Posted on 01/21/2005 3:13:54 PM PST by Former Military Chick
January 20, 2005 - "I am ashamed to be associated with this mess, and I certainly did not join the Army to kill women, children and old men. I just don't see how these innocent people could be a threat to the Constitution of the United States. An American soldier should not be ashamed of what they do," said Sgt. Kevin Benderman of the U.S. Army.
Benderman has said that he will refuse to deploy to Iraq as ordered. A 40-year old veteran who has received many awards, including four Good Conduct Medals, Benderman was deployed in Iraq from March to September of 2003. During that time, he says, "elements of my unit were instructed by a captain to fire on children throwing rocks at us."
He said that he realized that "the people that we are fighting now are for the most part people like you and me, people that are defending themselves against a superior military force and fighting to keep that which is rightfully theirs." He has also said the Iraqi people have the right to choose their own form of government, "just like we did in America after the revolution."
Benderman, who first entered the Army in 1987, has applied for a conscientious objector discharge. A decision on his application is still pending.
Benderman is not alone in his objection to the war. Twenty-two soldiers in his unit have refused to deploy to Iraq. Seventeen have gone AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave). Two have attempted suicide.
Discontent and low morale are becoming so widespread throughout the armed forces, especially the reserves, that even top officers are getting worried. In a recent memo, Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly criticized repeated "stop loss" orders, decisions extending reservists' tours in war zones, and calling reservists to active duty after they had returned to civilian life.
Helmly wrote that these policies have pushed the Army Reserve to the point that it is "in grave danger of being unable to meet other operational requirements" and is "rapidly degenerating into a 'broken' force."
Meanwhile, soldiers in Iraq face daily attacks from a popular resistance that now numbers more than 200,000, according to the head of the Iraqi Intelligence Service. U.S. deaths in combat are approaching 1,400. As many as one in five returning troops suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The soldiers want to come home, and the Iraqi people clearly want them to leave. In a letter from Kevin Benderman and Monica Benderman to President George W. Bush, they outlined the only way to end the violence in Iraq: "Until America leaves Iraq to the Iraqis, and brings its soldiers home, freedom cannot begin to materialize for the Iraqi people."
January 20, 2005 - "I am ashamed to be associated with this mess, and I certainly did not join the Army to kill women, children and old men. I just don't see how these innocent people could be a threat to the Constitution of the United States. An American soldier should not be ashamed of what they do," said Sgt. Kevin Benderman of the U.S. Army.
Benderman has said that he will refuse to deploy to Iraq as ordered. A 40-year old veteran who has received many awards, including four Good Conduct Medals, Benderman was deployed in Iraq from March to September of 2003. During that time, he says, "elements of my unit were instructed by a captain to fire on children throwing rocks at us."
He said that he realized that "the people that we are fighting now are for the most part people like you and me, people that are defending themselves against a superior military force and fighting to keep that which is rightfully theirs." He has also said the Iraqi people have the right to choose their own form of government, "just like we did in America after the revolution."
Benderman, who first entered the Army in 1987, has applied for a conscientious objector discharge. A decision on his application is still pending.
Benderman is not alone in his objection to the war. Twenty-two soldiers in his unit have refused to deploy to Iraq. Seventeen have gone AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave). Two have attempted suicide.
Discontent and low morale are becoming so widespread throughout the armed forces, especially the reserves, that even top officers are getting worried. In a recent memo, Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly criticized repeated "stop loss" orders, decisions extending reservists' tours in war zones, and calling reservists to active duty after they had returned to civilian life.
Helmly wrote that these policies have pushed the Army Reserve to the point that it is "in grave danger of being unable to meet other operational requirements" and is "rapidly degenerating into a 'broken' force."
Meanwhile, soldiers in Iraq face daily attacks from a popular resistance that now numbers more than 200,000, according to the head of the Iraqi Intelligence Service. U.S. deaths in combat are approaching 1,400. As many as one in five returning troops suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The soldiers want to come home, and the Iraqi people clearly want them to leave. In a letter from Kevin Benderman and Monica Benderman to President George W. Bush, they outlined the only way to end the violence in Iraq: "Until America leaves Iraq to the Iraqis, and brings its soldiers home, freedom cannot begin to materialize for the Iraqi people."
:: Article nr. 9035 sent on 21-jan-2005 18:24 ECT
:: The address of this page is : www.uruknet.info?p=9035
:: The original address of this article is : www.workers.org/ww/2005/reserves0120.php
"A 40-year old veteran who has received many awards, including four Good Conduct Medals"
When I got my first GCM, The skipper said"
"Congrats! This is for four years of undetected crime"
These cretins ought to be booted---and NOT in a 'honorable' way, either........
Arioch7 out.
Hey, do you have any more insight into this guy? See my #65...
Just one question: Has this guy been cashing his paychecks while this whole diatribe has been going on?
I'm still laughing at the "I didn't enlist to kill..."
Yeah, you enlisted for the food.
And the conscientious objector occurs after serving 19 years because you're now Amish? "I pray thee, will thou grant unto me a carriage and a milch cow?"
Benderman is the new Ho Chi Minh Kerry? Does he expect to sit down an give testimony of Genghis Khan activities on the part of the Coalition Armed Forces?
I see something more to this story. Maybe Dems are going to the VVAW route again. Ho Chi Minh Kerry is already running around the world, doing what he loves best PLAYING TRAITOR.
Danny Deever is a poem by Kipling.
The poem deals with a military execution of a soldier for a civil offence, namely murder. Under the Army (Annual) Act 1881, re-enacted annually, all ranks of the army were subject to both civil and military law and under certain circumstances could be charged in a military court with committing a civil offence. Murder within the unit when overseas was dealt with in such a way. Although public executions had ceased in Britain in 1868, military executions overseas were carried out in the presence of the garrison, though not the general public. However, recourse to the death penalty was not that common, 37 men being executed between 1865 and 1898.
There is no evidence that Rudyard Kipling ever saw a military hanging. That he was well informed on the details is borne out by the closeness of his description of events and mood to that given in an eyewitness account (reprinted in the Kipling Journal No 110, July 1954) of the execution of Private Flaxman for the wilful murder of a sergeant of his unit, the 2nd Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment. The execution took place at Lucknow in India in January 1887. The garrison paraded at 8.15 a.m. and the band played the "Dead March in Saul" as the condemned man was marched onto the parade ground with his coffin on a cart behind him.
That Kipling may have seen an account of this particular execution is made more likely since the accused in this case was reported to have been one of three men who ‘dealt a pack of cards and agreed that the one with the ace of spades should shoot the sergeant’. Rudyard Kipling introduced an identical situation into his story "Black Jack", which first appeared in the Indian Railway Library edition of Soldiers Three in 1888.
What are the bugles blowin' for?" said Files-on-Parade.
"To turn you out, to turn you out", the Colour-Sergeant said.
"What makes you look so white, so white?" said Files-on-Parade.
"I'm dreadin' what I've got to watch", the Colour-Sergeant said.
For they're hangin' Danny Deever, you can hear the Dead March play,
The regiment's in 'ollow square -- they're hangin' him to-day;
They've taken of his buttons off an' cut his stripes away,
An' they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.
"What makes the rear-rank breathe so 'ard?" said Files-on-Parade.
"It's bitter cold, it's bitter cold", the Colour-Sergeant said.
"What makes that front-rank man fall down?" said Files-on-Parade.
"A touch o' sun, a touch o' sun", the Colour-Sergeant said.
They are hangin' Danny Deever, they are marchin' of 'im round,
They 'ave 'alted Danny Deever by 'is coffin on the ground;
An' 'e'll swing in 'arf a minute for a sneakin' shootin' hound --
O they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'!
"'Is cot was right-'and cot to mine", said Files-on-Parade.
"'E's sleepin' out an' far to-night", the Colour-Sergeant said.
"I've drunk 'is beer a score o' times", said Files-on-Parade.
"'E's drinkin' bitter beer alone", the Colour-Sergeant said.
They are hangin' Danny Deever, you must mark 'im to 'is place,
For 'e shot a comrade sleepin' -- you must look 'im in the face;
Nine 'undred of 'is county an' the regiment's disgrace,
While they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.
"What's that so black agin' the sun?" said Files-on-Parade.
"It's Danny fightin' 'ard for life", the Colour-Sergeant said.
"What's that that whimpers over'ead?" said Files-on-Parade.
"It's Danny's soul that's passin' now", the Colour-Sergeant said.
For they're done with Danny Deever, you can 'ear the quickstep play,
The regiment's in column, an' they're marchin' us away;
Ho! the young recruits are shakin', an' they'll want their beer to-day,
After hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.
(I had to google this analysis myself, but I remembered the poem).
I think you should be very proud of yourself using the term "reservist pukes" to describe American soldiers.
We are at war and yet people think this is a joke.
Since the war on terror began, not one person has been sentenced to death.
Im almost willing to bet that OBL would get aquitted by an American lawyer no less, if he was ever caught.
exactly
"A 40-year old veteran who has received many awards, including four Good Conduct Medals"
The illustrious Good Conduct Medal is awarded automatically after three years service without Non Judical Punishment or Court Martial. It's the norm to receive it not the exception.
With that being said this guy isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. After 1993, the policy of the US Gov't became cutting active force to the bone and activating Reserves in a time of conflict. Emperor Clinton did not want to pay for a large active force. With at least 12 years service he obviously decided to reenlist a couple of times despite this policy.
A normal career track should have this guy going up for E-7 at this point....Something's wrong.
Am I correct or are things really this FU?
Navy GCM is four years---but in all honesty the GCM is a laugh.
This article tries to take the award to elevate this do-do to hero status
Around 1995 the Navy changed to every three years for the GCM. You're correct, after the first award they are rarely presented at an awards ceremony.
Courts martial.
Dishonorable discharge.
You would die.
Names, dates, locations? Yeah, heard these same BS allegations in Vietnam. Go to hell you lousy excuse for a soldier. You don't like the war, tough SH%$. It's not your job to decide which wars you are going to fight and which ones you aren't.
There, I feel better.
Please tell your son I said
Thank You for your service to our country.
Benderman has said that he will refuse to deploy to Iraq as ordered. A 40-year old veteran who has received many awards, including four Good Conduct Medals,
Four Good Conduct Medals equals 12 years, ACTIVE DUTY, and he is ONLY a Sgt (E-5), this guy is a screw-up, he should be at least an E-6 by now.
I made E-6 in less time.
It looks like he is just mad and looking for some way to cause trouble.
Yep like KP or burning the drums under the latrine, guard duty, permament CQ runner. I could find lots jobs for this 'Hero' to do.
When I got done he would be glad to go back to combat.
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