Naval officer chooses discharge rather than go to Iraq (Watada case mentioned)

Seattle PI ^ | April 18, 2008 | Mike Barber

[PeterFinn]

“Weiner”. Appropriate.

[jazusamo]

I thought so too and the writer tries to make her out a hero.

[The_Media_never_lie]

For her convictions, she was thrown in jail,

Incorrect. She was court martialed for disobeying an order.

[george76]

Kamiak High School near Everett

The water ?

[JerseyHighlander]

Sabrina Weiner had a blog for some time:
http://www.infinitedragon.blogspot.com/

And I can’t think of a rational reason to send a East Asian/Jewish woman into a situation like that.

[Jeff Head]

She disobeyed orders and is willing to put her personal "feelings" above her legal, constitutional orders and the interests of this nation. Pathetic.

She is unfit for command and should be drummed out.

WEINER. YOU GO GIRL!
It'll be okay, you and I both know something that all those bitter rural, religious, gun-toting folks don't know.

OBAMA'S CIRCLE OF FRIENDS AND SUPPORT

[endthematrix]

"Today she is scraping by in Everett"

You mean near death, with garbage dumpsters providing her only nourishment?

Nope.

"living frugally, tutoring high school kids in math and is enrolled in graduate studies at the Alden March Bioethics Institute based at the Albany Medical College in New York."

Oh. Working and going to grad school. I think she'll be fine.

[jazusamo]

Exactly! You don’t disobey a direct order in the military and walk away, there will be repercussions.

[dragnet2]

She served her time, and country...She had a beef with the machine. They should of given her a General Discharged under honorable conditions, IMO.

[papasmurf]

I understand the point she claims, I just don’t believe that she wasn’t allowed to voice it to her superiors.

As an officer, she should be fully aware of Defense policy that states you are always subject to the needs of the service.

[endthematrix]

"I can’t think of a rational reason..."

It was the first and last time I crossed my superior's decision on matter after I received the obvious incoming responses to the above comment.

[Tainan]

Comments are only my opinion:

She sounds like a sharp person. The ONR does not allow slackers to darken their door.
It also does sound like she has created a problem where one did not previously exist. She was given an assignment. She chose to disregard those order based on her personal eval of the assignment. Rather than follow orders and then make her suggestions/recommendations known, she committed one of the cardinal military sins - she voluntarily missed a troop movement. This is a major bad thing. She knew this.
She, as far as this is written, is not sounding weasily or refusing to accept the situation...but I am skeptical in my thinking that her underlying motive may be that she is viewing this 'call-up' as interfering with her 'career-path' rather than the reasons stated.

To me, its a fairly objectively written article. Interesting to see how this plays out.

[Tainan]

Hasn’t been a new post on that blog for almost 3 years.

[jazusamo]

I believe you’re correct, she knew what she was doing and was fully aware of the consequences being an officer.

[GAB-1955]

Working with the structure, including winning over the tribal leaders, is causing us to turn the tide in Iraq. Some Moslems aren't going to listen to the Al-Queda nutjobs.

[PzLdr]

Hell of an officer. Feels she gets to pick and choose what she will and won’t do? They shouldn’t have given her the general. They should have courtmartialed her a*s, given her six months and a DD.

CPT., ARMOR
MACV, Class of ‘71

[redstateconfidential]

“That gave her pause, not only because she was not trained for the job, but also because she is of Japanese, Korean and Jewish ancestry. “They were going to have me negotiate money transactions with Iraqi warlords. A woman of Jewish and East Asian descent to try to talk to men about money in a country where women aren’t always allowed to handle money,” Weiner says.”

1942

We’ll sir, I agree that those Japanese Cruisers are steaming up Iron Bottom sound, but my position as cook hardly qualifies me for combat on this Destroyer,yes I am trained to serve on the damage control party , but really, wouldn’t my skills be better served ashore?... In Miami? Or New York? Hoboken?”

How many many times do yah think that conversation happened in the middle of that war?

[cherry]

come on now....she did precisely the honorable thing to do up against something she did not feel she should do..

its not like she hid out in Canada, or blasted Bush or blasted the Navy.....

I'll give her credit for being upfront about it all...

and it sounds like the Navy is losing one good officier....