US soldier refuses to report for active duty in Iraq

AFP via Breitbart ^ | Jun 15, 2008 | afp

[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."

[johniegrad]

One guy refuses to deploy and is AWOL and this is news?

[RooRoobird20]

Hmmm..... lucky for this young man he’s not under the command of General George Washington. Our greatest general didn’t tolerate deserters.

[doc1019]

Was he drafted? /s

[max americana]

It’s the AP. Right now, they;re scraping the bottom of the barrel to make Bush look bad and make the Iraq War look like we’re losing. Same M.O.

[BIGLOOK]

Poliical statements by proxy? The Watada Syndrome.

[svcw]

IRR a back door draft, bull cr@p. It is a continuing your service - moron.

[Jet Jaguar]

Exactly.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Uh, if you want the benifits of being a reserve, uh, I guess then that is what you are..reserves in reserve.

A sad commentary the father makes...if the draft was in, the war would end. Whew! I am so glad this country is so patriotic that all would be proud to serve, if needed...uh, guess not according to this guy.

I am thinking if this guy is really a rocket scientist?

[TXnMA]

This deserter has made his choice, and he deserves another:

rope or firing squad...

[peeps36]

I was just thinking the same thing. Why does the media cover one coward who refuses to carry out his duty? There are thousands of brave men and women who report for duty when called. Who cares about a few cowards who wet their pants at the thought of being deployed?

[yldstrk]

What a loser

[politicalwit]

if you want the benifits of being a reserve, uh, I guess then that is what you are..reserves in reserve.

There are no benefits being on IRR status. Simply put, the DOD can essentially say.."Dude, you're a soldier again."

What the use of IRR tells me is that the military is undermanned and can't recruit sufficient new and qualified personal.

[CodeToad]

Shhot him. That’ll stop these chickensh*t press hounds.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

National emergency or war...I thought the surge is going great and Iraq is on the verge of stabilizing? The situation in Iraq now is neither a war nor a national emergency, it's akin to firefighters gaining control of a blaze and making sure all of the hotspots are doused. Why does the Army need to call this guy up then?

I am certainly not in favor of any military draft, but how long should we remain in Iraq? And if there's going to be possible strikes on Iran, what do you think is going to happen?

I know the guy is in the reserves, but he did his time, he served 5 years and got honorably discharged. Surely the Army can ask someone else who's stint is coming to an end if they want to extend their stay, plus you got others who'll voluntarily re-enlist.

[doc1019]

I signed the papers to enter the military during the VN war, I wasn’t drafted. I was the only living son of a deceased father, so I couldn’t be drafted. I served were the military sent me and did my duty. I wasn’t looking for any benefits or any other special consideration. I joined (during time of war); I served my contracted time and left the military with an Honorable discharge (heaven only knows how?!)

I call him a coward. JMHO.

[benjamin032]

Well you read the situation wrong then. We meet and exceed recruiting and retention goals most months. The benefit to IRR is that you can finish your initial 8 year commitment in some capacity other than active. Trust me, when a Soldier gets honorably discharged there a plenty of benefits that go along with it. We have called IIR guys back, and retired for that matter, numerous times before. The only reason this is news is because it makes the legal and just War on Terror look bad.

[Anti-Bubba182]

US soldier refuses to serve in 'illegal Iraq war'

On far left of photo

"...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...."

IVAW member Matthis Chiroux announces his refusal to deploy to Iraq

"..Sgt. Chiroux made the following statement to the press on May 15, 2008.

Good afternoon. My name is Sgt. Matthis Chiroux, and I served in the Army as a Photojournalist until being honorably discharged last summer after over four years of service in Afghanistan, Japan, Europe and the Phillipines. As an Army journalist whose job it was to collect and filter servicemember's stories, I heard many stomach-churning testimonies of the horrors and crimes taking place in Iraq..."

This one is John Kerry 2. Maybe Rahm Emanuel will run him as a candidate.

[politicalwit]

I know the guy is in the reserves

IRR is nothing like the "reserves". There are no monthly meetings, no uniforms, no pay. There is no compensation for the loss of your civilian job if called back up. It is essentially a draft list of veterans that have fulfilled the active duty requirements.

Perhaps it is time to reinstitute the draft....btw, I would be of draft age.

[Future Snake Eater]

One thing I’ve heard about IRR is that they’re almost surprised if people do show up and there seem to be no real consequences if they don’t. If that’s true (personally I have my doubts), then this guy could have just not showed up without the fanfare of publicity without anyone really caring.