Soldier from San Angelo goes AWOL, cites morals (total and complete barf)

San Angelo Standard-Times ^ | April 17, 2004 | Rick Smith

[76834]

Soldier from San Angelo goes AWOL, cites morals By Rick Smith / San Angelo Standard-Times April 17, 2004

SAN ANGELO — Brandon Hughey knows why he made his decision and the penalty he faces.

Hughey, a San Angelo native and 2003 Central High School graduate, fled his Army unit before it shipped out to Iraq in March. It was, he says, his obligation to leave.

"I feel that if a soldier is given an order that he knows to not only be illegal, but immoral as well, then it his responsibility to refuse that order," he wrote in response to e-mailed questions from the San Angelo Standard-Times. "It is also my belief that if a soldier is refusing an order he knows to be wrong, it is not right for him to face persecution for it."

While he is seeking asylum as a refugee in Canada, Hughey is not keeping a low profile. His story has appeared in a number of international newspapers, and his Web site, www.brandonhughey.org, is updated regularly.

Hughey, 18, enlisted in the Army in 2003 and, after basic training, learned to drive a tank. He was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood in Killeen.

On his Web page, Hughey has written that he believes the war against Iraq was "based solely on lies" and that the war is illegal under international law.

"If you were given an order to participate in an unlawful occupation that is resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocent people with no justifiable cause, would you be able to live with yourself if you carried out that order?" he wrote in his e-mail to the Standard-Times.

He also wrote that he is surprised by the support he has received from Americans and Canadians. He said he has received letters from well-wishers and donations to help with his legal fees.

On his Web site, he wrote he is optimistic about gaining refugee status. While he could face the death penalty for desertion during wartime if he returned to the United States, he said he believes such severe punishment is unlikely.

"I would most likely go to prison for a few years," he wrote.

Search for his son

Brandon Hughey had always been the son who caused David Hughey no trouble. The youngster made good grades, stayed out of trouble and played trumpet in the Central band.

"He’s a quiet kid," his father said. "He always has been."

Brandon Hughey decided to enlist in the Army while he was in school. The summer after graduation, he left for active duty.

The young recruit excelled during basic training, boosting his confidence, David Hughey said.

"I thought he was doing great," he said.

Hughey flew to Kentucky in November for his son’s military graduation ceremony.

"I was proud of him," he said. "He had accomplished something a lot of people are afraid to attempt.

"And he was proud of himself."

After basic training, Brandon Hughey trained as an M1 tank driver. His father thought "everything was coming together for him."

Then, in early March, the Army contacted David Hughey to tell him his son was absent without leave. He had left the base just before his unit deployed to Iraq.

"They said he was gone," Hughey said. "And I didn’t know where the heck he was."

David Hughey learned his son had deserted his unit after receiving a mysterious phone call from a car salesman in Indianapolis.

The salesman had sold Brandon Hughey a Mustang last summer. He told David Hughey that "some guy in Indianapolis had found Brandon’s car, without Brandon," David Hughey said. The salesman told David Hughey he didn’t know what happened to his son, but gave him the name and number of the Indianapolis contact.

"I thought maybe the kid was dead," David Hughey said. "I was incredibly worried that this kid was wandering around and would meet some people that aren’t any good."

David Hughey called the man in Indianapolis. Yes, the man told him, he had the car.

What about his son?

Come and get the car, the man told him.

David Hughey took a 6 a.m. flight to Indianapolis to meet the man, having "no idea who the hell he was. And I still didn’t know where my son was."

From a hotel near the Indianapolis airport, he called the man, who came with the car. Hughey asked about his son.

"He’s with good people," the man told him. "He’s in Canada."

David Hughey sighed, recalling the moment. "I just thought to myself, ‘Canada? Oh boy. Canada.’"

The Indianapolis man, an anti-war activist named Carl Rising-Moore, told David Hughey his son contacted him through the Internet. The soldier told him he did not want to deploy to Iraq. He asked for help reaching Canada. Rising-Moore met the soldier in Indianapolis and drove him across the Canadian border.

David Hughey said he wishes his son had not gone to Canada.

"I wanted him to honor his commitment," he said. "But he feels strongly enough about it that he took off. He didn’t want to go to Iraq. Whether he was opposed to the war, or scared, or both, he didn’t want to go."

He said he is still hopeful his son can return to the United States.

"Maybe things will still work out," he said. "That’s always a possibility, and I’m not going to give up on that.

"I worry about him. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But at least Brandon is safe."

Contact San Angelo Standard-Times staff writer Rick Smith at rsmith@sastandardtimes.com or (325) 659-8248.

[alancarp]

Okay, point taken. I'll rephrase: a particular slate of instructors that didn't teach this particular kid enough about responsibility and the costs of freedom.

I do not wish to impune the gallant troops giving there all by suggesting that their background and fortitude compares with this ne'er-do-well in any way, shape, or form.

[John Will]

Isn't the deepest circle of hell reserved for traitors?.

[Adrastus]

"I feel.." I believe.." This has all the earmarks of a liberal public school education. This sort will always "feel" and "believe", but he will never KNOW. Only a person of conviction and courage will say that he knows, because he's the type who will have thought it out to the end. He knows the conseqences, both good and bad, and will stand up for what he knows to be right. This twit has no self respect, no sense of duty, no sense of personal responsibility. His only thought is for "me."

I would not want this worm driving my tank, nor would I want to have to depend on him in a fire fight.

My nephew was deployed to Iraq when Cav went,I woldn't want this spinless thing in his tank either.

As a Texan I do not want him back under any circumstances. He has nothing to contribute to this country.

[alancarp]

Oops: that's "...giving their all..."

It's late.

[TexKat]

product of public schooling

I wonder just how many of the troops that were on the front line attended public school. I would bet hundreds. The soldier that is in captivity at the present attended public school. I imagine most of the young men and young women attended public school and join the military in order to make something of their lives.

[steplock]

In CONTRAST.......

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004414101916/$file/torrez5lr.jpg

3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment memorializes fallen warrior
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification Number: 2004414101613
Story by Sgt. Jose L. Garcia



CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq(April 13, 2004) -- Twenty-one-year-old Lance Cpl. Elias Torrez III, a radio operator, was driving back to base when his convoy was ambushed in the city of Sa'dah.

Torrez had one hand on the steering wheel and his foot on the door to hold it open while he shot at the enemy. He unloaded two magazines before being killed April 9.

The San Angelo, Texas Marine, assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division just dropped off a squad of Marines in a nearby town and was on his way back to Al Qaim when rocket-propelled grenades and heavy small arms fire struck his convoy.

A crowd of more than 400 Marines and sailors gathered for a memorial service held April 13, to honor Torrez's memory and pay their last respects to the fallen warrior.

"He was glued to the driver seat and kept the vehicle moving," Staff Sgt. Brian D. Laucht, 30, an artillery operations chief with Company K from Oceanside, Calif. "He had the door open with one foot and was blazing away at the enemy."

Cpl. Noe Tellez , assigned to 3rd Battalion's Communications Platoon, Headquarters and Service Company, described Torrez as a fearless and ambitious Marine who was never afraid of anything

"He stuck with us all the way through the first war and now this one. He wasn't scared to get out there and help us out," the 22 year-old San Antonio-born Marine said.

Tellez and Torrez, roommates, always traveled home on leave and whenever possible. They lived a few hours away from each other.

Cpl. Jonathan L. Garza, a field wireman and Torrez's best friend, said they became good friends during Operation Iraq Freedom last year and since became inseparable.

"We fought together," 21-year-old Garza said. "We were the G and T connection, 'two compadres.' He was my son's godfather."

Torrez was born January 28, 1983 and joined the Marine Corps on Sept. 9, 2001.
He completed recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. He joined 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment in February 2002.

Torrez served with Weapons Company during last year's campaign in Iraq as a gunner and a combat vehicle driver in addition to his duties as a radioman. A year later he deployed again.

Garza said Torrez loved playing card games and video games. He also played football and collected football jerseys.

Torrez's desire was to become an infantryman and then a recruiter. His lifelong goal was to stay in the Marine Corps until retirement.

"All he wanted to do was be a grunt," Garza said. "He loved what he was doing... and being around the group of guys he was attached to."

According to Laucht, Torrez was a smiling person who had many friends. He spent hours writing letters home and never seemed to worry about anything.

"He was like a brother to me," said Lance Cpl. Raul Gonzalez Jr., from Monroeville, Ala. and a mortarman with 3rd Battalion. "He took me under his wing and taught me knowledge.

"He was definitely a mentor and I want to be like him in a lot of his ways," 18-year-old Gonzalez added.

"His death crushed a lot of people," Laucht said, "He was a likeable person who had a lot of friends."

Torrez is survived by his parents and two brothers.

[GeronL]

wow. Thats very likely. Now he's gone whole hog in the opposite direction... AWOL...

[jusduat]

I was a reserve during the first gulf war. My unit flew
several support missions (fleet logistics) I was proud
that I could be of service during war time and got a
couple of medals. You never know how someone will take
a situation, when my mother found out I was flying
missions in the middle east, she asked me if I could
quit. I just said No, but I never knew until then
that she could ask me to do such a spineless thing.
I would never ask my children to do something that
would appear less than honorable. This guy's dad is
who I feel sorry for.

[little jeremiah]

Thanks for posting the recollections of the fallen Marine.

The comparison between him and the scum who fled to Canada is glaring.

We will reap what we sow. Those who fall in battle, fighting for a righteous cause, reap great rewards in the life to come.

The other? He better live a long time, because the reward for being a traitor won't be pleasant.

[little jeremiah]

Another product of the rejection of moral absolutes. Character traits such as honesty, loyalty, word of honor, bravery, courage and duty used to mean something.

If moral absolutes fall by the wayside (it's been happening for several generations, more and more) we are finished as a civilization. And we can't pick and choose. Either there is right and wrong, always the same, always true, or there isn't.

This young fool is a product of "it's true for you if you feel it's true, and what's true for me is what I feel is true".

The royal road to hell and the end of what is good and great about our country.

[Ben Chad]

My son had a bowl haircut like the rest. He's a Marine in the eye of the storm.

[MeekOneGOP]

I wonder if Natalie Maines will say she's embarassed he's from Texas?

ha ! She'd likely speak up FOR and DEFEND this coward/traitor.

_____________________________________

"I feel that if a soldier is given an order that he knows to not only be illegal, but immoral as well, then it his responsibility to refuse that order," he wrote in response to e-mailed questions from the San Angelo Standard-Times. "It is also my belief that if a soldier is refusing an order he knows to be wrong, it is not right for him to face persecution for it."

While he is seeking asylum as a refugee in Canada, Hughey is not keeping a low profile. His story has appeared in a number of international newspapers, and his Web site, www.brandonhughey.org, is updated regularly.

Persecution ? Why, heck no !! How about Court Martial !? Throw him in the Brig !

He wants HIGH PROFILE ? Give him a HIGH PROFILE court martial. Alert FOX News, let Rush Limbaugh know about this ..... let EVERYONE know about this guy getting what he deserves: A prison cell for his little cowardous, Benedict Kerry-Arnold act .....

[MeekOneGOP]

From his WEBSITE I got his E-MAIL ADDRESS and sent him my 2 cents
(which I expect NOT to get a reply from - we'll see):

Brandon:

You're AWOL, son. Come back to the USA and face the music and maybe they won't be too hard on you.

I'm sorry to see a TEXAN doing this. How embarrasing. You knew when you went into the military that we were going to war with Iraq. If you objected to the war, you should NOT have signed up. But you did, and now you're not taking your oath to this country seriously.

What's even worse is that you CHOOSE to make your case high profile with your website. Good grief.

From the article (link is below):

"I feel that if a soldier is given an order that he knows to not only be illegal, but immoral as well, then it his responsibility to refuse that order," he wrote in response to e-mailed questions from the San Angelo Standard-Times. "It is also my belief that if a soldier is refusing an order he knows to be wrong, it is not right for him to face persecution for it."

While he is seeking asylum as a refugee in Canada, Hughey is not keeping a low profile. His story has appeared in a number of international newspapers, and his Web site, www.brandonhughey.org, is updated regularly.

Please do the RIGHT thing. Come back and face the consequences for you action.

Sincerely,

[MeekOneGOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1119698/posts

_________________________________________

Too hard on him ? Too soft on him ? I think just about right.

If enough folks do this, maybe he'll do the right thing. Who knows ?

[MEG33]

The order was not illegal.If he finds war immoral,he joined the wrong group.He is scared,flattered by the peacenic help and enjoying a bit of press at the moment.I feel sorry for his parents and friends.The glamour will wear off and he'll want to come home.

I would feel more sympathy because of his youth if he had simply left and not used the illegal and immoral excuse.His new "friends" are using him.

[Truthsayer20]

"I would imagine the majority of troops in the Iraq theatre attended public school."

Exactly. I doubt there are many folks from New England prep schools serving. Military service is unfortunately 'passe' among the elite in America.

[cynicom]

"But at least Brandon is safe"

Ah yes...Little Brandon is SAFE, let some other dumb kid take his place and do the bleeding and dying. Damned coward.

[Sci Fi Guy]

I served in the Navy back in 1990 at Great Lakes and there were kids then who tried to weasel out of their service because their recruiter reassured them that they wouldn't be going to Iraq (in the first Persian Gulf War).

Peoples always try to weasel out of their service during basic/boot training. An Army Chaplin friend of mine, said that they had each excuse numbered, because they all came up with the same/similar excuses. (i.e. daily schedule 10am counsel pvt jones excuse # 3, 11am pvt smith excuse #2, etc)

So I wouldn't put any great weight in their excuses. Especially being in the navy, its not like they would be getting shot at in the front lines (unless they're a med corpsmen or chaplin's assistant attached to a marine unit.)

[LoudRepublicangirl]

It's the difference between those who want to play soldier and those who really are soldiers. War does tend to separate the men from the boys.

[MeekOneGOP]

bump !

[LucyJo]

"Thank heavens no soldier has to depend on this betrayer to save his life.He has no place in the army."

AMEN!!!