A Bellingham man accused of deserting his Army unit in 2001 has been arrested by U.S. Border Officers. Nicholas Olson, now 29, was arrested in Sweetgrass, Mont., on July 3rd as he was trying to re-enter the country from Canada. He will be extradited to the Army to face charges of desertion.

The maximum penalty a U.S. soldier can face for desertion during a time of war is death. While the U.S. has not executed a soldier for desertion since 1945, Olson will likely face upwards of a year in military jail, as well as a return to duty.

Since Olson left his unit in April 2001, months before the 9/11 attacks reshaped our military's priorities and thrust the country into our dual wars, it is not known if he will face a more lenient sentence. Or, if because he failed to return to duty once a war began and has continued for years, he can still be considered guilty of desertion during a time of war.

If only Olson had stayed in Canada one day longer, he might have avoided the whole arrest and return to a system he fled--on July 4th Canadian courts ruled a U.S. military deserter could seek refugee status.

Another great photo from the always amazing Seattlest Flickr Pool and contributor Life As Art