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."
Pore widdo fang. Da big bad weecwuder took advantage of widdo ole me.
I really find that hard to believe.
BTW...please detail for us the "benefits" of IRR.
I have not heard that. When you leave active duty, they let you know that you are still obligated for whatever term.
A common misconception. There were no exemptions, special considerations, etc. for sole surviving sons, etc.
Surviving BROTHERS of men KILLED IN A WAR ZONE, are not / were not deployed to a war zone. Even they were not exempt from the draft. Everyone else was fair game.
Thanks, I didn’t know that. I was originally going to write that this guy was flat-out getting screwed until the article mentioned he was a reservist, and I thought it was the traditional reserves.
Love your tag line...ain’t it the truth though? LOL
All of us know it is out there. If I left today, I would be obligated to 4 years of IRR.
Well I find it hard to believe that you would post on a subject you know so little about.
I guess that for 5 years of service where this guy was overseas in war torn Germany and Japan and the Phillipines was enough for you. I however would ask that he serve his entire 8 year commitment.
I hate to disagree; I already had an exemption (4y I believe). I could not be drafted excerpt in times of national emergency, which the VN war was not. ;-)
How so? The war is neither illegal nor unconstitutional. They mouth this BS but can't back it up.
"according to the Military Times, an independent newspaper for members of the US armed forces and their families."
Ahh yes, the vaunted Military Times published by the leftist Gannett Publishing which also brings us the dems' propaganda sheet USA Today. Their role is to sow dissension within the ranks.
I served in the Navy’s medical corps from 1979 through 1987. I attended medical school on a Navy scholarship and was obligated to 4 years. I took postgraduate medical education in the Navy which counted neither for nor against that obligation. It was an equitable arrangement both for me and for the Navy. When that time was up, I knew that I wanted to settle down in a practice and raise my family. IRR was available to me as was a continued commission in the reserves. I really did not want to be subject to recall at that time because I was in a critical shortage specialty. I had the option of resigning my commission which eliminated me from any reserve category whatsoever. Is this not an option open to enlisted?
IRR was supposed to be used in event of national emergencies, not ongoing foreign conflicts. Instead of the current administration not demanding a larger active duty military force they resort to distrupting the lives of GI’s that have made a difficult transition to civilian life back to military life. This guy was Honorably Discharged after five years of service and deserves a chance to start a new life, get an education, start a new career and even start a family.
Why bother with him? Let him and his google eyed buddy go do their thing together.
It is not an option for enlisted, as far as I know. I had a friend who was a linguist, (Farsi) who was recalled. He is out again.
Same here. And I spent over the four years on active duty required by my USAF contract. However, my total contracted term of service was for eight years. So I served out the remainder of my contracted term by being available to recall in the IRR. Had I been needed during those years, the USAF would have been right to recall me, (with all my training and experience) rather than disrupting the life of some ignorant draftee.
If this t*rd signed up for a contract obligating him to more than the five years he spent on active duty, he hasn't a leg to stand on.
As far as, "There are no benefits being on IRR status.", the benefit is that, during IRR exposure, you are essentially a civilian -- unless you are needed. I, for one, got a head start on a good career in microelectronics (thanks, largely, to my USAF training and experience).
This coward signed a contract. If he wants out of it, he has two appropriate choices...
I left the USMC in 1978 after enlisting in 1974 for a 4 year active/2 year reserve commitment. Even though I was separated I was told to keep my uniforms and gear serviceable for possible reactivation. When I enlisted they were VERY, VERY, VERY clear letting me know it was a 6 year obligation even though only 4 years were “active duty”.
This POS needs to do what he KNOWS is right or face the consequences.
Of course and he probably spent his first AWOL week calling all the news outlets saying "come talk to me.....>"
Probably a future junior senator from Mass.
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