CAMP ZAMA, Kanagawa Pref. -- Sgt. Charles Jenkins was given a 30-day jail sentence and a dishonorable discharge Wednesday after pleading guilty before a court-martial at Camp Zama for deserting his U.S. Army unit and fleeing to North Korea in 1965.

The judge recommended the jail term be suspended, and the military is expected to rule on this soon.

Jenkins told the court-martial he deserted to avoid dangerous duty on the Korean Peninsula and in Vietnam.