The FFL sort of has the reputation of members totally disavowing themselves fully of their past… it/they/their Prior life completely are you be forgotten as though they didn’t exist. You are a nothing and they own you till your term is up. For them to say “you can go back home” would fly against their entire ethos.

The story also said they were allowing them to go with their complete battle gear. Though I didn’t serve, I’ve heard enough stories from those that did (my father included) about how obsessive and possessive the military is about “their gear” and needing boatloads of documentation of every little item, who had it, what they did with it and accounting for its condition when it was returned. The idea of soldiers taking their gear (gun included) off base and crossing 3-4 international borders as civilians just sounded fanciful.