Posted on 02/02/2007 6:56:15 PM PST by TexKat
On the eve of America's invasion of Iraq, he was heartsick at the prospect that he might not be military material. He even shelled out $800 for medical tests to convince the recruiters that he was fit for duty despite childhood asthma that would ordinarily render him ineligible for service.
On Monday, that same eager recruit, now Lieutenant Ehren Watada, faces a court martial for refusing to deploy to Iraq and for making public statements against the war. He is the first officer to be prosecuted for publicly criticising the war - indeed the first since the Vietnam era when an army captain was court martialled for addressing an anti-war demonstration outside the US embassy in London. If he is convicted on all charges, Lt Watada could spend four years in a military prison.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
U.S. Army first lieutenant Ehren Watada speaks to the media about his opposition to the Iraq war and his decision to refuse orders to deploy with his unit to Iraq later this month, at a news conference in Tacoma, Washington June 7, 2006. Watada, whose public refusal to go fight in Iraq made him a champion of the anti-war movement, faces a court-martial next week when a military panel could determine the limits of free-speech rights for officers. (Robert Sorbo/Reuters)
By Daisuke Wakabayashi
Fri Feb 2, 2:05 PM ET
SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. Army officer, whose public refusal to go fight in Iraq made him a champion of the anti-war movement, faces a court-martial next week when a military panel could determine the limits of free-speech rights for officers.
First Lt. Ehren Watada faces up to four years in prison if convicted on a charge of missing movements and two charges of conduct unbecoming an officer when his court-martial starts on Monday at Fort Lewis, an Army base near Seattle.
Watada, a 28-year-old artillery officer, refused to deploy with his brigade to Iraq last summer and called the war illegal and immoral. He refused conscientious-objector status, saying he would fight in Afghanistan but not Iraq.
The court-martial gets under way at a time of waning public support for the war in Iraq in the face of President George W. Bush's proposal to send 21,500 more troops to war.
Supporters of Watada say he is the first Army officer to publicly refuse to fight in Iraq and refuse conscientious objector status.
"It's not that I am scared. It's that I strongly believe this war is illegal and immoral and participation in it would be contrary to my oath to this country," Watada said in an interview this week.
The two charges of conduct unbecoming an officer stem from public comments Watada made encouraging soldiers "to throw down their weapons" to resist an authoritarian government at home.
Earlier this month, a military judge rejected the defense's argument that Watada's statements were completely covered by the U.S. constitutional right to freedom of speech.
"If you do go out with public statements, you have to be prepared for what are the potential repercussions of that," said Paul Boyce, an Army spokesman.
MISBECOMING CONDUCT
A military panel will decide if his criticism of the war amounted to officer misconduct -- whether the comments pose a danger to the loyalty, discipline, mission and morale of the troops.
"This case will test the limits of what is free speech and what is speech that can be curtailed in the military," said Kathleen Duignan, executive director of the National Institute of Military Justice, a non-profit organization.
"Of course, when you join the military you give up some of your constitutional rights, such as the right to complete unfettered free speech," she said, referring to the military justice code that individuals must agree to before enlisting.
Demonstrators plan to rally for Watada, who has become a focus of anti-war protesters, outside the gates of Fort Lewis when his court-martial starts next week.
Watada, a native of Hawaii who served for a year in Korea, joined the Army in 2003 after the United States had already invaded Iraq. Upon returning to America, Watada began to question the reasons behind the U.S. involvement.
The officer said he decided to speak out against the war, because he feared that the administration was emboldened by the ability to use "lies and deception" to engage in war in Iraq and could repeat that course of action with Iran or Syria.
"When you have leaders that are unaccountable, who have already deceived people over something as serious as war and are willing to do it again, you have to ask yourself, 'where do you stand?"' said Watada.
No, he's going on trial for missing movement and a variety of other charges, not for "speaking out". Media whores.
Watada is getting a lot of help from the Revolutionary Communist Party. For that alone he should do 10 years.
Was he in uniform?
Four years in Leavenworth is not nearly adequate. Hanging might be too harsh, but not by too much.
ABC still hasn't released the video from a face off yesterday. I have a gut feeling that it will be premium only.
Was there any truth to the thread that circulated here that his father had conducted himself in a similar manner during Vietnam era?
Antiwar activists and media have been getting a lot of mileage out of Watada, especially the last couple of weeks and he has been only too happy to cooperate with them. His sad story has been repeated many times recently.
He refused to deploy and therefore broke the oath that he swore to and should receive a maximum sentence if found guilty next week and it's hard to imagine any other verdict.
His father refused to serve in Vietnam and was given the option of serving in the Peace Corps, which he did. At least his father didn't break an oath as Ehren has.
I really wonder about the "throw down your weapons" comment. There are several different articles under the UCMJ that could violate and many of them carry a death penalty - encouraging others to desert, mutiny, incitement to mutiny, etc., etc...
This POS is lucky they are just going for a "conduct unbecoming" charge for that.
I suppose that their hatred of this administration blinds them to the dangers of just what might happen should the military decide to take over. Especially to themselves. Usually, when there's a military coup, the first jailed and killed are the media.
Mark
Sounds like cowardice is a genetic condition in his case.
Bob Watada, former executive director of the state Campaign Spending Commission and his son's former Little League baseball coach, chose not to fight in the Vietnam War after his brother died during the Korean War more than four decades ago. Instead, he went to Peru and served in the Peace Corps, where he met his wife of six years, Rosa Sakanishi.
Ecuador RPCV Bob Watada supports his son in court-martial
Bob Watada cheering for son’s biggest match
The Army officer can beat a court-martial, his dad tells backers
He is from Hawaii and so am I. You would not believe the "Letters to the Editor" in the local papers of the amount of people rooting for this traitor. I hope they throw the book at this guy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.