Chicago police arrested a 19-year-old Foreman High School graduate on a federal warrant they discovered during a traffic stop Sunday night. Now his parents are worried he’s headed to a court martial for deserting his Marine unit almost 10 months ago.

Luis Jiménez Jr. graduated as part of his school’s ROTC program in 2006. Then he joined the Marines, became a sniper and ended up in Iraq. Jiménez’s father says the young man was eager to fight for his country.

JIMENEZ: Soldados con soldados, pero nunca esperó que se fuera a enfrentar con gente inocente…

But he says his son expected to face other soldiers, not innocent people. Jiménez’s unit returned to San Diego. Last March, he left the base without permission and came back to the Chicago area.

The Marine Corps says about a thousand of its soldiers desert each year. The corps relies on local police forces to help find them.