Army Officer Still Refuses To Go To Iraq (Watada)

AOL News ^ | June 11, 2008 | Ada Calhoun

[jazusamo]

Plenty of former officers have criticized the Iraq War, but there's only been one active duty career soldier who's not only come out against the War but also refused to go and fight in it. (He said he would go to Afghanistan instead, but that the Iraq war is "illegal").

That soldier is Lt. Ehren Watada, 30, a junior Army officer from Hawaii who's become a poster child for the anti-war movement. He's also become persona non grata within the military and is facing a possible sentence of six years in prison.

Our friend Tara McKelvey is the first journalist who has gotten close to him in more than a year. She's written an amazing story for The American Prospect about Watada, who's now in legal limbo and being subtly punished at a desk job.

Watada's critique of the Iraq War's legality is boosted by the recent release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on prewar Iraq intel. And his commitment to doing what he thinks is right is impressive. He told McKelvey:

"I realized we had been lied to. I was standing out in the middle of the desert, and I had a deep sense of betrayal. I had joined an army, and I thought it was noble. And to think we had engaged in something that had caused so much carnage and destruction and then to find out it was unnecessary. There I was in uniform, and I felt ashamed of what I was being asked to do. I think there's no bigger crime than taking your country into a war based on lies."

At the same time, someone else is just going to go in his place, and so members of the military are understandably angry at him for refusing to get on the plane. (They're even madder about his very public statements opposing the War.) Paul D. Eaton, a retired Army major general who was one of the retired generals who in 2006 called for Rumsfeld's resignation said, "Watada is an active-duty soldier, and he has failed to obey the orders of the officers over him. He does not have the right."

Read the article here. What do you think, is Watada a hero or a criminal?

[jazusamo]

We can only hope it works out that way, he deserves every minute of it.

[swain_forkbeard]

Better that he reveal himself now and suffer the consequences rather than come up small when the chips are down. He could get real soldiers killed.

[atomic conspiracy]

Draft-dodgers are one thing, deserters quite another.
Draft-dodgers I can understand, even if I disagree with them but I HATE DESERTERS. It’s much more personal.

This arrogant child of privilege (see wikipedia biography) was not drafted and he knew the deal when he volunteered, that his right to actively oppose policy was suspended for the duration of his service. He accepted this condition of his own free will.
Now, he has deserted his comrades and he has done so under fire. Within living memory, he would have been put against a wall and shot for this.
He still could be if the media-left collapses farther and faster than we expect.

[Dacula]

It is useless to think ANYTHING is really going to happen to him.

We have too many spineless waste of oxygen in control to make anything worthwhile happen.

[vpintheak]

The sissy boy should be rotting in prison for a long long time. Why isn’t here in jail already?

[jazusamo]

His lawyers contend the mistrial declared in his court-martial would subject him to double jeopardy if tried again.

2nd trial illegal, Watada argues

[Tallguy]

Anybody remember this guy? http://www.mikenew.com/

[jazusamo]

Yes, I remember Spc. New’s case but haven’t seen it mentioned for ages. I believe he was right but he was fighting the powers that was.

[Mr. Dough]

A military where soldiers - officers or otherwise - think they can choose which order to obey and which not to obey, which missions to accept and which not to accept, is chaos that cannot be an effective fighting force. Of course that doesn’t bother a lot of people.

The Army serves a democracy, but the Army is not a democracy.

[Captain Rhino]

IIRC, he was shot for desertion.

[NEMDF]

yes... so he didn’t want to be in a war and he is not liking a desk job. Ask not what he can do for his country; ask what his country can do for him....

What a disgrace to all of those who serve so honorably!

Semper Fi

[Allegra]

What do you think, is Watada a hero or a criminal?

I think he's a wimp.

[jazusamo]

I think he's a wimp.

BUMP to that!

[TADSLOS]

So here we are 2 1/2 years later and this punk is still sitting fat and pretty while the Army JAG lawyers kick the can down the road. Prediction- Watada will walk, quietly and without official fanfare with an honorable discharge just so the Army can get this scum behind them.

[Future Snake Eater]

Watada will walk, quietly and without official fanfare with an honorable discharge just so the Army can get this scum behind them.

Yes, he has. Yes, he will.

[Future Snake Eater]

Fresh, bright new BDU's.

Actually we wear ACUs now.

:0)

[Future Snake Eater]

...who's now in legal limbo and being subtly punished at a desk job.

Wow, some punishment, chilling out at I Corps at Lewis while the rest of us slogged it out in Iraq for 15 months.

Word was that Watada had been fired from a couple of other jobs in his battalion even before he started this pathetic crusade of his.

Not exactly a model officer.

[jazusamo]

You’re probably right though I hate to even think about that happening. If he does walk I think it will be because the federal judge and/or 9th Circus appeals court rules double jeopardy if he’s retried. I believe the Army wants a piece of him.

[jazusamo]

Not exactly a model officer.

You're more than right about that, he's a turd.

Thank you and all the other guys and gals for what you're all doing.