Posted on 05/16/2008 8:41:40 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
US soldier refuses to serve in 'illegal Iraq war' May 16 10:49 AM US/Eastern Matthis Chiroux is the kind of young American US military recruiters love.
"I was from a poor, white family from the south, and I did badly in school," the now 24-year-old told AFP.
"I was 'filet mignon' for recruiters. They started phoning me when I was in 10th grade," or around 16 years old, he added.
Chiroux joined the US army straight out of high school nearly six years ago, and worked his way up from private to sergeant.
He served in Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, and the Philippines and was due to be deployed next month in Iraq.
On Thursday, he refused to go, saying he considers Iraq an illegal war.
"I stand before you today with the strength and clarity and resolve to declare to the military, my government and the world that this soldier will not be deploying to Iraq," Chiroux said in the sun-filled rotunda of a congressional building in Washington.
"My decision is based on my desire to no longer continue violating my core values to support an illegal and unconstitutional occupation... I refuse to participate in the Iraq occupation," he said, as a dozen veterans of the five-year-old Iraq war looked on.
Minutes earlier, Chiroux had cried openly as he listened to former comrades-in-arms testify before members of Congress about the failings of the Iraq war.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
“Do they allow sergeants to grow their hair that long?”
He was supposedly released from active duty and is supposedly being recalled. This is the new draft to the left. They trot these recalls out like they were draftees.
He also claimed he was a photo journalist. Whoopie. Tehre are plenty of civilian journalists who have the balls to go but not this puss.
If he served in Afghanistan and made Sargeant I think “coward” is unlikely.
I didn't know they handed out law degrees in high school. That's as far as he got, right?
*sigh*... He's just another democrat in the making. Might even run for Congress someday as a war hero, à la John Kerry.
“How long is his enlistment - did he already re-up once?”
An enlistment is generally a 6-year obligation, 4 of which are generally spent on active duty and the remaining two on inactive duty, subject to recall. He supposedly got recalled. I did not realize the Army was short on shutterbugs.
And where would he be now? In a gang? Doing drugs? Prison? Dead? A piece of filth without the military. He should be grateful. What a piece of garbage!
the young soldier vowed to stay in the United States to fight “whatever charges the army levels at me.”
Great. Because back in the day when the Army meant business, your sorry ass would be taken out back, put against the wall and shot. Can you take that you candy ass?
My brother served 4 tours between Iraq and Afghanistan, and he never heard of ANY soldiers behaving in any way other then honorable. Kristofer Goldsmith is a POS!
Looting?!? There's nothing worth looting in that country!!! Lawless murders?!? Abuse of countless Iraqi's?!? He's basically saying our troops are worst than AQ and Sadr's maniacs!!!! He should be ashamed of himself for being a lying POS coward!
“Wonder which left wing nut group paid him to do this?”
....I noticed they all have some type lapel pins on...I expect they were all coached by the same Leftist outfit...
Call him a hypocrite or unpatriotic if you must. But cowardly? Nah.
I don't get it. After telling us he's as dumb as a bag of hammers, all of a sudden he's an expert on international law and just-war theory.
My theory is that he wants to meet some girl-reporters of easy virtue, and this seemed like the best way.
See...I don’t understand why the military won’t just go back to what the punishment used to be for desertion in a time of war: DEATH by firing squad. Do it behind closed doors, with no press notification of it happening until after the fact. Let it serve as an example to those in the military who are thinking of ‘pussying out’ to think REAL hard before they make that decision.
Should also serve to let those thinking of going in that this is serious business. The military is NOT a stepping stone to college, or to get training for a job in the civilian world, although those are nice fringe benefits.
The military is there to defend the country, and KILL all enemies of said country. Period. You join for that reason, and that reason only.
Another Democrat presidential candidate in the making.
Sorry, the only military firing squads these days are formed at promotion boards.
He looks like don’t ask don’t tell.
He went to continue fighting WWII in Japan and Germany (what IS our exit ‘strategery’ for these nations???) but he gets to determine where he is deployed and that ‘Irack’ is and ‘illegal’ war.
***In February, I received a letter from the Army ordering my return to active duty, for the purpose of mobilization for Operation Iraqi Freedom.***
In February there was already plans to cut troops and I very seriously doubt the military needed Photojournalist for recall. I think this guys a liar. I want to see the letter.
Minor correction here. An initial enlistment now entails an 8-year military obligation. It was six years during the 60's and through the 80s. But Congress upped it to 8 years a while back.
He says he received a letter of possible recall from the Army after being discharged. He was a photojournalist.
L.O.S.E.R.
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.