Posted on 06/15/2008 5:19:33 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
A month after US army reservist Matthis Chiroux publicly refused to deploy to Iraq, the former sergeant on Sunday set himself up for possible prosecution by failing to report for active duty with his unit in South Carolina.
"Tonight at midnight, I may face further action from the army for refusing to reactivate to participate in the Iraq occupation," Chiroux told reporters in Washington.
"I stand here today in defense of those who have been stripped of their voices in this occupation, the warriors of this nation...", Chiroux read from a statement as his father Rob, who had travelled to Washington from Alabama to support his son on Father's Day, stood beside him.
Last month, Chiroux rejected an order calling him back to active duty in Iraq, saying he considers the war "illegal and unconstitutional."
Chiroux served five years in the army, with tours in Afghanistan, Japan, Germany and the Philippines.
He was honorably discharged last year and was placed in the Individual Ready Reserves (IRR), a pool of former soldiers who can be "reactivated" in a national emergency or war.
Prior to the Iraq war, IRR members were rarely recalled to active duty, according to the Military Times, an independent newspaper for members of the US armed forces and their families.
"Many believed they never would be called -- but when the army found itself stretched by unexpected combat demands in Iraq in the summer of 2004 it began issuing mobilization orders," Military Times wrote in an article published a year ago on Sunday.
According to the paper, hundreds of IRR members "refused to report or simply ignored their mailed mobilization orders."
Matthis' father Rob, a rocket scientist who lives in the army town of Huntsville, Alabama, said mobilizing IRR members was a form of back-door draft.
"If our country is in such a dire emergency that we need to conscript manpower, congress has to vote to reinstate the draft," the elder Chiroux told AFP.
"But they won't do that because if congress said we need to bring back the general draft, the war in Iraq would be resolved very quickly," he said.
"Moms and dads, who represent millions and millions of voters, would say: wait a minute -- you want to draft my kid? Iraq's got to stop."
He was a photojournalist. Doubtful that’s a critical MOS. Maybe he just really wanted to be a modern journalist, you know, the kind where he himself is the NEWS...
The flowery centerpiece in front of the flag is such a nice homey touch, don’t you think?
}:-)4
Negative ghost rider
in order to be eligible you have an obligation to fill; even if you begin using them before the obligation is complete.
And as I noted to be Honorably discharged.... it is after your 8 years is up. And to reiterate it this includes either the IRR time... OR re-enlistment that carries you to 8 years or beyond. Check out ACTUAL enlistment papers at —
http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd0004.pdf
you’ll appreciate paragraph 10a on DD form 4.....
“FOR ALL ENLISTEES: If this is my initial enlistment, I must
serve a total of eight (8) years, unless I am sooner discharged or
otherwise extended by the appropriate authority. This eight year
service requirement is called the Military Service Obligation. Any
part of that service not served on active duty must be served in the
Reserve Component of the service in which I have enlisted.”
Don’t forget 10d, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10h — that explain what the full time means.....
So now what’s “horse jockey?” Good job on blaming the Administration, though. Inconvenient facts such as a servicemembers’ obligationss do tend to shed light on Bush Derrangment Syndrome.
Maybe that was a misprint and they meant to say “his father is off his rocket”.
Fine. Deploy him stateside.
Expedited orders to report forthwith to Ft. Leavenworth, KS.
Escort will be provided.
I’m not going to post the entire thing word for word so I’m just going to post what is relevant but on my DD Form 4/1 Enlistment/Reenlistment Document it says:
B. Agreements
8. I am enlisting/reenlisting in the United States (list branch of service) ARMY RESERVE this date for 8 years and 0 weeks beginning in pay grade E1. The additional details of my enlistment/reenlistment are in Section C and Annex(es) A,B.
C. Partial statement of existing United States laws.
9. FOR ALL ENLISTEES OR REENLISTEES. Many laws, regulations, and military customs will govern my conduct and require me to do things a civilian does not have to do. The following statements are not promisesor guarantees of any kind. They explain some of the present laws affecting the Armed Forces which I cannot change but which Congress can change at any time.
a. My enlistment is more than an employment agreement. As a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, I will be:
(1) Required to obey all lawful orders and perform all assigned duties.
(4) Required upon order to serve in combat or other hazardous situations.
b. Laws and regulations that govern military personnel may change without notice t ome. Such changes may affect my status, pay, allowances, benefits, and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces REGARDLESS of the provisions of this enlistment/reenlistment document.
c. In the event of war, my enlistment in the Armed Forces continues until six (6) months after the war ends, unless my enlistment is ended sooner by the President of the United States.
10. MILITARY SERVICE OBLIGATION FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE ACTIVE AND RESERVE COMPONENTS, INCLUDING THE NATIONAL GUARD.
a. FOR ALL ENLISTEES: If this is my initial enlistment, I must serve a total of eight (8) years. Any part of that service not served on active duty must be served in a Reserve Component unless I am sooner discharged.
b. If I am a member of a Reserve Component of an Armed Force at the beginning of a period of war or national emergency declared by congress, or if I become a member during that period, my military service may be extended without my consent until six (6) months after the end of that period of war.
c. As a member of a Reserve Component, in time of war or national emergency declared by Congress, I may be required to serve on active duty (other than for training) for the entire period of the war or emergency and for six (6) months after its end.
d. As a member of the Ready Reserve I may be required to perform active duty or active duty for training without my consent (other than as provided in item 8 of this document) as follows:
(1) In time of national emergency declared by the President of the United States, I may be ordered to active duty (other than for training) for not more than 24 consecutive months.
(4) When determined by the President that it is necessary to support any operational mission, I may be ordered to active duty for not more than 90 days if I am a member of the Selected Reserve.
-end
No matter how you look at it, the coward is in breach of his contract and at MINIMUM should be reduced to E1, imprisoned for the remainder of his obligation, and have full forfiture of all pay, allowances and benefits.
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