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.
Pore widdo fang. Da big bad weecwuder took advantage of widdo ole me.
Why bother with him? Let him and his google eyed buddy go do their thing together.
He says he was from a poor white family, yet the article says his father is a rocket sicentist.
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.
I didn't know Rocket scientists were so underpaid...
This is setting off my BS meter. BTW. I am on IRR since I retired 3 years ago.
>>>My name is Sgt. Matthis Chiroux, and I served in the Army as a Photojournalist
Thank you, you answered my question. Reading the initial blurb I bet myself this soldier was not in a direct combat branch but rather some more cushy support job.