Fort Bragg soldier flees to Canada [Traitor alert!]

Independent Weekly ^ | February 11, 2004 | Patrick O'Neill

[Constitution Day]

Fort Bragg soldier flees to Canada

Jeremy Hinzman enlisted to make a difference, then learned what being a soldier is really all about

By Patrick O'Neill

(First of Two Parts)

February 11, 2004
NEWS FEATURE

On New Year's Eve, Jeremy Hinzman sat in a McDonald's on N.C. 401 in Fuquay-Varina explaining his precarious situation. On Dec. 20, Hinzman, a U.S. Army specialist stationed at Fort Bragg, got the news he had dreaded. His unit--the 504th Brigade, 2nd Battalion--would be shipping out to Iraq shortly after the new year for an indefinite deployment in the war on terrorism. Last year, Hinzman, 25, the father of a 1-year-old son, was deployed for more than eight months to Afghanistan. When he left, Hinzman's son, Liam, was just 7 months old. When Hinzman returned, Liam was walking and didn't remember his father. While he didn't see any combat in that first deployment, Hinzman said he had a bad feeling about going to Iraq.

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Hinzman, his wife, Nga Nguyen, and their son, Liam

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In Iraq, Hinzman, said he felt like he would have to do some things he'd regret. During Christmas leave, Hinzman, who is a member of the Fayetteville Friends Meeting, discussed his options with his wife, Nga Nguyen. He could go to Iraq--an option both he and Nguyen rejected. He could refuse the deployment order and face court martial and a likely prison term. Or he could follow a plan of action that thousands of young men like himself had taken during the Vietnam War--he could flee to Canada.

He chose option three. On Jan. 2, Hinzman and his family packed up their small car with a few essentials, leaving almost all of their possessions behind. They left post housing under the cover of darkness for the 17-hour drive to the U.S.-Canadian border. Quakers living in the U.S. made contacts in Ontario, and the family was set up with places to stay until they moved into a Toronto apartment on Feb. 1.

A story in the Feb. 7 edition of the Toronto Globe and Mail, says Hinzman is believed to be the first U.S. soldier to file for refugee status in Canada for refusing duty in Iraq. The report says Hinzman's case is "the first echo of the 12,000 deserters and 20,000 draft resisters who came north more than 30 years ago to escape the Vietnam War."

Before enlisting, Hinzman said he was searching for some meaning in his life, and the military--which had a "higher purpose"--was better than working just for the sake of making a buck. "I guess I just kind of sold my soul for the college money," he said. "That's probably a little too blunt. I had this notion that, "Hey, I'm going to go and get paid to exercise, shoot weapons and jump out of planes,' and that sounded real fun. It didn't matter to me at that point.

"I was just young, and I didn't feel I was really going anywhere."

Hinzman admits he got in over his head. When he joined the Army, he said he was expecting Al Gore to be elected president. The terror attacks of 9-11 were still an unimaginable horror. But the Iraq war forced him to reassess his values.

"It's a political decision, which as a soldier I'm not really entitled to have," he said. "But I feel that if I had gone to Iraq I would be in a sense putting myself into a criminal enterprise and becoming a criminal because it's a war--or an act of aggression. I don't think it can be called a war--based on false pretenses in terms of weapons of mass destruction, the links to al Qaeda and bringing democracy to Iraq.

"Because if democracy was to happen in Iraq, the Shiites would take power, and they would by no means be a friendly government towards the U.S. or its interests. So I don't want to risk my life for that, and I don't think the government should risk the lives of our country's young for that, and also to line the pockets of big corporations. I mean the obvious example is Haliburton.

"It's kind of, to me, messed up to go destroy a country's infrastructure and then have an auction to see who can rebuild it. It just smells bad to me, and I don't want to be part of it, nor do I want to kill people or be some place where I wasn't wanted. There are a lot of governments and leaders in the world that we don't necessarily like, but we're not going there. For example, Zimbabwe--we don't do anything about Robert Mugabe. I mean he's just as bad a tyrant as Saddam Hussein was, but why aren't we there? It's obviously about economics. I don't want to be a pawn in that game."

Hinzman, a native of Rapid City, S.D., admits he was not a typical soldier. A Catholic convert who also follows Buddhist teachings and enjoys the silent worship of Quakers, Hinzman was a military misfit from the get-go. His fellow soldiers were weirded out by his meditation regimen and his choice to not eat meat.

For the most part, Hinzman said he kept his political and moral views to himself, "although I won't deny I was known as the liberal, and this is in a culture where everybody watches Fox News. There aren't very many vegetarians in the Army, so that would open up a whole bag of tricks."

Hinzman's peers would ask a logical question: "Well, if you can't eat an animal or if you can't kill an animal, how can you kill a human?"

"They did ask those kind of questions, and it did raise their eyebrows," Hinzman said. "That's one of the reasons that got me thinking that I was in the wrong place. If you think logically, that makes sense. If you can't kill an animal, how can you kill a human?"

Hinzman also felt uncomfortable with the Army mindset that encouraged misogyny and violence. Particularly, he remembers the indoctrination of the troops during basic training. During exercises, the new recruits would drill using macabre chants.

"When we were marching around chanting songs like, "Train to kill. Kill we will,' or during bayonet training they'd ask, "What makes the grass grow?' and we'd say "Blood, blood, bright red blood.'

"When we would thrust [the bayonet], the drill sergeant would yell that, and we'd have to scream back. People would actually get hoarse yelling this crap. I could never really get into that stuff. Some people ate it up because I think there is an opportunity in groups to kind of let go of your inhibitions and do wanton things...

"It's all presented, at least on the surface, as, "Oh, it's just in humor, and no one's around listening to it,' but I think that really does put that mindset in a soldier that they're killers."

The atmosphere was surreal, he said. "It's what you think about when you think of a dystopian novel, just all these mindless drones walking around, and the sad thing is that they were individuals with thoughts and feelings, and, at least when they're at work, that's lost much of the time."

The military mindset also fosters a rejection of feminist/maternal values, Hinzman said.

"It's a very misogynistic place to be in," he said. "Everyday conversation, it's like a gangsta rap song the way women are referred to by people you would never suspect of talking that way. There is a lot of domestic violence in the Army, and marriages don't work and women are objectified."

The circumstances required enormous self-discipline, Hinzman said. "I would have this constant dialogue with myself," he said, "and sometimes I'd have to force it because when you're around something enough, when you're in an environment enough, you do tend to become a product of that environment.

"Like for instance, I swore all the time, and I would have to make these resolutions that I'm not going to swear because that's the first step on the road to losing yourself; your autonomy. It's almost expected that you're going to refer to women and the enemy in negative terms, objectifying the people you fight against so they no longer have humanity. I had to bite my tongue constantly."

While he would occasionally have meaningful conversations with his peers, for the most part, Hinzman kept to himself.

"When you're at work you put on your game face, especially as a lower enlisted person," he said. "You don't really talk about the moral ramifications of what you're doing. Everyday discussion is kind of stultified."

In Part 2 of this report, Hinzman tells about his failed effort to be placed in a noncombat assignment as a conscientious objector, and what the future looks like for him and his family in Canada.

[BlueLancer]

"Who says liberals can't be good soldiers?"

I wholeheartedly agree. A soldier in my section is deploying with the 1st Cav to Iraq and you've never seen a better worker, a more enthusiastic individual with initiative and drive to succeed at his MOS, someone willing to listen to the advice of an old soldier (even though I am an ultra-conservative and "beyond saving" politically, in his eyes). His car is decorated with "Dean for President" bumper stickers and he's intelligent enough to know who to debate politics with (me, for one, because I don't hold his youth against him) and when to just do what he's told.

Service is service ... and I could never see him pulling a Kerry when it comes time for him to ETS.

[realpatriot71]

But I feel that if I had gone to Iraq I would be in a sense putting myself into a criminal enterprise and becoming a criminal because it's a war--or an act of aggression.

Personally, wether one agrees with this guy or not, I think it brings up an interesting point to ponder: when can a soldier, for moral/ethical reasons, refuse an order? How much "politics" is the soldier supposed to consider, if any? Does the soldier "check his thinking cap at the door" when he enters service? What, if any, situation(s) occurs, would it be justifiable to refuse service and run to Canada?

Hmmm - my father was a soldier, and I spent many years as an "army brat" but I have not served myself, so perhaps I do not have the correct perspective. Any thoughts?

[Constitution Day]

Great catch!

[dansangel]

From the other article: He enlisted on Jan. 17, 2001

Then he obviously doesn't watch the news nor read a newspaper. Lying jerk.

[BlueLancer]

You have the right to refuse an illegal order. That is the only out that you have .. and you'd better be ready to defend your position that it IS an illegal order if it's taken to a court-martial.

Other than that, your oath requires you to follow all legal orders. There are various ways to attempt to get out of the Army should a "moral/ethical" problem arise, but, again, you'd better be ready to give some really good reasons as to why these problems didn't exist when you signed on the dotted line and took your oath of enlistment.

[Constitution Day]

Be sure to post the second part of the article when it shows up. Thanks for this posting; this is the first I've heard of this sorry excuse for a soldier.

Oh, I definitely will. Normally I never leave this leftist rag but I'll keep an eye out.

I hadn't heard of this story either. What a little puke.

[Constitution Day]

Argh!

I meant "Normally I never READ this leftist rag"

[Modernman]

There are various ways to attempt to get out of the Army should a "moral/ethical" problem arise, but, again, you'd better be ready to give some really good reasons as to why these problems didn't exist when you signed on the dotted line and took your oath of enlistment.

In your experience, how would the military handle a situation where a recruit had no moral qualms about combat when he enlisted, but his views changed over time? (say, through a sincere religious conversion)

Leaving all politics aside, let's assume the soldier is now a sincere pacifist, opposed to war in all its forms.

[Chris Talk]

If he was a Quaker, a member of a "Friends' Meeting," why on earth did he go into the Military in the first place, and why would they TAKE him?

[jnarcus]

Actually IF this guy is really a practising Quaker (Friends) then he had a way out. The US Supreme COurt has on numerouse occassion allowed for a reapplication of CO status even after being in the Army...From the looks of his picture he is a dope smoking vegan who wishes to rec apture those "glorios" days of the 60s...I am glad he's gone but as most cowards do he ran rather than accept the consequences of his actions

[Poohbah]

A Catholic convert who also follows Buddhist teachings and enjoys the silent worship of Quakers,

This boy--he sure as hell ain't a man yet--needs to figure out what he is.

[Kadric]

Can you say absentee ballot?

[Moose4]

Exactly. Medics were some of the bravest soldiers in past wars! Somebody posted a story on here a while back about a WWII conscientious objector in the Pacific that I believe won a Medal of Honor as a medic...Desmond Doss, I think? Can somebody dig that up?

If this grabastic piece of amphibious poop thinks killing is wrong, but was moron enough to sign up for the Army anyway (hey, stupid, IT'S THE ARMY, THEY KILL PEOPLE), then a medic job would be right up his alley.

BTW...504th, isn't that part of the 101st? If so, you have to be sh*tting me that this guy would be Airborne (or Air Assault) and only now figure out that he was in the Army to kill people? The BS detector just pegged...this is political, not religious.

}:-)4

[BlueLancer]

Generally speaking, he would approach his chain of command with the problem, leading up to his company commander ... and maybe his battalion and brigade commanders. He would probably be referred to the Chaplains' Office (somewhat akin to a medical board to determine an injury) for a determination/assessment of his "moral qualms" or pacifist conversion.

Assuming this goes well, from his standpoint, he would usually be assigned to a non-combat support role, if retrainable. If the Army wants to keep his warm body in the ranks, he won't have any choice in this. They CAN hold him to his enlistment under any circumstances. If he refuses the non-combat position, then he's back at square one: disobeying a lawful order, and a court-martial.

Only in very very rare circumstances (and, I would hazard a guess, only in non-wartime) would a soldier be allowed to process out of the Army for such views and beliefs. I've seen it happen only once in 32 years of Navy/Army/DA civilian service, and that was in a non-wartime situation and he had married a woman who "converted" him to some religion that didn't approve of any sort of military service, and the Chaplains signed off on it. (I would also guess that his unit figured he wasn't worth the hassle of retraining either.)

[maica]

It is good for all that he is not going to Baghdad. The Quakers, Mennonites, CODEPINKs, Ansar al Islams, etc would all be vying for his attention. He would be lethal to genuine American soldiers and Iraqis trying to help their own country.

[jocon307]

"He's a Quaker!"

Yeah, he's as poor an excuse of a Quaker as he is of a solider.

[Aeronaut]

Hey Jeremy, read my tagline.

[clyde260]

I guess there's bound to be "one" in every crowd. At least we don't have to waste out money on him. Thanks for the shout.

[Former Proud Canadian]

You might be right technically about the death penalty but the authorities usually find ways around this. In practical terms, I think most of the northern border states do not have the death penalty (Michigan, Wisconsin, Washington, Maine etc.). So a killer would have to cross a lot of state lines and then cross the international border. If there was an alert out I think the vehicle would be flagged at customs and entry to Canada would be denied.

[Howlin]

I did not mean that disparagingly about Quakers; I should have been more careful with my choice of words to post.