace’s truck traveling eastbound on Interstate 10 southeast of El Paso but his mother said law enforcement told her his phone last pinged in Arizona Monday night.

“He got into several colleges and missed scholarship opportunities just so that he could be a Marine because he felt it was his duty to serve his country,” his mother, who lives in Arizona, said.

He was driving a 2004 silver Ford Explorer Sport Trac pickup with the Arizona license plate CRF9682.

The matter has been turned over to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service

 

[Seattle1]

Camp Pendleton Marine goes missing on return from leave

Lance Cpl. Job Covey Wallace was last seen Sept. 16, leaving a friend's home in Surprise, Arizona, according to Facebook posts and a missing person's flyer shared by his family on social media. The 20-year-old Wallace was on his way back to Camp Pendleton after a 3-day leave. He is with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division.

[...]

"Job Wallace, my heart knows you are alive. I don’t know if you’re with a group, kidnapped, or if you ran away," the Marine's mother wrote on Facebook Thursday. "I REFUSE to believe anything but that you’re alive. If you read this somehow or someway please know that we will never stop searching. The military has assured me they want to find you safe and no harm will come to you."

 

[rosesfromangels]

*If* this non-MSM reports are accurate, and that's a big *if* - and this young marine is on some mission heading to the border....well this would seemingly be potential evidence of a mental health issue. He is about the right age for mental illness to show itself.

Regardless of what's going on, let's get this marine back home safely for observation.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[FlamingoLady]

*If* this non-MSM reports are accurate, and that's a big *if* - and this young marine is on some mission heading to the border....well this would seemingly be potential evidence of a mental health issue. He is about the right age for mental illness to show itself.

Regardless of what's going on, let's get this marine back home safely for observation.

Amateur opinion and speculation

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are so on point!!!!