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.

[The South Texan]

I feel sorry for the baby.

That's all!

[Modernman]

If you can't kill an animal, how can you kill a human?

I don't see his moral quandary. I can understand people who have a moral objection to eating or killing animals. I can't see the moral objection to killing somebody in a combat environment who is also trying to kill you.

If this guy really became a pacifist during his time in the military (he objects to ALL wars, not just the current one), he should have raised the issue with his commanders. If his feelings were in fact sincere, I imagine the military would have discharged him. However, that doesn't seem to be the case- he seems to be opposed just to this war.

[DakotaGator]

"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..."

Thus rationalizes a coward and traitor. Never allow him back into the "Land of the free. Home of the brave."!

[fightu4it]

As Georgie Patton would say: Why, your nothing but a GD coward.

[Constitution Day]

Thanks for the clarification. Hanging is too good for him.

[mamalujo]

this guy will end up writing a book and making millions

[SwankyC]

They asked me when I was trying to enlist whether I was a conscientous objector - same thing.

[TheBigB]

No problaym-o. My BP goes up everytime I read either story. Even the friggin' picture, what's up with the stupid toboggan cap? Is he another Fred Durst wannabe?

[ohioWfan]

This child is really mixed up.

If he were legitimately a conscientious objector because of his religious beliefs, he would never have signed up to begin with.

And he joined because he thought algor would win??? How funny is that??

I'm with those who said "Let Canada have him." At least their Mad Cows won't be in danger of being eaten by him...

[Who dat?]

Please stop bashing Canada on this.

At the time of Vietnam there was no draft in Canada, therefore avoiding the draft was not an offense in Canada and the draft dodgers could hide out here without fear.

I recall that the draft dodgers were later pardoned. In fact, I seem to recall that it was our fine president Jimmy Carter that did it. Though I also seem to remember that it was draft dodgers, rather than deserters, that were the subjects of the pardons… it’s been a while though.

So regardless of what anyone says about Canadians or Canada, Americans have historically been pretty gutless when it came to dealing with these people – that’s my memory anyway. In that respect they get what they deserve, IMO.

[dansangel]

When he joined the Army, he said he was expecting Al Gore to be elected president.

Shouldn't have played the odds, dorkus. What a disgrace to all of our fine military members who have sacrificed all to protect our freedom. A slap in the face to all those that have given willingly and their families who have felt the sting of that sacrifice.

*LOSER*

[An.American.Expatriate]

I will never forget the day I enlisted in the Army - that was the day Ronald Reagan was elected, soundly defeating Jimmy Carter - I sat in the METS Station the whole day listening to the news... Boy was I hyped!

[The South Texan]

"this guy will end up writing a book and making millions"

And will probably be a guest on CNN and Chris Matthews's show.

[Gefreiter]

'".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..."

Except that it's not up to you to decide which missions you'll take and which you won't.

This guy is full of crap, head to toe and back down again. He swore an oath to obey the lawful orders of the officers appointed over him. If the CO said, "Pack your stuff and get on the plane to Baghdad", there's no conscientiously objecting your way around that.

And besides all that, he was a paratrooper. What kind of fool goes through all the training and effort to become part of an elite, aggressive organization with a history of close combat yet in his heart just needs a hug?! WTF?!

[Howlin]

Probably. I humbly apologize!

[Modernman]

Since there is no draft, why would there be a need for positions for conscientious objectors?

If someone becomes a conscientious objector during his time in the military, there should be a way to either assign them to non-combat duties or discharging them. However, IIRC, conscientious objector status means that you do not agree with any war. This guy seems to dislike the current war based on political, rather than moral, views.

[Constitution Day]

No problaym-o. My BP goes up everytime I read either story.

MINE TOO! I can't stand it.

Even the friggin' picture, what's up with the stupid toboggan cap?
Is he another Fred Durst wannabe?

Yes, he is.
"He did it all for the lefties, so you can take that Army and stick it up your a**"

[joesnuffy]

Stay in Canada a wanted felon?....heck you are probably looking the next new MP

[Constitution Day]

However, that doesn't seem to be the case- he seems to be opposed just to this war.

His agenda is entirely political.

[SwatTeam]

Thank God he's gone. We don't need any more Jr Kerrys or Jane Fonda wannabes. I hope his picture and story are posted at every border crossing and if he attempts to come back, throw him in the stockade where he belongs.