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Wisconsin Woman Seeks Objector Status (Soldier Faces Court Martial)
JSOnline ^ | January 20, 2006 | Raquel Rutledge

Posted on 01/22/2006 5:03:54 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin

(23-year-old soldier faces court martial over refusal to deploy)

Pfc. Katherine Jashinski dresses in uniform every day, but instead of drilling for war with fellow soldiers, she spends her time on an Army post in Georgia sweeping floors, scrubbing bathrooms and wondering whether she's headed for jail.

The 23-year-old soldier from Wautoma, She disobeyed orders to attend weapons training and refused to deploy to Afghanistan with her unit, moves the military considers criminal.

Jashinski does not want to go to Afghanistan, Iraq or anywhere with the Army. She says she disagrees with war of any sort, could never kill anyone, and wants out of her six-year contract.

"I thought about going to Canada, but I don't feel like I should have to leave the country for something like this," Jashinski said. "I don't feel like I should have to run from my government. I should face them instead."

Jashinski is among a growing number of military members seeking to shed their uniforms and cut loose from their commitments to fight on behalf of the United States. They're seeking all sorts of outs including medical, psychological, pregnancy and dependency discharges, and more and more like Jashinski are applying for conscientious objector status.

Others champion their courage. As war rages in the Middle East, some troops who volunteered for military service are sparking controversy by now espousing peace amid a monolithic muscle machine dependent on soldiers following orders.

Disagreement over the numbers

officials say.

"The numbers have gone up marginally," said Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Pamela Hart. "But we have a lot more individuals on active duty."

In all, 110 troops sought honorable discharges from the military through conscientious objector applications in 2005, more than double the number in 2001, according to figures supplied by the service branches.

Those defending objectors say the numbers are much higher.

J.E. McNeil, executive director of the Center on Conscience & War, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit that has supported the rights of conscientious objectors since the 1940s, said her organization alone helped nearly 100 troops file the complex paperwork in 2005.

"That's ridiculous," McNeil said of the military's figures. "The numbers don't jibe. I know of at least another 20 groups that do what I do, plus people do it on their own or with the help of local ministers."

McNeil said she hears from military members whose sergeants tear up their paperwork and of many cases where the paperwork is repeatedly lost.

Military officials acknowledge that some applications may have been lost, but they said they had not heard of any such cases, or of any where commanders destroyed an application.

"We would take that very seriously," Hart said.

The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, a non-profit organization that counsels service members on ways to get out of the military, says calls to its GI Rights Hotline have soared in recent years, to 32,000 in 2005 from 12,000 in 2000. Two to three calls a month come from Wisconsin National Guard members, hotline counselors said.

Gaining objector status is difficult

Before refusing orders to report to weapons training, Jashinski applied for discharge as a conscientious objector. Her request was denied. For the military to approve a conscientious objector application, service members must show they hold a "firm, fixed and sincere objection to participation in war in any form or the bearing of arms," for deeply held moral, religious or ethical beliefs.

It's a cumbersome task, considering that they willfully joined an organization that has combat as one of its main missions.

Unlike the draft days of the Vietnam War, troops today must prove they came to their beliefs after joining the military. Their reasons may not stem from philosophical or political beliefs. They cannot agree with certain wars and object to others, under the military's definition. And to demonstrate their sincerity, aside from a lengthy application, troops seeking discharges as conscientious objectors must interview with a chaplain, military investigator, and a psychiatrist.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Mike Tonn from Fond du Lac served more than three years in the Navy before requesting a conscientious objector discharge in 2004. Tonn was 18 when he joined in July of 2000 "as a way to get out of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin," for the adventure and college money. It was pre-9-11 and he never thought he'd go to war.

Tonn said he realized he couldn't carry out the Navy's mission after the captain of the USS Lake Champlain asked him to give a speech to sailors on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.

"He (King) pleaded to American soldiers they should get out of the war in Vietnam and it clicked with me," Tonn said. "I believed in what Martin Luther King said. . . . I realized I'm not going to walk down the street and kill someone."

Tonn's request was approved about four months later and he received an honorable discharge, but not before investigators tried to "trap" him with aggressive and passion-provoking questions, he said.

Tonn sought advice from an anti-war group before applying and interviewing and was prepared to answer the tough questions, he said.

Tonn said a few shipmates called him names but there was no serious backlash from superiors or civilians once he returned to Wisconsin. He now is an active member of Peace-Out and advises other troops on the conscientious objector process. He is attending college in Portland, Ore.

Objectors face disapproval back home

Vietnam War veteran Frank Wilke said he fought for the rights of Tonn and others to have freedoms like choosing to be a conscientious objector to war, but he disapproves of people who choose such options.

"I defend their right to do that," said Wilke, who's active in the Wisconsin chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "At the same time, I also have the right not to associate with people who do that.

"When you do something like that, you're not only hurting your country, but hurting your friends and family."

Jashinski knows about that. Her decision to seek a conscientious objector discharge has strained her relationship with her family, she said.

"I really can't bring it up to my dad any longer," she said. "I feel like we'll never agree. And some of the things he says make me pretty angry."

Cindy Jashinski, Katherine's aunt, said she and her husband disagreed with Katherine's decision.

"We feel she committed to this. She enlisted. She should finish her time," Cindy Jashinski said.

Jashinski joined the Texas National Guard in 2002 after moving to Texas to attend college. She was 19 and wanted to "experience as much as she could," and to help pay for college. She said she was raised Christian and believed killing was wrong but that it was sometimes necessary.

"I was prepared to go to war," she said.

But her feelings and beliefs began to change over the next two years as she watched from her TV and computer the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and as she traveled the world and talked to citizens of other nations. She began to read history and philosophy and began questioning the morality of all wars, she said. By the time she received activation orders in April 2004 and was told she'd be going to Afghanistan, she said she had decided that taking a human life was wrong, no matter what.

"One of the most important things a person can do is honor their word and keep their honor that way," she said. "But I realized I'm going to have to live with it for the rest of my life and that

Jashinski filed a civil suit in federal court in San Antonio after her conscientious objector application was denied. The outcome of that case is pending. Meanwhile Jashinski has been demoted from specialist to private first class. She is confined to a 2-acre compound on Fort Benning while she awaits a court martial - similar to a civilian court trial - from the military. She likely faces up to one year in prison if found guilty of "missing movement" with her unit.

Lynn Burch, Jashinski's mom, said she was disappointed when her daughter told her she was planning to apply for a discharge.

"I couldn't believe it," Burch said. "I thought 'What happened?'

"I just said 'Oh boy. You made a commitment here.' I was disappointed because my views are different. I back President Bush and the decisions he's made," she said.

Burch, a steel worker, said she hasn't heard any nasty comments about her daughter in Wautoma or in Redgranite, where she works.

"I guess in a way I have to back her. She's my daughter and I love her dearly. She's a very courageous young woman."


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: usefulidiots; wussies
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1 posted on 01/22/2006 5:03:56 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
She says she disagrees with war of any sort, could never kill anyone...

And yet....she decides to join an Armed Forces Branch Service.

Darwin Award nominee.

2 posted on 01/22/2006 5:07:09 PM PST by ExcursionGuy84 ("Jesus, Your Love takes my breath away.")
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

3 posted on 01/22/2006 5:07:12 PM PST by manglor
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

She says she disagrees with war of any sort, could never kill anyone, and wants out of her six-year contract.


Bad career move....what in the hell did she think she was going to do in the Army....knit!!


4 posted on 01/22/2006 5:07:24 PM PST by mystery-ak
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
She should be taken and shot for treason. This woman took an oath to her country and she suborned it. In wartime, there's only one thing to do to the likes of her. Putting her in jail is tantamount to sending a message there's no cost to getting a free ride at the expense of your own country and then not living up to your own obligation to faithfully defend it. Yep, patriotism is the last refuge of the malcontent.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

5 posted on 01/22/2006 5:07:25 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: mystery-ak
What is a back-stabbing Michael Moore liberal doing in the Armed Forces anyway? You'd think such ilk would the last to sign up for honorable service.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

6 posted on 01/22/2006 5:09:15 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin


Why did she join the military?


7 posted on 01/22/2006 5:12:22 PM PST by Tzimisce
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

In the words of my former Chief Petty Officer "Dipsh*t should have never enlisted."


8 posted on 01/22/2006 5:12:36 PM PST by Trueblackman (Terrorism and Liberalism never sleep and neither do I)
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To: ExcursionGuy84
Darwin Award nominee.

No, societal leech........

9 posted on 01/22/2006 5:13:53 PM PST by Hot Tabasco (I break for pikas, swerve for skunks and accelerate for possum......squirrels are on their own)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

My guess is that this women got a signing bonus and other perks for signing on for 6 years. Now she effectively claims amnesia for the oath she swore to defend her country when actually called to do so. Boot her and take back the goodies.


10 posted on 01/22/2006 5:14:19 PM PST by downtownconservative
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

For every one like her, there are hundreds of women in the military, who are steeley-eyed killers, and true patriots. My radio operator in Central America would have walked through fire for me.


11 posted on 01/22/2006 5:15:11 PM PST by CholeraJoe (GW Bush: Meaner than a snake, Braver than a rodeo clown.)
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To: Tzimisce
Both Katherine Jashinski and Mike Tonn thought they were in the military to make a lot of money, not to fight and die for their country. The liberal definition of our armed forces is a glorified social service agency... in uniform. You can't exactly blame these young people for believing they owe their own country bubkis.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

12 posted on 01/22/2006 5:16:05 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
There is no draft.
There are consequences for dereliction of duty.

She should receive a dishonorable discharge, and jail time.
Those are the consequences of her actions.
13 posted on 01/22/2006 5:16:07 PM PST by sarasmom
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To: downtownconservative
Shoot 'em. I'm disappointed Tonn got an honorable discharge. Our military brass are not hard enough on the soft kind who have the belief their country owes them a living but they don't owe her their own sacred honor, fortunes and lives.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

14 posted on 01/22/2006 5:18:25 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Plain and simple.......send her to prison and take away her benfits.
15 posted on 01/22/2006 5:20:38 PM PST by Lakeshark (Thank a member of the US armed forces for their sacrifice)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Wow. An incredibly stupid person. Just what kind of organization did she think she was joining . . . the Peace Corps?

To this girl I say, "You have every right to refuse to go to war and to be a peacenik - but not in my Army! Go to jail, do your time, then join some commie/anti-war group and whine all you want."

As a former Platoon Sergeant, this sort of person really pisses me off.

16 posted on 01/22/2006 5:20:48 PM PST by DesertSapper (was staunch Republican . . . now looking for real Conservatives)
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To: sarasmom
Don't make me laugh. Our treasonous minds see that as a reward. It makes them martyrs. If I had it my way, Jashinski and Tonn would have faced same fate as Pvt. Slovik. Such are the wages of treason.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

17 posted on 01/22/2006 5:20:54 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
...they willfully joined an organization that has combat as one of its main missions.

Then, they "change their minds."

Jashinski should have just hauled her sorry ass to Canada and spared us all this drama of her "following her conscience." It's insulting, self-important, boring and hurtful to many people.

I suspect in this case, and many like it, that leftist organizations like Michael Moore and others have gotten to her with their propaganda. One of Moore's main goals has been to infiltrate the armed services with HIS propaganda via other more neutral-appearing sites like Books for Soldiers.

What exactly did her "reading material" consist of?

18 posted on 01/22/2006 5:23:05 PM PST by La Enchiladita (God bless our troops.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

What has happened to the old adage that a man (or woman) is as good as their word. By joining the military, a person swears to protect their country, that is an oath and reflects that persons commitment to their country. People who want out after swearing to that are breaking that oath and can't be trusted to do anything they promise to do. They exhibit a gross lack of character.


19 posted on 01/22/2006 5:24:06 PM PST by jazusamo (A Progressive is only a Socialist in a transparent disguise.)
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To: sarasmom

Also she should forfeit any bonuses or tuition aid received.


20 posted on 01/22/2006 5:24:45 PM PST by steve8714 (Burn Peugeot, burn.)
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