Army officer says won't fight in "unlawful" Iraq war

[Monsoon65]

Just saw this on Yahoo. Hope the link works.




http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...usa_officer_dc

[Bill Harsey]

That's been in the regional news around here all day.

[Q]

Yeah, I've been watching this on local news. Had to stop and puke on a number of ocassions. I forgot we are not a culture of warriors anymore and that we join the military to get a free ride to college. In case you haven't guessed I'm from Washington State. We join here to be an Army of One. Since when? My daughter-in-Law is a friggin' truck driver going back on her second tour. She is a little Phillipino girl that can handle a 50 cal on top of a deuce. She told my son (who put his 6 years in) she loved it and was going back. Of course being an upstanding American Male (bred on Oprah) he puked his brains out and checked his balls because his wife may have stolen them. Guys, I'm going back to Mexico.......no explanation needed. Love "Q".

[incommin]

Where ever you walk you will find crap. He is just another pile!

[Slantwire]

From Hawaii, apparently ethnic Japanese (probably has no familial / historical ties to the theater in question). Served one tour in Korea, and is announcing his refusal to go for his FIRST tour in Iraq.... in other words, he's never been.

And yet he "knows" that there is "...wholesale slaughter and mistreatment of the Iraqi people" and "[his] participation would make [him] party to war crimes."

Well, if he participated in wholesale slaughter and mistreatment, it would make him party to war crimes. How can he claim that such would happen? Is he so out of control that if he goes, he'll perform wholesale slaughter? Don't think that's what he's saying.

The guy's almost certainly younger than me, how is he such an expert? What does he know, how can he claim to know what's going on over there? And why does he feel the need to hold a ****ing PRESS CONFERENCE??



Shutting up.

[uboat509]

This just kills me. I can't get sent to Iraq to save my life but this asshat is refusing to go? My gut is telling me that this guy is full of crap. He is an artillery officer and now all of a sudden he has strong convictions against the war? I wouldn't be a bit suprised to find that he just discovered that he would actually have to do a dangerous assignment and this is his way of avoiding it.

SFC W

[Richard]

I signed onto his web-site and signed his petition of support...as Abu musab al-Zaqhari and thanked him for his support of al-qaeda.

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by Richard Hayse

I signed onto his web-site and signed his petition of support...as Abu musab al-Zaqhari and thanked him for his support of al-qaeda.

LOL, why did I think of that!

[Blue]

Proof yet again that's it's far better to have a p***y than to be one. I'd give my right arm (literally) to be back in the game, and this fool pisses it away..no doubt with these intentions the entire time.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Blue

I'd give my right arm (literally) to be back in the game...

Not your left nut?

[CPTAUSRET]

Originally Posted by Razor

Not your left nut?

I bet she'd offer up yours!

[Warrior-Mentor]

Originally Posted by Richard Hayse

I signed onto his web-site and signed his petition of support...as Abu musab al-Zaqhari and thanked him for his support of al-qaeda.

I'm sure we could find a couple other knuckle heads to sign the petition...
UBL
al-Iraqi
Khomeni
Che
Mickey Mouse

Anything to undermine their efforts...

[Gypsy]

http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=5117494

Army Charges Lt. Watada

July 6, 2006 03:13 AM CDT


HONOLULU (KHNL)- Hawaii residents react to what's shaping up to be a controversial international case, centered around a Hawaii-born soldier.

The Army filed three charges today against First Lieutenant Ehren Watada who refused to deploy to Iraq last month because he believes the war is illegal. The charges are conduct unbecoming an officer, missing movement and contempt toward officials.

Defense attorney Eric Seitz says military lawyers calculated 28-year-old Watada could face seven and a half years in prison and a dishonorable discharge if convicted.

Watada is reportedly in good spirits tonight, just hours after the army read the charges against him. His father Bob Watada says, "I'm very concerned for my son but when you do the right thing you feel ok, you feel good. He did the right thing and I'm very proud of him."

Seitz is not surprised Watada is charged with missing movement but-- "we were flabbergasted the army made charges that he was disrespectful in some of the statements he's made to the media."

Seitz expects a battle about first amendment rights. "Obviously those charges are being used to muzzle opposition in a way that I think is very unprincipled."

Opponents, like veteran Jack Schneider, say Watada deserves prison time. "I don't think it's enough. Being a veteran I know what it's like to be in a combat zone where people are saying things that are detrimental to the mission."

Watada's father says his son is ready to pay for his beliefs. "If that's the price to pay for him standing up then he's going to go to jail. He's prepared for it."

Seitz expects Watada's first military hearing - called an Article 32 - at the end of this month, and his court marital to start in the fall.

Watada is a member of the Army's first Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He refused to go to Iraq after researching the war and determining it to be illegal. He said he would be willing to serve in Afghanistan or elsewhere.

The Army refused to allow him to resign his commission because his unit is covered by a stop-loss policy and he has not fulfilled his service obligation, which ends in December.

[The Reaper]

I don't care where he is from or who his lawyer is.

He needs to go to jail and be an example to others. As an officer and a leader, he has violated his oath, as well as the trust, confidence, and loyalty of his soldiers and superiors alike.

I vote for the GCM and hard time. The Federal felony conviction will follow him and will make him wish he had chosen another path for the rest of his life.

The deployment orders are from competent authority and are not illegal.

He must follow them, or pay the piper.

TR

[Monsoon65]

"Watada is a member of the Army's first Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He refused to go to Iraq after researching the war and determining it to be illegal. He said he would be willing to serve in Afghanistan or elsewhere."

Since when can someone pick and choose their fights? He'll fight in Afghanistan, but not Iraq? If that's the case, I don't want to fight in either anymore. I'll save myself for when we decide to go to war against Bermuda or New Zealand.

Give him the GCM and some jail time. Let him stew over his decision when he's working at the car wash with that loser from the Coast Guard Academy.