How do you call a soldier refusing to fight, fleeing from the military?

A deserter?

Deserter
Coward
Weenie.
Or something like that.

@whitenoise YES! Thank you!

Four minutes, that is why I love Fluther!

Conscientious objector
Pacifist

@gailcalled
Its a volunteer service. The people you mentioned don’t sign up.
You must be thinking of a time when it was not voluntary
I don’t know that time.

@josie; True

Going AWOL is another term used.

A deserter.

The less onerous term for a soldier not reporting for duty is absent without leave. AWOL

AWOL could lead to desertion if enough time has elapsed or no contact is made with the service.

Smart.

Thank you for the additional answers.

@Neodarwinian Thanks, I’ve always used “AWOL” and “deserter” as synonyms. Didn’t realise there is a difference.
@ragingloli Undoubtedly.

Goodnight, everyone.

[Mod says] This is in general folks. Responses must be helpful and on topic. Thanks!

AWOL is the term.

Shitbag, least that is the word used for where I am at that are lacking or sham out of things.

Yep, I’d go with smart too.
Had I been a mother back during the draft days I’d have personally driven my child to Canada. haha
Make love not war. :-)

Consciencous objector or AWOL/deserter are the military terms.I would prefer to call them an escapee or traitor.

I can only think about pacifist but it is not necessarily a soldier, it is just a person who has such beliefs according to which he or she doesn’t want any violence or anything like that involved into his or her life.

AWOL
Absent WithOut Leave

You can be absent without leave, while not being a deserter. For instance, waking up in a girls arms, with a hangover, missing roll call.

Sane.

It depends. A deserter or a hero. It depends on whether he or she fights for a democratic country or a totalitarian state. Today the German soldiers who stopped fighting for Hitler are applauded. It has taken a couple of decades to vindicate them. Till the end of the 60s they were seen as traitors by older people.