Soldier feels suicidal, deserts from U.S. Army, joins the Foreign Legion instead, claims it was under duress

American criminal law generally recognizes the defense of duress: The rules vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but one common formulation is that the defendant is excused from criminal responsibility if “the defendant was under an unlawful and imminent threat of such a nature as to induce a well-grounded apprehension of death or serious bodily injury,” […]