[ElectionInspector]

he was and is a deserter.....

...only to fellow travelers and useful idiots. To Americans he is a Constitution loving Soldier who did his duty until running into the illegal and immoral go along/get along lifers ...

ymmv

[joe fonebone]

"To Americans he is a Constitution loving Soldier "
It is painfully obvious to me that you have not served in the military, because if you had you would know that a soldier goes where he is told to go, when he is told to go there.... if you have a problem with that, there is a chain of command... If you refuse to go when ordered, you are guilty of missing movement ( a polite term for awol, or desertion ) during WW1 many soldiers were SHOT for this offense... during WW2 one soldier was shot for this offense.... reduction in rank and dishonorable discharge, he got off easy... As for useful idiot, anyone who idolizes a deserter is the one that is the useful idiot. If you all need a hero to worship, there are plenty of real ones. Because of his selfishness, another had to be deployed in his place, that did not train with this unit, or had the time to say a proper good by to his family. This guy was and is a disgrace to the uniform he once wore.

[Drew68]

To Americans he is a Constitution loving Soldier who did his duty until running into the illegal and immoral go along/get along lifers ...

Did his duty? That's a joke.

ymmv

You know who else's milleage may vary? Major Craig Dobson, the flight surgeon who had to fill in at the last minute as Lakin's replacement in Afghanistan and who recounted how two days after arriving in theatre, the unit suffered a mass-casualty attack, with sixteen wounded. He said that he was not, in his opinion, as well-prepared to deal with the attack as he would have been had he had longer to prepare for operations at the FOB. Lakin's defense had the audacity to suggest on cross examination that the deployment was probably a good career opportunity for Major Dobson.

Lakin deserved what he received --an outcome that was wholly predictable from the moment he made his intentions known.